Alice In Wonderland

Down the Rabbit Hole (Again)

So I'm doing dishes—glamorous, I know—and I figured, why not revisit a classic? I've probably read Alice in Wonderland a dozen times since I was a kid, but I'd never actually listened to it. At under three hours, it seemed like the perfect companion for some mindless kitchen work. And honestly? It was like meeting an old friend who's gotten a slightly weird new haircut.

Michael Scott's narration is... a lot. And I mean that mostly as a compliment. He leans hard into the whimsy, which makes sense—this is Carroll we're talking about. The man wrote a book where a caterpillar smokes a hookah and asks existential questions. You can't exactly play that straight. Scott brings this almost theatrical energy that works surprisingly well for the absurdist dialogue. His Mad Hatter is delightfully unhinged, and the Cheshire Cat has this slow, knowing drawl that genuinely gave me chills in a good way.

But here's the thing. The White Rabbit? Oof. Scott goes for this high-pitched, frantic voice that—look, I get it, the character is supposed to be anxious and rushed. But after the third "Oh my ears and whiskers!" I was reaching for the speed controls just to get through those sections faster. It's a small complaint in the grand scheme, but it did pull me out of the story a few times.

The Pace of Nonsense

Carroll's writing is already pretty rapid-fire. The story jumps from scene to scene with dream logic—one minute Alice is shrinking, the next she's swimming in her own tears, then suddenly there's a caucus race happening. Scott matches this energy, maybe a little too well. His pacing is quick, almost breathless in places. For me, someone who knows the story inside and out, this was fine. Actually kind of fun. But I could see a first-time listener getting lost in the chaos.

The production itself is clean. No weird audio artifacts or background noise that I noticed. There are some subtle sound effects sprinkled in—nothing overwhelming, just enough to add atmosphere. A door creaking here, some ambient forest sounds there. It's tastefully done, though I'll admit the sound effects occasionally distracted me when I was trying to catch a particularly clever bit of wordplay. (And there's a lot of wordplay. Carroll was basically the original dad joke enthusiast.)

What Still Works After 150 Years

Here's what struck me on this listen: the book is genuinely weird. Like, properly strange. We've gotten so used to sanitized Disney versions that I'd forgotten how much of the original is just... nonsense poetry and characters being rude to a seven-year-old. The Mock Turtle's song about soup? Bizarre. The trial at the end? Complete chaos. And Scott commits to all of it, which I respect.

The runtime—two hours and forty-six minutes—is pretty much perfect. It's short enough that you can knock it out in an afternoon, but long enough that you actually get to sink into Wonderland. I finished it while folding laundry after the dishes, and honestly, the mundane task paired weirdly well with the surreal story. There's something almost meditative about listening to Alice argue with a caterpillar while you're matching socks.

Who Should Take the Plunge

If you're looking for a faithful, energetic reading of the original text, this delivers. Scott clearly loves the material, and that enthusiasm is contagious—even when his character choices occasionally veer into "community theater on too much coffee" territory. (I say that with affection. Mostly.)

Kids might find the pacing a bit fast, and some of the Victorian wordplay will sail right over their heads. But honestly? That was true when I read it as a kid too, and I still loved it. The imagery is vivid enough that you don't need to catch every pun to enjoy the ride.

For adults revisiting the story, this version is a solid choice. It's not going to replace your nostalgic memories of reading it under the covers with a flashlight, but it's a fun way to experience Carroll's weirdness in a new format. Just maybe don't start with this if you've never encountered Alice before—grab a physical copy first, then come back to Scott's performance as a companion piece.

The Bottom Line

This is comfort listening with a twist. The narration is theatrical, occasionally over-the-top, but ultimately charming. At under three hours, it's low commitment, high reward. Perfect for chores, short commutes, or when you just want something familiar but slightly off-kilter.

Would I recommend it? Yeah, actually. With the caveat that you should know what you're getting into. This isn't a subtle, restrained performance. It's big and bold and a little exhausting in the best way. Kind of like Wonderland itself.