Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll - A Short Summary and Review

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll - A Short Summary and Review

By: a.d. elliott | Take the Back Roads - Art and Other Odd Adventures

A Rite of Fancy Book Recommendation and Review.

Graphic showing a whimsical outdoor tea setting with the book cover of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and text reading “A Short Summary and Review.”
Alice's journey through a rabbit hole and the land she found there.

A short summary:

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland follows young Alice as she tumbles down a rabbit hole into a world where logic bends, language misbehaves, and nothing stays the size or meaning you expect it to. Wonderland is filled with strange creatures, impossible rules, and conversations that sound sensible until you listen closely.

As Alice moves through this topsy-turvy landscape, she tries to apply manners, reason, and lessons learned in the real world, only to discover that Wonderland operates on its own internal nonsense. Carroll uses fantasy not to escape reality, but to poke at it, exposing the absurdities of authority, education, and social custom with playful precision.

My favorite quote from the book:

"If everyone minded their own business, the world would go around a great deal faster than it does."
-Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Bright garden scene featuring a small table with a teacup and book, paired with the quote: “If everyone minded their own business, the world would go around a great deal faster than it does.” — Lewis Carroll.

Questions to ponder while reading:

Would I have dared eat the cake?

Is croquet playing a useful skill to have?

My Review:

Love, love, love this story.

Alice in Wonderland is the kind of book that reminds you why imagination matters. I want to live in this fantasy, not because it’s safe or orderly, but because it’s curious, unapologetically strange, and endlessly inventive.

Carroll captures the sensation of being small in a big world, where adults make rules that don’t make sense and expect obedience anyway. The humor is delightfully sharp, the wordplay absurdly clever, and the scenes unforgettable. Who hasn’t wanted to argue with authority figures as nonsensical as the Queen of Hearts?

And yes, tarts. Anyone? The trial alone is reason enough to reread the book, a brilliant send-up of justice, procedure, and people minding everyone else’s business.

This is a story that grows with you. What feels like whimsy as a child reveals satire, philosophy, and quiet rebellion as an adult. Wonderland never loses its charm; it just keeps finding new ways to surprise.

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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life

She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.

You can also browse her online photography gallery at shop.takethebackroads.com.

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