Off the Bookshelf: VINCENT IN WONDERLAND, by C.E. White

 

Audible, Audiobooks

Narrated by David Pickering.

What if Vincent Van Gogh met Alice Liddell, the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland, when they were children -- IN Wonderland?

Or in this case, a magical world, called Sian, where the villainous Jabberwock prowls, draining life and time from young living creatures.

There are so many delicious layers to this story, and the magical world the author has created. The "explanations" for the "real events" that happened to Alice, which she remembers as a dream and which become part of the Wonderland story, are clever and thought-provoking.

Just as interesting -- at least from an author's perspective -- are the author notes at the end of the story, discussing the inspiration for the story, and tracing how it came together. I'm quite eager to listen to the next book, Worlds Next Door, which was actually written first -- although Vincent in Wonderland comes first in the history of the world of Sian. Don't be confused, and don't worry -- you don't need to listen to the books in any particular order, because they stand alone. But I imagine it will be great fun to listen to the next book and re-visit places that first appeared in Vincent's adventures.

There's an important lesson on guarding and nurturing our gifts and not letting anyone drain away our colors and our life, but it's not heavy-handed or didactic. Bravo!