Dreamhouse

By Alison Habens

Book Overview

Celia Small has spent years planning her engagement party, from the food she'll serve to the dress she'll wear. When she finally met her fiance, it was less a romantic event than a satisfying check... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 031214086X
• ISBN13: 9780312140861
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: Picador USA
• Length: 327 Pages
• Weight: 1.17 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 1.3" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

A new favorite for me!

I was recommended this book by a friend and, being a fan of both Alice in Wonderland and the pastiche form, I ordered it. I have to say that I'm delighted that I did. The novel had so much to chew on, yet was so fast-moving that I devoured the entire thing in one night. Some users have complained about the novel's "alternative" content, but the fact is that drug use, the transvestism, feminism, etc contribute a perfect structure to the novel's themes of transformation, surreality, and maturation. This is Alice for grownups, and I'm utterly smitten.

Fantastic book, but falls a bit short on its ending

I'd love to give this book 5 stars, but the ending kills it for me. (no spoilers here, rest assured) The story is beautifully crafted; Habens is so creative with her wordplay. It's rare to find a writer with such a tight grasp on double entendre; her wordplay is as entertaining as her plotline. This might not be the best book for people who are strongly opposed to drug use, alternative lifestyles, and roleplaying parties; it takes an open mind to appreciate this novel. Being a fan of Lewis Carroll's work helps immensely; Habens' take on the classic is clever and amusing. But for me, the ending fell short. It's in keeping with the surreal tone of the story, and it does not ruin the book...but it could've been handled better. Habens did such an incredible job with the entire story, yet the last 5 pages or so feel like a cop-out...I was more than a bit disappointed. All in all, though, a fun read.

found at last

I read this book about five years ago and loved it - lent to some one and lost it. And now I've found it at Amason I can have a copy of my own again. Such a fabulous cavalcade of events takes Atwood's edible woman and turns even her upside down.

A Jammy New Twist on the Twisted Lewis Carroll Classic

Celia Small, the prissy Alice-wannabe protagonist, dreams only of her upcoming wedding which she has planned to every neurotic detail. However, events unfolding around her engagement dinner party explode in her face and backfire most miserably.She shares a house with freaky, free-spirited roommates: Cath, in particular, has baked up a batch of sinfully psycho-tropic jam tarts and is also hosting THE ultimate dress-up theme party- WONDERLAND.Celia, distressed at the failure of her dinner, escapes to the kitchen and is lured into Cath's world of jam tarts and altered reality. As Celia breaks through barriers by breaking her staid rules of living, she discovers a life worth living, all her own.Allison Habens tells this "Alice" tale in a fresh, immediate perspective, at times as poetic as Carroll himself albeit not quite as convoluted. The plot, however, does turn as much as a turnstile, but always stylishly and with plenty of character description and dialogue to back it up.With witty insights into modern, if fanciful relationships, "Dreamhouse" makes for a wonderful find...over tarts and tea...

Inventive and unique

This book was a fantastic fantasy versus reality with a twist of human nature and womens liberation. I recomend this book for any woman in need of a smile and a little self confidance. Or if you just want a fun read.