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Outside Wonderland by Lorna Jane Cook

Outside Wonderland

A Novel

by Lorna Jane Cook

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  • Published:
  • Mar 2011, 336 pages
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There are currently 46 reader reviews for Outside Wonderland
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Kaye D. (Huntley, IL)

Left Me Wanting Move - Loved It!!!!
This was a wonderful book, I enjoyed reading every word. It followed the lives of three orphaned children and their relationships. Each one had been affected by the early deaths of their parents in different ways and this story followed each one of their relationships and how different each one of them were. A side story involved their deceased parents and their watching over their childrens' lives from heaven. I would highly recommend this book for anyone and think it would make for interesting conversations at a book club. I was sorry to see it end, I would have liked to keep reading about the lives of Alice, Dinah and Grif.
Jan B. (Aiken, SC)

Outside Wonderland
Author Lorna June Cook has a well crafted book that displays the endless love of parents for their children. She does a fine job of depicting the haunting loss young children feel throughout their lives after the tragic death of parents. The book also depicts the bond and support of siblings in troubled times. I liked the characters but wished I'd have known more about them. Overall, I thought this book was a wonderful and reassuring read.
Marta M. (Santa Ana, CA)

Wonderland of a read!
I really enjoyed this book. It was slow going at first but soon I found myself thinking about the characters and was excited to return to them. The characters were well written and made me smile and cry. Choices were made and consequences were paid but all the way through it they supported each other even when they were having a hard time themselves. I loved the fact that their parents were in heaven watching and hoping they would make the right decisions. It gave me hope and was a very encouraging novel. I think it would be a good novel for bookclubs and a fun one for mothers and daughters to read together.
Susan J. (Twain Harte, CA)

Wonderful Wonderland
I really enjoyed this well-written book. The three siblings have distinct, three-dimensional personalities, flawed yet sympathetic. I felt I came to know the characters well and was invested in their decisions. Plot twists keep it from being predictable. This story would make a great film. I was sorry to come to the end of the book and can't wait for the author's next novel.
Melissa K. (Oviedo, Florida)

A Compelling Read
I loved this book! It is beautifully written and I couldn't put it down until the end. Cook developed such believable characters, with realistic qualities. It was heartwarming at times, and heartbreaking at other times. A wonderful story was woven. I look forward to reading more from this author. I will definitely encourage my book club to read this book.
Kay B. (Lake Jackson, TX)

Outside Wonderland
I loved this book! Lorna Jane Cook writes about our earthly tragedies from an eternal perspective in a poignant yet matter-of-fact way. The settings provide interesting back ground and the characters realistically tug at your heartstrings. The author's descriptions draw in the reader such as when her character, Alice, becomes enchanted with the child, Adam, and says "she felt herself slipping into the skin of the three-year-old". The story is well-written, fun, and easy to read and you will be sad for it to end.
Julie D. (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA)

A Very Different Type of Book
First let me say, I loved this book. It was so different than anything I had ever read before. I loved the characters and how each one told their own story. It was also very nice to have the story told from their mother as she watches from Heaven. I wasn't sure if I would like this aspect of the book, but I did. I highly recommend this one.
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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