I picked this book for exactly one reason: It is three hours and twenty-five minutes long.
My brain is currently functioning at about 12% capacity (teething toddlers are a special kind of torture), and the idea of starting a 20-hour fantasy epic felt physically painful. I needed a win. I needed to finish something. And I needed it to not be Paw Patrol.
So, I downloaded Through the Looking Glass. Comfort read? Check. Short? Double check.
I had the same "just finish something" energy when I tackled Alice's Adventures in Wonderland last month—same chaotic charm, equally manageable runtime.
The "Fever Dream" Vibe
Is it just me, or is Lewis Carroll actually writing about motherhood? Hear me out. There's this part where the Red Queen tells Alice, "Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place."
I literally laughed out loud in the Target parking lot. People stared. I didn't care.
That is my life. That is laundry. That is doing the dishes. Running full speed just to stay in the exact same spot of "somewhat clean house." I felt seen by a Victorian mathematician, which was not on my bingo card for this week.
The story is just as bonkers as I remembered. Talking puddings, live chess pieces, the Jabberwocky. It's chaotic, but in a low-stakes way. Unlike my chaos, nobody is screaming for juice.
Stewart Wills Gets the Nonsense Right
I hadn't listened to Stewart Wills before. Couldn't find a ton of info on him, but honestly? He nailed it.
Here's the thing with kids' classics—sometimes narrators go way too hard. They do these screechy voices for the wacky characters that make me want to drive into a ditch. Wills didn't do that. He has this warm, steady, almost grandfatherly tone. He treats the nonsense with total seriousness, which makes it funnier.
When he reads the "Walrus and the Carpenter" poem, he's not doing a clown act; he's just delivering the whimsy with this clarity that makes the wordplay actually land. It's soothing. Like a warm cup of tea (that I actually get to drink before it goes cold).
He made the "Jabberwocky" make sense? Is that possible? It felt like it made sense.
Can the Kids Handle It?
I tried playing this on the school run. Results were mixed.
Emma (7) was into the talking flowers. She thought they were sassy. Lucas (5) was mostly confused about why Alice was arguing with a gnat. And Sophie... well, Sophie fell asleep within 10 minutes of the soothing narration.
So, 10/10 for the nap-inducing qualities alone.
But honestly, this was mostly for me. It's a palate cleanser. Short enough that I finished it in two days of errands and folding clothes. Weird enough to distract me from my to-do list, but familiar enough that if I zoned out because someone threw a sippy cup, I knew exactly what was happening when I tuned back in.
The Verdict
If you need a break. If you need something short. If you want to feel like your chaotic life is actually just a whimsical chess game—grab this.
Who should listen: Exhausted parents craving a quick, cozy escape. Anyone who wants Victorian nonsense without a 15-hour commitment. Who should skip: If you need plot-driven narrative or can't handle dreamlike randomness, this isn't your jam.
And yes, I listened at 1.25x speed. Because even in Wonderland, I've got places to be.
