Ali in Wonderland:And Other Tall Tales by Ali Wentworth

Mary Ali Wentworth, Harper, Memoir

Title:  Ali in Wonderland: And Other Tall Tales

Author:  Ali Wentworth

Genre:  Memoir

Published:  February 2012 – Harper

About:  (from the publisher) Growing up in a family of political journalists—and daughter of President Reagan’s White House social secretary—Ali Wentworth rebelled against her blue-blood upbringing, embracing Hollywood, motorcycles, even a few wildly inappropriate marriage proposals. Today she is an acclaimed comedic actress and writer, former Oprah regular, wife of political and media star George Stephanopoulos, and a mother who lets her two girls eat cotton candy before bed. Though she’s settled down, her rebellious nature thrives in her comedy and her view of her crazy world.

In this addictively funny and warm memoir, she takes us through the looking glass and into the wonderland of her life, from a childhood among Washington’s elite to a stint in the psych ward they called a New England prep school; days doing L.A. sketch comedy (with then-aspiring artists Will Ferrell and Lisa Kudrow) to a series of spectacularly failed loves (that eventually led her to Mr. Right). Constant throughout is her mother, Muffie—a flawlessly elegant yet firm, no-nonsense force of nature and pure WASP convictions.

My take:  Ali in Wonderland is a very entertaining memoir and Ali Wentworth is a very funny storyteller. After reading about a couple of her experiences I wondered how she was still alive. Most of the time I was laughing out loud at her tales of growing up in a privileged family, going to boarding school, and her various love interests.

My favorite part of the book? That would be from the point she met her future husband to the end of the book. Her stories of their brief engagement, planning a wedding, and the birth of their first child are hilarious.

Source:  Harper

Disclosure:  See sidebar. I was not compensated for my review.

16 thoughts on “Ali in Wonderland:And Other Tall Tales by Ali Wentworth”

  2. As much as memoirs and I don’t play well together, your take makes me want to read this one. I love it when a book makes you laugh out loud.

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  4. I hadn’t heard of this one, but do think that it sounds rather interesting. I am big on comedic memoirs, and will be looking for it when I can. Very nice review today!

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  6. The only thing I had heard about Ali was that she was wild and it was left to the imagination what that meant. That said, I wondered at her marriage to George, of all people, and how she would fit in in his family and his crowd. I think I should read this one.

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  7. Not an individual I know or have even heard of but I’m always up for a bit of humour. This certainly doesn’t sound like one of those dull, dry memoirs, thanks for the recommendation.

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  8. I saw her on a couple of talk shows about this book and I would love to read it.. I think she is amazing and talented..
    Thanks for reviewing the book Mary…

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  11. You love Alan, I heart George. I saw them both on the View together and they seemed so cute because they were so different. I guess I didn’t know about her backround, but since I like funny and politics this might be a good fit for me.

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  13. I saw her on Real Time with Bill Maher last night and the stories she told from her book were very funny. Between that appearance and your review, I am convinced I need to read it!

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