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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
This is indeed a dark retelling of the Pete Pan story, and it is an excellent one. Very well written; we follow the story from the POV of Wendy now, Wendy then, and Wendy's daughter Jane, and each voice is distinctive. It is hard to put down, and gives you a good deal to think about after.
I really enjoyed the double timeline of Wendy's life and this retelling was fantastic. The darker view on Peter was great- and the twist of having Jane involved made it unique. Wendy's story feels real and I could really relate to some of her struggles. The question of when are we actually grown up was handled well and I appreciate the author for writing this.
As a person who was never interested in Peter Pan, nor loved the Disney movie, this book was for me!
I felt this novel validated my young feelings about Peter… I always felt he was odd and a little bit disturbing.
I loved how Wendy’s character was further explained and her experiences (good and bad) were detailed after returning from Neverland. Wendy’s story is one to focus on, a strong and resilient protagonist.
If you’re a fan of Peter Pan (the character), this book is not for you!
I felt this novel validated my young feelings about Peter… I always felt he was odd and a little bit disturbing.
I loved how Wendy’s character was further explained and her experiences (good and bad) were detailed after returning from Neverland. Wendy’s story is one to focus on, a strong and resilient protagonist.
If you’re a fan of Peter Pan (the character), this book is not for you!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for gifting me an e-arc and a finished copy of this book.
I love a dark retelling so was instantly interested in this one as it sounded right up my street. Unfortunately while I did like this, I didn't love it like I expected to. This is also less a retelling and more a continuation as it follows Wendy's life after leaving Neverland.
I enjoyed the multi POV as we got to see the story from both Wendy on her journey back to Neverland to rescue her daughter, and also from Jane's point of view in Neverland. I felt like we had much more of Wendy's past in her POV chapters than we needed; we end up with detailed events of what happened to her during her time in the asylum that her brothers take her to, when she continues to try and make them remember their time in Neverland as children. While seeing some of those events was important to see how she got to where she is at this point, I feel like there was much more than we needed and it left me feeling disconnected from the actual plot of Wendy having to go and rescue her daughter from Peter.
The second half of the book - where Wendy makes it to Neverland, and while Jane is trying to remember who she is and that she needs to find a way home - is much more fast paced and we get to see a truly dark side of Peter and the island. However even with a stronger ending, this was not enough to bring up my overall rating of the book higher than a 3 star.
I love a dark retelling so was instantly interested in this one as it sounded right up my street. Unfortunately while I did like this, I didn't love it like I expected to. This is also less a retelling and more a continuation as it follows Wendy's life after leaving Neverland.
I enjoyed the multi POV as we got to see the story from both Wendy on her journey back to Neverland to rescue her daughter, and also from Jane's point of view in Neverland. I felt like we had much more of Wendy's past in her POV chapters than we needed; we end up with detailed events of what happened to her during her time in the asylum that her brothers take her to, when she continues to try and make them remember their time in Neverland as children. While seeing some of those events was important to see how she got to where she is at this point, I feel like there was much more than we needed and it left me feeling disconnected from the actual plot of Wendy having to go and rescue her daughter from Peter.
The second half of the book - where Wendy makes it to Neverland, and while Jane is trying to remember who she is and that she needs to find a way home - is much more fast paced and we get to see a truly dark side of Peter and the island. However even with a stronger ending, this was not enough to bring up my overall rating of the book higher than a 3 star.
Engrossing and enthralling -- this is a tale of Neverland for grown-ups, as pithy as that sounds. I love how AC Wise has taken motifs and elements from the original tale and explored what was *really* going on: the significance of one's shadow; the socialisation of boys to expect girls to play a maternal role; and the acts of remembering, reconciling, and letting go of our childhoods.
medium-paced
3 stars, because while I enjoyed this dark, twisted take on Neverland, this novel has ruined Peter Pan for me!
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I received this as a review copy via NetGalley.
Jean Rhys gave me the story of Bertha, Rochester's first wife, in Wide Sargasso Sea. Seanan McGuire made me consider what happens to children when they come home from their otherworld adventures. AC Wise gives me the story of Wendy, and what happens after Neverland, and the reality about Peter Pan.
Peter Pan is an awful person.
(I should note that it's well more than 20 years since I read Peter Pan, so it's possible that I've missed some of the more subtle and clever nuances that Wise brings to the story. (And to be honest when Hook was mentioned, my brain immediately went to Dustin Hoffman...). Clearly, though, this is not a problem for appreciating the novel, Whether it would be as thoroughly appreciated with zero knowledge of the original is unclear; I suspect it would be fine, given the depth of story about Wendy as a human, but some of the references might be a bit weird.)
_Wendy, Darling_ presents its story over a few different timelines: Wendy in Neverland. Wendy after World War 1, when she is committed - by her brothers - to an asylum. Wendy married, and a mother. And the story of Jane, Wendy's daughter... I think you can guess what happens to Jane.
This book is amazing. This book is compulsive reading (I read it in 24 hours, and it only took that long because ugh, life). This book is sharp and piercing and reflects on a whole lot of the issues that the (white, patriarchal) world has come aware of since Barrie wrote his original. (Uh, hi there Tiger Lily....) And this book balances being well-paced and driven by action in some parts, with being deeply reflective and thoughtful in other parts. You know how sometimes you get to a different timeline in a story and you're all "get on with it! get back to the other bit!"? That never happened here.
It's about memory, and family, and loss, and compromise, and fidelity. The pain and the joy of growing up, the complexity of relationships, how much we can hurt the ones we love and how we can make our own families. And the fierce, wonderful, difficulty of life.
I just love it. Everyone should read it. It should be nominated for all the awards.
Jean Rhys gave me the story of Bertha, Rochester's first wife, in Wide Sargasso Sea. Seanan McGuire made me consider what happens to children when they come home from their otherworld adventures. AC Wise gives me the story of Wendy, and what happens after Neverland, and the reality about Peter Pan.
Peter Pan is an awful person.
(I should note that it's well more than 20 years since I read Peter Pan, so it's possible that I've missed some of the more subtle and clever nuances that Wise brings to the story. (And to be honest when Hook was mentioned, my brain immediately went to Dustin Hoffman...). Clearly, though, this is not a problem for appreciating the novel, Whether it would be as thoroughly appreciated with zero knowledge of the original is unclear; I suspect it would be fine, given the depth of story about Wendy as a human, but some of the references might be a bit weird.)
_Wendy, Darling_ presents its story over a few different timelines: Wendy in Neverland. Wendy after World War 1, when she is committed - by her brothers - to an asylum. Wendy married, and a mother. And the story of Jane, Wendy's daughter... I think you can guess what happens to Jane.
This book is amazing. This book is compulsive reading (I read it in 24 hours, and it only took that long because ugh, life). This book is sharp and piercing and reflects on a whole lot of the issues that the (white, patriarchal) world has come aware of since Barrie wrote his original. (Uh, hi there Tiger Lily....) And this book balances being well-paced and driven by action in some parts, with being deeply reflective and thoughtful in other parts. You know how sometimes you get to a different timeline in a story and you're all "get on with it! get back to the other bit!"? That never happened here.
It's about memory, and family, and loss, and compromise, and fidelity. The pain and the joy of growing up, the complexity of relationships, how much we can hurt the ones we love and how we can make our own families. And the fierce, wonderful, difficulty of life.
I just love it. Everyone should read it. It should be nominated for all the awards.
I stopped because it seemed over the top and because Wendy had been institutionalized for believing in Neverland, and I wasn't here for that.