Thank you to publisher Pen & Sword History for providing arc in exchange for review. This book is about the “dark side of Alice In Wonderland” and yes, it is very dark. I did learn some interesting things about the author and the real life Alice (who knew she may have had a romance with one of Queen Victoria’s sons??!!), but other times the text was a little repetitive.. I do think this book will put some people off and maybe should have some trigger warnings for some of the topics that may affect some readers. There is a lot about pornography, child abuse, etc. Not really my type of book but I appreciate the author’s research and I did learn a lot. I guess I’ll just stick to the light side instead.

I was never the biggest Alice in Wonderland fan. I can't remember reading it as a child, or watching the Disney movie, but it was inescapable. The amount of times I've said 'We're all mad down here!' at work is not even funny! (Maybe it is a little bit?) But as such I went into this book ready to be educated, and I definitely was. Thanks to Pen & Sword History and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Dark Side of Alice in Wonderland is split into the different Alices that we know today. We get to see Horror Alice, Occult Alice, Drug Alice, we even get to hear about the theory that Carroll was Jack the Ripper. There is a lot of extra information about Alice in Wonderland that you'll learn here, both biographical and, to a certain extent, speculative info. A fascinating chapter is called 'Lolita Alice', in which Youngman discusses the novel Lolita, the Lolita sub-culture in Japan as well as Carroll's odd fascination with photographing young girls in various states of undress. While Youngman does her best to contextualize this behaviour, it is still very unnerving to read and it might affect how you see Alice in Wonderland. For someone like me, who wasn't majorly attached to the novel beforehand, it was fascinating to see how far a single story can be taken, how many different ways it can be reinterpreted and understood. Sure, some of these angles I will not understand, but it's still interesting to peek behind the curtain, to steal a metaphor from another children's classic.

Angela Youngman does a great job at showing the long and varied life that Alice in Wonderland has lived so far. A book that could have been dense and academic, or biographical and dull, is made accessible and fun. There is something a little casual about The Dark Side of Alice in Wonderland which works both for and against it. On the one hand it feels like you've met up with Youngman and over drinks she introduces you to all these fascinating offshoots and side-businesses of this novel. On the other hand some information is repeated and the book isn't as cohesive as it could be.

The Dark Side of Alice in Wonderland is a great book for fans of the children's classic who want to dig further into its many different afterlives.

Tad disappointed. I already knew most what was in this book, It was a bit derivative. I skimmed a lot of it, hoping there would be some fresh insight or info, Anything to make it worth the read! Well, it's everything in between the covers of one book, so at least this closes up all the issues. Oh, well, if you are new to the topics, you'll enjoy this. just not worth my time.

SYNOPSIS

The Dark Side of Alice in Wonderland is not merely an expose’ of the man behind the myth that is Alice in Wonderland; it is also a deep dive into the depths of depravity arising out of the concepts that Lewis Carroll introduced to the world. Angela Youngman leads us through the looking glass in an examination of the darker aspects of Lewis Carroll’s life. She includes a pantheon of related material arising from the Alice in Wonderland author’s immense global popularity.

The Dark Side of Alice in Wonderland is presented to the reader as a patchwork of myths, interesting facts and other miscellaneous information collected from a variety of sources. The collation of research material provides the reader with a deep plunge into the somber elements that contribute to the life of this unique author and his factional creation. Youngman reveals how the real-life girl and the fictional character are blurred and codependent to some extent with each influencing the other.

Since the release of Alice in Wonderland, 160 years ago, the concepts shared in Carroll’s works became part of the global public psyche. The narrative has been reconstructed by each culture into its own unique derivation from the original. The etymology seems to be unlimited, and the popularity of Alice in Wonderland is still going strong today. There appears to be no constraints to the original concepts heterogeneity; nor does there seem any limit to the Aesopian utilization of the initial concept in the present. The Dark side of Alice in Wonderland focuses far more on the use, or misuse depending upon your view, of the multifarious versions of the corrupted original.

The character of Alice has been hijacked and transformed into a revolutionary immersive theatre concept in which audiences act out her identity, or witness performers doing so. The fictional Alice has been psychoanalyzed, linked to hallucinogenic drugs, used to label medical conditions, used in adult coloring books, and a myriad of other alternative conceptualizations. In addition, there are the mysteries that continually surround her creator with suggestions of child abuse, pedophilia and madness – even suggestions of Carroll’s link to Jack the Ripper.

