Alice in Tumblr-land: And Other Fairy Tales for a New Generation Hardcover – November 5, 2013

Fairy Tales for Twenty-Somethings (the blog from which this book originated) is quite possibly my favorite Tumblr, so it is perhaps unsurprising that I loved this book. The beauty of fairytales is that they tend to tap into core human experiences. The experiences that Alice in Tumblr-Land taps into may be different than the experiences tapped into by the original stories, but that's kind of the point. By starting from well-known children's stories, this book is able to contrast the simplified version of life that was presented to us as children with the complicated, modern world that we find ourselves in as 20-somethings. These contrasts are sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, sometimes enlightening, and sometimes a mixture of the three. The structure of this book is interesting - it is composed of a series of vignettes that unite, both thematically and into individual story threads following specific characters, to form an overall story arc. This story arc was both relatable and ultimately uplifting. I laughed out loud, but I also nodded in agreement. While some of the characters resonated with me more than others, the wide range of early adulthood experiences presented here means there will likely be something for everyone.Overall, I would absolutely recommend this book to other young adults trying to find their way in the world. It has everything that I loved from the blog, with revised text for those stories that appeared there, and beautiful artwork (seriously - I am tempted to make copies of some of it to hang on my walls), as well as many new stories. More importantly, the change of medium makes the thematic trajectory possible in a way that it wasn't in the blog format. There are a few vignettes (most notably the last of the Tortoise and the Hare ones) for which I preferred the versions that originally appeared on the blog, but in these cases I can completely see why the changes were made, thematically. This just provides all the more reason to read the blog too!

Alice in Tumblr-Land is just the best. It integrates modern lifestyles to fairy tales in a way that doesn't alienate either of the two. Manley makes a seamless transition from the happily ever after endings we all remember growing up, into 20 something year old troubles. Each story is down to earth, real, and relatable. Even if you don't relate to the troubles of Sleeping Beauty or The Little Mermaid, you know someone who does. For every story that has an undertone of serious confusion and struggles of figuring out your life, there is a funny one that recognizes the modern day use of instagram or addiction to social media; it really is for a "new generation" as it says in the title. It is a fun book to read and I was sad to get to the end because I wanted to keep reading about the Tortoise and the Hare (even though I was satisfied with their ending). Manley also does a great job of getting you to empathize with these characters in just a couple sentences alongside the well-crafted illustrations. There are moments where you feel like the Cheshire cat is really talking to you instead of Alice, or that you could be Robin Hood's friend.Tim Manley was my high school English teacher and I'm so proud of this accomplishment of his. I'm a senior in college at Sarah Lawrence and remain in contact with him when we can. I was able to see this project grow through the tumblr as he got more and more recognition for his work so it's great to see this final product. This book is near and dear to my heart and I'm telling everyone I know about it so Manley can get the support he deserves. Highly recommended! A great read!-Sandy

This book has alot of sex-related, drug and alcohol-related, and very "teen" kind of humor. While it *might* be okay for ages 16+, it wasn't at all what I expected it to be. There were perhaps 5-10 very hilarious jokes, and maybe 5 good warming stories (mostly from Alice). Pinocchio's stories were all stupid, not one of them were funny.This can easily be read in about 2-4 hours because there isn't as much text (and I'm a slow reader!).I think this would make a great "pass-it-on" kind of gift.Overall, I would not recommend sharing this book unless you understand or know something about the characters in it. Otherwise, it won't be as interesting.This book just has simple 1-page stories. The page numbers don't seem to be in any order at all (it might say page 5, then 7, then 5 again, etc.). This book also came in a dust jacket, which I honestly find to be annoying (but I did tape it still).

I picked this book up because there is nothing more heartwarming than fairytales. They are the stories that put you to sleep, the stories that turn into a movie, the stories that you obsess over one age or another. Fairytales are so flexible as they can be molded to anything. Manley nailed that with this book. Besides the obvious humor, he successfully was able to grab those characters from your past and just make it into something more "age appropriate."It's extremely hard to fathom exactly how much I love this book. Every time I read it on my commute, I always end up having to stifle my laughter as to not get any awkward looks from strangers. Even if you grew up hating fairytales, there is no way you would not laugh at this book. Manley has taken a cliche and turned it into something else, something as unique as it is unusual.

This is a cute little book. Multiple fairy tales sent into the Internet Age. The stories are broken up or broken down to a page a page and a half and then a picture but they all do get conclusions in the end. Issues are very modern (depression, gender transitioning, and Beauty was dealing with some slight body issues) so this isn't a kids book. Loved the idea of the fairy tale characters making their way on-line and finding success or being depressed when their stuff doesn't get enough likes. Yeah, there's something about it that's painfully recognizable. I actually wished some of the stories were more drawn out.

I go on tumblr a lot so a book about my childhood combined with jokes about tumblr seems like a brilliant idea.The book is rather funny but after a few pages, the stories tend to be nearly the same plus I'm not the biggest fan of the simple paragraphs, I'd guess I'd like an entire modern day version of a fairytale rather than a simple paragraph. This book won't make you laugh out loud but maybe breath a little more heavily through the nose or laugh internally. I think the book is a good satrical piece and I would recommend it for teens and up as it is sort of entertaining.

This book was a brilliant read, I would certainly recommend it to anyone who likes short one-page stories, especially funny stories. This story was even better than I expected it to be and I hope to keep this book a long time and share the funny one-pagers with friends and family members as time goes on.

Ideal gift for a teenager who loves twitter,tumblr etc. Some funny stories based on traditional tales. Clear layout and good illustrations.

I pre-ordered this having been a fan of the blog for ages and it does not disappoint! Extremely well observed and laugh out loud funny. Accurately captures the life of millennials hipsters in short vignettes about our favourite children's characters. Comforting to know it's not all happily ever after.

Beautiful illustrations and just awesome in all. Would really recommend to anyone, especially if you're into tumblr and social networking in general.Great book!