Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie – Book Review

Title: Peter Pan
Author: J.M. Barrie
Genre: classics, fantasy, children’s book
Release Date: 1911
Pages:  207 pages
(total of 17 titled chapters)

Synopsis

Peter Pan and Tinkerbell lead the three Darling children over the rooftops of London and away to Neverland – the island where the lost boys play. Magic and mischief is in the air but if villainous Captain Hook has his way, before long someone will be swimming with the crocodiles…

1^st sentence

All children, except one, grow up.

What made me get it and thoughts on the cover

What — The Disney movie is one of the many cartoons I grew up with and then in 2004 I fell in love with Finding Neverland (a movie that I still consider one of my favorites) so that’s why I’m curious to read J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan.

The cover — This Puffin Clothbound Classic is so dream-like that reminds you of Neverland. I love the small size of this book and the starry endpapers. I also own and read Treasure Island in this edition.

My thoughts

A beautiful children’s book about a conceited but lovable boy called Peter Pan, even though he’s such a show off I felt like he just wanted a hug which I would love to have given him even though he’ll forget it soon after. Had I not seen the movie before I think I would’ve felt the story was ridiculous at first (like when the kids’ nanny is introduced as being a dog like it’s the most normal thing ever was written in a silly way but since we already know Nana and know how she looks like I got to enjoy the book more. And also the whole Peter losing his shadow and trying to find it. Imagine reading this with no background of the story, it would seem ridiculous to you too, right?) so like I said, I think both the movie and book go hand in hand. Watch it first to get introduced to the magical world created by the author and then read the book to experience it differently on paper.

The storytelling is told in a very simple and fun way. J.M. Barrie would talk to the reader when the story shifts from Neverland to London and he also gives us the option to choose an interesting story to tell us about, which of course he ended up choosing one and left us wondering what the details of the other stories could have been.

Oh, and in the book they always refer to Neverland with a ‘the’ before it, so it’s the Neverland, they never called it just Neverland, always the Neverland.
And I still feel sorry for Wendy for being so mature when she’s supposed to be just a kid, she ended up acting like a mother figure to many kids, and she was enjoying that. And then you have Tinker Bell, who’s such a child in her attitude and jealousy.

I would’ve liked to know more about Neverland (or the Neverland) and the ways of life and growing up there but I guess if the writer were to write more about Neverland it would take a big volume for him to create a more elaborate world.

Overall          

A nice tale with many adventures with Captain Hook; the Lost Boys; Tiger Lily; the mermaids; Wendy, John, and Michael Darling; Tinker bell, and Peter Pan himself.        4/5 stars

Every child is affected thus the first time he is treated unfairly. All he thinks he has a right to when he comes to you to be yours is fairness. After you have been unfair to him he will love you again, but he will never afterwards be quite the same boy. No one ever gets over the first unfairness; no one except Peter. He often met it, but he always forgot it. I suppose that was the real difference between him and all the rest.