Alice In Wonderland is one of my favourite books of all time. It's so much more than just a children's book, it is full of satire and commentary on the politics of that time. It lifts a veil on mental health issues that would not have been openly spoken about in the 1800's when it was written and it has a unique take on the use of the English language unlike anything I've seen since. However, the life of it's author Lewis Carroll is much of a mystery which has aroused speculation for many years. This book not only delves into the man behind the creation of Alice In Wonderland but the inspiration taken from the novel in modern day culture too.

Lewis Carroll's real name was Charles Dodgson, his personal life has been rife with rumour and speculation for many years and the dark side of these rumours are a large part of the beginning of this book. Angela Youngman takes care to present the allegations of possible paedophilia and his unusual relationship with young girls. A lot of what she talked of in the book shocked me, especially the naked pictures he would take of young girls for his photography. Although she explains that this was quite a 'fashionable' thing to do at the dawning of the photographic revolution, it is extremely difficult to align with the beliefs in todays world.

Each chapter is based on a way that Alice has filtered it's way into every day life and modern culture. I was really interested in the chapters on how it has taken on a life of it's own in Japan with fashion in particular and sub genres of society, especially through the art work and stories in Manga. There is also a chapter on the many ways Wonderland is used in the horror genre across movies, TV, scare mazes, Halloween etc. One of the most ostentatious rumours about Dodgson was that he could have been Jack The Ripper, this chapter was ludicrous to say the least but very entertaining to see how his work was twisted to fit a certain narrative.

Youngman is very skilled a staying unbiased throughout the book, simply presenting the facts, diary entries, letters and first hand accounts as she has read them. She leaves a lot of the decisions up to the reader. However in doing so there is not much personality from her and some sections felt like long lists of sources she had found from other people's books on the same subject matter and she wasn't bringing anything new to the table.

Overall a really interesting read, especially for a fan of the book. It's important to be educated about the person behind a story, as we all know too well there can be some very dangerous and malignant ideas and activities being hidden by a well known name.

Not my usual kind of read but the blurb sounded intriguing. It was definitively different and looked in to Lewis Caroll’s background, life style and his life choices. It certainly makes you question some of what was going on for the era and the thoughts and expectations of that time period.

So, to start off with a Trigger warning is definitely needed. There were many times I had to stop because of the content so keep that in mind. That out of the way, wow, this was dark but so interesting! There were a few cringe worthy sections and sections I wish I didn’t know, but as someone who has always loved Alice it was really interesting to read about how one story can bring about so many others.
I highly I recommend this book for anyone that is in love with Alice and wants to explore a darker, much darker side to it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3/5 stars

Thanks for providing this precious arc in regards to the publisher and author!

A fascinating novel that definitely shows potential for the author!

First of all, I wanted to say thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

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I want to put some trigger warnings in place, there is mention of Paedophillia and rape of children as a constant theme throughout the novel. Please be cautious if these pose a potential trigger to you before reading.

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This book wasn’t at all what I expected when I requested it, but it was interesting nonetheless. It covers the dark history of Alice in Wonderland, of whom, the fictitious book was based upon. It focuses on how over the hundreds of years since its release , the character has become sexualised, and twisted into a darker outlook.

The whole history behind the book was extremely fascinating, I’ve never actually looked into the actual story behind the fiction novel so it was a really interesting read for me.

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This book delves deep into the history of Lewis Carol and his associations with children. It explores the darker side of him, that maybe not a lot of people are aware of. It’s interesting and quite sinister at the same time, and includes a back and forth approach with evidence from fellow authors and the media, in the ongoing debate as to whether or not, Lewis Carol was a Paedophile.

I can’t lie when I say it was quite disturbing delving into this darker side or Alice in Wonderland, how other authors, film producers, magazine editors etc became almost obsessed with, and encouraged people to almost embrace such disturbing and upsetting versions of the story.

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As someone who suffers from mental illnesses myself, I found the part about the characters being based on mental illnesses and disorders quite interesting. I can’t say I’ve ever focused on the novel or film adaptions in depth enough to notice. I did find it simultaneously both disturbing and interesting to read though. It just made me feel a little uneasy, I think maybe trough the portrayal of the mental illnesses, it only seems to show the negative symptoms and behaviours associated with such disorders. In response to this it probably feeds way more into the stigma surrounding such disorders rather than being a teaching experience on awareness of such disorders or how people who suffer cope.

