I really thought this would be a book about a lady trying to renew her career as in indie rocker and some of it was. Hard to really get into her renewing her career after a 7 year lapse in between learning about her affairs, her family, etc. This could have been a very interesting book if it had just stuck to the original plot. ( )

I found this book interesting, poetic, quiet and pleasant all while the protagonist is in the midst of a tour of Europe, a midlife dilemma, a struggle for identity without art, and a rock-n-roll scene.

D'Erasmo has written a book that hits on how art (music, visual, and written) is ambiguous and "awash in insecurity and instability". She gives us a montage of flashbacks: a childhood of traveling the world with her artist parents, past album tours, drug-induced creative processes, loss, letters to her sister, past relationships, fears, daydreams, and possibilities. I finished the last page and the first thing that came to mind was- Satisfied. ( )

Stacey D'Erasmo's Wonderland is an authentic portrayal of a rock star's comeback tour. Seven years ago, Anna Brundage's career and love affair crashed and burned. In the interim, she has married, divorced and lived a rather mundane life, but she decides to give her musical career one last shot.

Beginning right before the first stop in Anna's European tour, Wonderland is a little confusing as it meanders back and forth between past and present. Glimpses into her childhood highlight her unconventional and somewhat eclectic upbringing. Details of her past love affair with a married man expose the highs and lows of their failed relationship and her ongoing heartache over their breakup. Brief mention of her marriage and divorce lead to unexpected introspection. A tragic loss hints at a troubled relationship. All of the revelations play out alongside the current tour stops, one night stands and sometimes tense moments between Anna and her band mates.

While these various bits and pieces are interesting, they do not give enough information about events or characters to form a complete picture of Anna or her life. The transitions between past and present are disjointed. The characters are likable but lack dimension.

While lacking in some areas, Wonderland is definitely a hit when it comes to the rock star atmosphere. The nerves, the tension and the exhaustion of tour are keenly felt as is Anna's uncertainty about her future. Stacey D'Erasmo ends the novel on hopeful note, but like the rest of the story, it is frustratingly ambiguous. ( )

Disappointing. I was expecting a little more coherence, I guess. Good on the elusive nature of the muse, but a bit too jumpy-around-in-time-y. Frustratingly, I just read a review of the book that I tend to agree with in the NYT, written by Lionel Shriver, who I tend NOT to agree with.

Not worthless, but not thrilling. ( )

I loved loved loved her style much more than the actual story though the choice D'Erasmo made for the ending was a bit of a thrill. I am going to gobble up everything D'erasmo wrote and work on my own writing more. Very inspiring. ( )