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There are currently 46 member reviews
for Outside Wonderland
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Martha L. (Warner, NH)
warm, wonderful read
Outside Wonderland has given me a warm glow. I would give this book more stars if it were possible. Life happens and days pass. Everyone struggles with something/someone, but life is what we make of it and how we move forward. This book highlights this with the wonderfully warm characters of Eve, Griffin and Dinah. The brother and sisters lost their mother in an accident when they were very young and then their father when they were a little older. They seem to struggle with finding themselves and their paths in life. I enjoyed the scenes with the parents watching the children through the clouds of heaven. This book gives you hope without preaching, reality without despair.
"As always, humans beings are endlessly heartbreaking and inspiring, their lives threaded with strands of despair and brighter ones of hope. They are as predictable and changeable as the weather."
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Lisa G. (Riverwoods, IL)
Outside Wonderland by Lorna Jane Cook
This book is about a family that has no idea their deceased parents watch everything they do, kind of like Lovely Bones meets Touched by an Angel. The plot is a bit trite but it was an enjoyable story and I liked the character development. The story kept my interest and it would probably make a good book group discussion.
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Karen L. (Troy, IL)
Outside Wonderland
Couldn't put the book down. The life situations that the Stenen's went through were believable. A storyline going for each of the Stenens but still their lives were intermingled with joy, sorrow, happiness and loss. I had to keep reading to see what choices each of them would be making. The chapters with parents "watching over" them didn't really add anything to the book for me and I found myself just skimming them by the end of the book.
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Anna R. (Oak Ridge, TN)
Outstanding.
I read Outside Wonderland in one setting because I couldn't put it down. It is a fascinating story, very unusual with believable characters and events. The idea of how Heaven (or whatever) might be is beautiful. This is a beautifully written and the Epilogue is something to be read again and again. Simply amazing.
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Karen E. (Sandy, UT)
Outside Wonderland
A very sweet book that slowly pulls the reader in. The further I got into this book, the more enjoyable it became. Presented as more whimsical than spiritual, the idea of parents in the afterlife watching their children grow was still a comforting thought. But the life lessons were there and the point that eternity is just a short lifetime away was clear. An enjoyable book!
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Tricia L. (Auburn, WA)
An intriguing read.
What a lovely picture of parents staying near their children even after death to guide them through life. I enjoyed this book, and was interested in the characters.
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Lisa H. (Salisbury, MD)
Through the Looking Glass
Siblings Alice, Griffin, and Dinah, named for characters out of "Alice in Wonderland" lose first their mother in a freak accident, then their father. We get a small glimpse of them in their younger days before the story fast forwards to the adult siblings. All appear successful on the surface, but are struggling with relationships, and perhaps the unresolved issues of growing up without their parents. For the most part, the characters were likable; however I found them a little too cliche, and one dimensional. I wish they had been developed more fully. I would have liked to have had a few more glimpses of their childhood.
I looked forward to the parents perspective of their children's lives as they caught sight of them from heaven. I liked to think of these scenes as their view of earth "through the looking glass." The dialogue in these interludes was idyllic and the best parts of the novel.
This was a pleasant novel, easy to read. I give it 3.5 stars.
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