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Unfortunately, I didn’t make it to the end of this novel, so I can’t really comment on anything past this point. Although, it was necessarily my cup of tea, I did learn a great deal about Lewis Carol and the way Alice has been portrayed over the years. I think this book would be an interesting read to anyone who enjoys books based more on factual information, or is in an avid fan, or fascinated with the background of Alice in Wonderland. It is dark and deep so please be aware there are some touchy and often sensitive topics explained throughout.

I'd like to preface by saying that when reading a book, watching a movie, listening to music, etc., that I don't generally look for any hidden meanings in anything. I enjoy them as they are and don't try to guess at any hidden intentions by those who created them. So starting this book, I've read the book and seen some movies and listened to some music based on it. I'll also admit that I've never really known anything about the author's life. I did find this book to be really interesting and I would recommend it for anyone who wants to know a bit more about the author (but not too much, it isn't a biography) or that is interested in any of the spin offs that the original story inspired as this book provides a long list of those.

The first few chapters cover the real Alice (Alice Liddell), her family, and the author Lewis Carroll (aka Charles Lutwidge Dodgson). Those chapters were extremely interesting and leave open the big mystery of what Carroll's intentions and actions were with the real Alice... but as the author points out, there is a lack of evidence of anything untoward and only suspicions with interesting circumstantial evidence. I thought this would be the main focus of the book and was interested to go deeper into it but it was not.

The rest of the book looks at how the book influenced many other things in the world. There are chapters on what would absolutely be considered the dark side... including child abuse and porn,,, so if you are sensitive to those subjects, maybe skip at least those chapters. The other chapters are (to me) less dark (although not bright and sunny) and go into a look at how the original story influenced or related to topics such as mental health, drugs, horror and the occult, and even Jack the Ripper. A majority of those chapters will point you in the directions of movies, music, books, video games, and even events that are in some way a spin off of the Alice in Wonderland theme.

As I stated above, it was an interesting book and can be very eye opening for someone who doesn't usually poke around behind the scenes but will not be for all audiences depending on your sensitivities. It did provoke me to want to learn more about Carroll, his life, and his relationship with the Liddell family.

Digital ARC provided by Netgalley

When he published "Alice in Wonderland" in 1856, Lewis Carroll ignited the imagination of readers around the world with his story full of exotic and bizarre characters, reforming children's literature. Six years later, with the appearance of the second book in the series, "Alice through the looking glass", the author definitely won his place in the top of the most beloved writers, and the story of little Alice became a prolific international phenomenon.
Even if the info found in this book are not all new, there were some very interesting facts that made me pay more attention to the phenomenon in other parts of the globe. The strange characters created by Lewis Carroll are top landmarks in global popular culture and are found in countless entertainment products, from movies, plays, TV adaptations, music and even fashion and art.

I think it's quite interesting but I didn't like the style of writing and I struggled.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is the first time I have DNF'd a NetGalley book. I know my reading tastes really well, so I generally know I'm going to like a book before I request it. Which is exactly what I thought would happen with The Dark Side of Alice in Wonderland by Angela Youngman. I have always been fascinated by the book, the story itself, the strange rumors surrounding author, Lewis Carroll, so anytime I come across a book about it, I immediately want to devour it.

From page one I felt like I was writing a really long and wordy book report from when I student taught high school english. (Which is one of the reasons I ended up teaching Kindergarten!) It was incredibly repetitive and mechanically filled with information. It felt more like a listing of interesting facts and stories the author found rather than a well thought out and organized book. It felt academic while not actually being up to par with a quality academic paper.

After about half way through, I just couldn't bring myself to pick it back up again.

Angela Youngman's The Darker Side of Alice in Wonderland explores the numerous mysteries surrounding Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) and the impact on popular culture his work has had on generations. The book is well-researched and uses multiple sources to examine Dodgson's life and the theories people have about his behavior. Youngman's work is broken up into chapters that focus on specific genres that have been influenced by or have reshaped the original story of Alice in Wonderland. Youngman shows that from books to movies, some fantastical, some dark, some erotic, the work of Dodgson has certainly had an impact.

