Carroll L. Riley

Advantages: Hard hitting, raw energy
Disadvantages: sometimes a bit oblique

...Jim Carroll is probably best known for the emotionally charged diary The Basketball Diaries. That journal written by a young teenager growing up in New York City has become a legendary book. It was also made into a semi-successful movie featuring Leonardo DiCaprio. Jim Carroll is also an accomplished musician and poet. Fear of Dreaming is a compilation of poem culled from two previous books and featuring many new works. Carroll's poetry is hard hitting and surreal. He has a keen knack for rubbing against raw nerves. His intensity is startling. Many poems deal specifically with his experiences in life. He deals openly with his heroin addiction. Ultimately, he did survive the demons that threatened to destroy him. The city seems to be one of his major themes. New York City is a motif in his work. This poetry... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Very fun to read
Disadvantages: None!

...This book was brilliant all the way through, it came in the same book as the first one, Alice in Wonderland, and it's definitely in my Top 10 list of favourite books. From the surreal train journey at the beginning to the whole journey across the chess board, it's brilliantly absurd! Not just for children, because teenagers and adults can also get a lot out of it...maybe you can try reading between the lines to find Carroll's hidden messages. It's not just a kids' story! In addition, the characters are appealing and all very individual, and are guaranteed to bring a laugh. It's not necessary to read Alice in Wonderland before you read Through the Looking Glass, but it might be reccomended, to help get you into the style so you can appreciate it even more!... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: many
Disadvantages: not a lot

...Alice in Wonderland is a classic novel written by the author Lewis Carroll. It is a very successful story that attracts many young and old people. It is a lovely, funny, exciting book that is enjoyed throughout the world. It is about a girl called Alice Liddell who day dreams that she is in a magical world all of her own. She meets many unusual friends, some of which she likes and some of which she finds very annoying and mad. There is the Mad Hatter, the Rabbit, and the Queen whose only vocabulary is ‘off with their head!’ Alice has a lot to deal with in Wonderland; she shrinks and grows and shrinks and grows. Overall the story is great and Mr Carroll deserves a lot of credit.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful