The Looking Glass House

By Vanessa Tait,

Book cover of The Looking Glass House

Book description

Oxford, 1862. Poor, plain Mary Prickett takes up her post as governess to the daughters of the Dean of Christ Church. When Mary meets Charles Dodgson, a friend of the family, she is flattered by his attentions and becomes convinced he plans to propose marriage. But it is also clear…

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Why read it?

1 author picked The Looking Glass House as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This fictional interpretation of the creation of Alice’s Adventures is seen from the viewpoint of a constant, yet largely unremarked, fixture during these critical years: the Liddell family governess, Mary Prickett. The Oxford context of the time is convincingly depicted, and some of the burning issues of the day – Darwinism and Nonconformism, for instance – are interwoven with the more immediate tensions within the Liddell household, interpreted by an author who has more right than anyone to comment because Tait is the great-granddaughter of the real Alice herself. To sustain the pace she condenses the real events of 1857…

From Mark's list on Lewis Carroll and Alice.

Want books like The Looking Glass House?

Our community of 11,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Looking Glass House.

Browse books like The Looking Glass House

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in governess, math, and mathematicians?

Governess 25 books
Math 271 books
Mathematicians 38 books