Tim ManleyBesprekingen

Hm, somewhat amusing - but disappointing. Ah, well...½

The intermingled vignettes format of this book probably works better than a collection of start-to-finish stories, as it makes the book easier to peruse and to be left on a coffee table, in a bathroom, or in another common area. Unfortunately, though, I think my expectations for "fairy tales for a new generation" were a bit too high, as I found the book not quite as humorous as I wanted or expected it to be.

While I did enjoy reading the book well enough, I liked the illustrations more than I liked the text itself, and I don't think this is a book that I'll ever read again. I only wish it had lived up to my high expectations for it!

Note: I received my copy through the Goodreads First Reads program.

A quick read, a very millenial take on the fairy tales. A bit too real in places, reminds this millenial how cliche we all sound sometimes.

Tim Manley’s Alice in Tumblr-land: And Other Fairy Tales for a New Generation tells the stories of fairy tale princesses and heroes, as twenty-somethings navigating relationships, friends, sex, careers and social media.

The Tortoise and the Hare Facebook-stalk each other down opposite career paths. Robin Hood worries if his killer social media campaign is fighting hunger or just slacktivism. Beauty’s new boyfriend plays videogames in his underpants. Ariel just doesn’t get pop culture, besides the episode of Hoarders with all the forks. Rapunzel posts a selfie with her short new do, and wonders, did everyone hate my old look without telling me? Ping’s father still calls him “Mulan” sometimes, but he calls the internet “AOL”, so Ping tries not to hold it against him.

Each story is told in a short blurb -- a bit longer that a tweet, shorter than my blog posts -- and then on to the next story, with the major narratives picked up again. The result is a magical Tumblr feed of fairy-tale characters living out their twenty-something adventures.

Read the rest (mild spoilers, I guess?)

While the premise was funny it got old after a while. I can see why it was very funny as a blog, though.

This wasn't at all what I expected. I thought it would be a full-on parody of Alice In Wonderland; however it was more like little drabbles of old fairytales.

I liked it.

Not all of them were funny. Some were kind of sad and gave me the feels. Some just made you think. At some point, when you grow up, you realize how bass-akwards children's versions of fairytales are. Like why did the princess always need some random dude to roll in and save the day?! Why did the princess never save the prince? Being swept off your feet is nice and all, and I fully endorse it, but I also endorse rescuing yourself. And why was it always happily ever after? Can't it just be, content, or okay ever after? LOL!

I kind of like this twisted, sort of cynical play on the old tales. Definitely a good read.

Oops! I purchased this book thinking it was a modern take on Fairy tales - but still for children. OK I was wrong. It is a satire and its target audience is twenty somethings.

I have to admit I found some stories hilarious. But, since I'm way older than the target group I found some parts rather vulgar. Oh well I've got to lighten up:-) All in all worth reading and will tickle your funny bone.

This review was originally posted on my blog Little Miss Reader

I really enjoyed Alice in Tumblr-land, it is a quick, light and fun read.

I love the modern twist, and how easy it is to picture it! Manley has taken some of my favorite fairytales and changed them into ordinary people, and I enjoyed that. Peter Pan having a hard time because all he thinks about is the internet, Rapunzel thinking that the people liking her new profile picture hated her old hair, and just never told her.

Some of the stories was more on the adult side of the scale with stories about Lancelot being gay and the beast (from Beauty and the Beast) having some weird fetiches.

This book also has some great quotes, which is actually also some lessons on life, and just some that are great to keep in the back of your head.

I love how this book was an actual page-turner, because every page was a new story, you never got that feeling that you needed a break. And you know how you keep saying "just one more chapter" and keeps on reading 20 more, that is what happens with this book, it keeps you reading because you want to read the next story, and then the next and so on. Basically, that "just one more story", is never actually just one more story.

But I think it would be amazing to read the original stories as a child or have them read aloud, and then as a teenager or adult to read this! Because, this is a great book!

This was a fun, quick read!

WARNING: This book is most definitely not for children.

I read this book because it reminded me of the Politically Correct Bedtime Stories series.

Tumblr is a short form blogging platform. Each set of two pages in this book includes a tumblr-like post. The books goes back and forth between different characters - Peter Pan, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty, and Pinocchio to name a few.

Unfortunately, that is where the tie to the fairly tales ends.

Read my complete review at: http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2014/02/alice-in-tumblr-land.html

My mom got a signed copy in Philly for me. I had never heard of the novel but I sat down and read it in 30 minutes. I laughed the whole time. There is some phenomenal humor in the book, but also a great message if you look for it.

I got a copy of this to review through NetGalley(dot)com. This was a fun and darkly humorous read about all of our favorite fairy tale characters as they struggle through their lives with the aide of social media.

This was a quick and interesting read. There were a number of times I was laughing out loud. The book jumps between many fairy tale characters. We read about Robin Hood trying to make a difference though youtube, Red Riding Hood trying to find a good man on OKCupid, Chicken Little freaking out over what she finds on WebMD, and the Ugly Duckling facing her classmates at a high school reunion...along with many other stories.

These stories are woven together remarkably well and we go back and forth between the different characters as the story of their current lives is unraveled for us. The book does a good job of closing out everyone's stories on a surprisingly positive note. The stories are just very brief snippets, that at points leave you thinking “Uh, so what?” but then later they are revisited and make sense.

I was surprised at how well this book was done and at how much I enjoyed it. It is funny and does a good job of poking at the drama social media causes in society today.

There are also some very amusing pictures throughout. All of the pictures are done in an old traditional fairy style, but the content is more modern. The style of illustration is very ironic when compared to what it is depicting and makes for a lot of entertainment.

Definitely an adult’s only book. There is swearing and many sexual references in here. So, don’t buy this for your kid thinking it’s a fun fairy tale retelling. You also need a passing familiarity with fairy tales in order to appreciate all the humor in here.

Overall a fun and quick read. The stories of different fairytale characters are thrown into the modern day world are blended together to create a fun read. The book is remarkable cohesive considering it jumps between so many characters and that the stories are such small snippets. Recommended to those who enjoy fairy tales and humor.

Alice in tumblr-Land was interesting. It was laugh-out-loud funny in parts and really, really sad in parts, but only because I couldn't believe what we, as a society, look like when put into perspective. This book was quick to read, filled with great illustrations, and did not leave any Disney, fairy-tale, or children's story untouched. It placed each character into a situation that worked for them (at times, ignoring the end of the story in order to get them there) and poked fun at the current society in a way that was both painful and funny at the same time.

Read the rest of this review at The Lost Entwife on Nov. 22, 2013.

First let me state something important: this is not meant for kids.

This is an interesting idea with very nice illustrations, but it wasn’t very well executed with the slideshow format and having a random order to the stories. Some stories had a good theme but overall it was mixed bag.

Free review copy.