The work is repetitive at times, but does provide insight into the life of Alice Liddell, Charles Dodgson, and the original book. I am not sure I learned anything remarkably new from the information, but it was an interesting read. I would recommend this to others wanting to know a bit more about Charles Dodgson and how a work of fiction can impact the world in numerous ways.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the dARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

This was quite frankly some dark topics. It was interesting to read some different and how it became. I wasn't expecting it to be like this. It through me off. But I still enjoyed it none the less.

So I would like to say firstly, this was my FIRST EVER non-fiction read... I know, shocking right? I’ll be honest and say, fiction is just more my thing... but when I saw this on NetGalley I just had to request it.

Youngman looks at all of the different aspects surrounding Carroll’s/Dodgson’s life and career. From looking into acts of pedophilia, to claims of him being Jack the Ripper, Youngman uncovers some of the questions many still have today on who Carroll really was.

This was such an interesting and fascinating read for me, I’ve been an Alice in Wonderland fan for as long as I can remember so to learn the history behind the story was eye opening.

Want to know a fun fact? Alice Liddel, the girl that Alice is in fact based on, is buried in Lyndhurst in the New Forest... which is approximately 15 minutes away from me!

When delving deeper into Dodgson’s past, it is said to still be unclear as to whether his way with children was an act of pedophilia or not... it is said to be very common that children would be pictured unclothed during this era. It wasn’t until much later that people started to find it strange and disturbing. Therefore we’re his acts just genuine acts of that particular era, or was there a darker, more sinister side to the story? I guess we’ll never really know...

Something that fascinated me, was that there were in fact claims of Dodgson perhaps being Jack the Ripper? I studied Jack the Ripper in school and during my project I never found evidence for this. But whilst reading this, I was almost convinced myself! But as you read on you realise there are a lot of pieces to the story, and alibis that just don’t add up... but again, it’s another bit of knowledge that I don’t think we’ll ever find out the truth.

There we times within the book that made it hard and uncomfortable to read, particularly when learning about Dodgson’s relationship with the Liddel family, particularly little Alice. Whilst it’s still unclear what Dodgson’s intentions were, that doesn’t make it any more bearable to read. But I do like how Youngman does not glorify or romanticise these allegations, but simply explains the way it was in those times and how his notions could’ve been innocent. But that looking at it today, we obviously won’t see it that way and it’s for us to make our own minds up on what we believe to be the truth!

But if you like reading into the backgrounds of authors and the reason/the inspirations for their work, I do think that you’ll really enjoy this. It’s definitely a well researched piece of non-fiction work, and I’m glad that I went out of my comfort zone to read it!

The only thing I will say, hence a couple of stars being taken off, is that I found it to be a little repetitive at times. I do also think that it could’ve been slightly more detailed, and there was definitely room for delving deeper into the solid facts. As it does focus a lot on the speculations and assumptions, and the scrutiny that Carroll/Dodgson faced.

But other than this, a very interested read overall! Thank you to Pen & Sword and Angela Youngman for allowing me to read a prerelease copy!

The Dark Side of Alice in Wonderland is a well-researched nonfiction book and it is something new for me.
I found out the dark side of Lewis Carroll/Charles Dodgson and Alice Liddell, that I did not know, and now I know 😉.
The author is telling us how the story changed through the years.
I enjoyed it, thanks to Netgalley for this adventure.

This seems to be a well-researched book that history lovers should enjoy. It wasn't, however, quite what I expected. I thought there would be more of the aspects concerning the book itself and not so much about just the author and his life (though perhaps the two are intertwined)

The narrative was repetitive at times and it was hard to remain engaged in it. It was just ok for me.

A look at the the author and the legacy of sorts that he and the book. The influences he had and the, a bit on the real Alice.

I dnfed this book on 52% its my second dnf ever.

I was just quite bored. Most of the facts I already new. The topics in this book could be really intresting but most of the time the facts were more about the topic than about the alice in wonderland part of that topic.

The facts weren't represented in a storie, the chapters didn't connect with each other wich made it really hard to read.

But I do believe if you like facts summoned up , and don't know much about the assumptions around lewis carol and alice in wonderland this could be a really interesting read for you.

Thank you to pen & writers hystorie , Angela youngman and netgalley to give me this e arc in return for an honest review.