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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
What a brave and bold re-imagining. Wendy Darling, mother and survivor, is painted here in unflinching and realistic colors. Peter is as capricious as he was in the original book, but there’s a new, sinister depth. At its heart, WENDY DARLING is a story about choosing to be courageous. Choosing who you want to be. Choosing the kind of life you want to live, where you are true to yourself. An infinitely moving story.
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An interesting take on the Neverland mythos. I like the direction she went in and the characters are believable and unflinching. It's a little sluggish since there are at points for simultaneous story lines in three different time periods with two main POV characters, but it all comes together in the end.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization
Minor: Child death, Misogyny, Violence, Blood
adventurous
dark
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Peter Pan and Wendy have become part of the modern mythic imagination: dozens - if not hundreds - of authors return to JM Barrie's characters and Neverland to retell their story and spin new ones. And like any mythic characters, they can carry a wide range of interpretations while remaining recognizable.
A.C. Wise emphasizes the dark side of the mythos, an aspect which is glossed over in the more common, Disney-esque versions. In the original story, when a Lost Boy started to grow older and lose his baby teeth, Peter would take him to a hidden cave and kill him. Knowing this is essential to understand Wise's story.
Wendy, of course, is the Girl Who Chose to Grow Up, which means that however much she cherishes her memories of Neverland (far more than her brothers in this version), Peter can not accept her. She has become an adult. The enemy. When he returns, he takes her daughter Jane, and Wendy follows to bring Jane home. She finds a Neverland which has changed almost as much as she has.
The story of Wendy's search for Jane and eventual confrontation with Peter is skillfully interwoven with the story of the years since her initial return, some of which were spent in an asylum because she refused to lie about having been to Neverland. (Who puts her there and the deeper questions of why, are spoilers I won't get into.)
The plot by itself is of sufficient interest to not need extra depth, but Wise zeroes in on an aspect of the original story which everyone is aware of, but which I have not seen addressed before: what is the significance of Peter Pan losing his shadow?
Interpretive spoilers below:
If this makes you wince, please don't let it turn you off from an excellent story. As I said: I recognized the Shadow psychology but not the critique.
A.C. Wise emphasizes the dark side of the mythos, an aspect which is glossed over in the more common, Disney-esque versions. In the original story, when a Lost Boy started to grow older and lose his baby teeth, Peter would take him to a hidden cave and kill him. Knowing this is essential to understand Wise's story.
Wendy, of course, is the Girl Who Chose to Grow Up, which means that however much she cherishes her memories of Neverland (far more than her brothers in this version), Peter can not accept her. She has become an adult. The enemy. When he returns, he takes her daughter Jane, and Wendy follows to bring Jane home. She finds a Neverland which has changed almost as much as she has.
The story of Wendy's search for Jane and eventual confrontation with Peter is skillfully interwoven with the story of the years since her initial return, some of which were spent in an asylum because she refused to lie about having been to Neverland. (Who puts her there and the deeper questions of why, are spoilers I won't get into.)
The plot by itself is of sufficient interest to not need extra depth, but Wise zeroes in on an aspect of the original story which everyone is aware of, but which I have not seen addressed before: what is the significance of Peter Pan losing his shadow?
Interpretive spoilers below:
Spoiler
What I didn't realize until I read the very last line of Wise's acknowledgements at the end of the book is that the entire story is a critique of patriarchy and the denial of the (Jungian) Shadow of traditional masculinity. I picked up on the Shadow aspect about midway through the book, but I think it's a testament to Wise's skill as a writer that the "Patriarchy Bad" message didn't swamp the story. But looking back, it's clear: every male in the book is a tyrant and/or wounded in some way, and Wendy's story has been dominated by their needs, decisions, and whims. Peter Pan does not commit sexual assault, but he has the same lack of empathy and sense of entitlement of college rapist Brock Turner. While reading the book, I simply took the dynamics for granted as "Victorian era mores," but the author could have written these characters and Wendy's (and Jane's) challenges quite differently if she had chosen.If this makes you wince, please don't let it turn you off from an excellent story. As I said: I recognized the Shadow psychology but not the critique.
I should state up front that I disliked “Peter Pan” by J.M. Barrie. There were some good ideas within the story, but there was also a huge amount of racism and misogyny, which severely detracted from the story.
This book by A.C. Wise goes a long way to addressing things that were wrong with the original, plus also telling the story of a woman who’d lived through A LOT after returning from a magical world. At the book's open, we see Wendy married to a kind husband, Ned. They have a daughter, Jane, and a dear friend, Mary.
Then, Peter Pan crashes back into Wendy's life, snatches up Jane and flies off to Neverland. Wendy doesn't sit around and wait for someone else to fix things. Instead, she heads out after the pair to rescue Jane.
Wendy and Jane experience a Neverland that is quite different from the one Wendy remembers. There are horrors and destruction, and many examples of Peter's capricious cruelty and mercurial temper.
A.C. Wise’s take on "Peter Pan" fills in Wendy’s life post-Neverland, from her childhood onward. It’s not the happy time one would have expected after all the siblings’ adventures. Instead of bonding over their experiences in Neverland, the memories prove to be divisive in the extreme, with Wendy holding onto her memories desperately, and demanding the boys retain the wonder of their time away, while the brothers forgot the longer they were back in London. Add in family and personal trauma, grief, loneliness, and mental health issues.
Wise moves back and forth in Wendy’s memories, from moments in Neverland in both her past and present, and how she becomes the person we see at the beginning of the book, including a stint in an asylum. If Neverland isn’t horror enough, early 20th century mental health medical practices (i.e. abuse) add greater pathos to Wendy’s story.
The author presents us with a grown Wendy who is a flawed person, insisting on the truth of her experiences. Wise also shows us the horrors of Neverland and the always-young Peter. Together, these elements make this an interesting story. It’s a wiser and more honest woman who returns to London at the end of the book. Wendy’s journey is compelling reading, and left me feeling satisfied with Wise’s portrayal of a person dealing with a profound and disturbing experiences.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for a review.
This book by A.C. Wise goes a long way to addressing things that were wrong with the original, plus also telling the story of a woman who’d lived through A LOT after returning from a magical world. At the book's open, we see Wendy married to a kind husband, Ned. They have a daughter, Jane, and a dear friend, Mary.
Then, Peter Pan crashes back into Wendy's life, snatches up Jane and flies off to Neverland. Wendy doesn't sit around and wait for someone else to fix things. Instead, she heads out after the pair to rescue Jane.
Wendy and Jane experience a Neverland that is quite different from the one Wendy remembers. There are horrors and destruction, and many examples of Peter's capricious cruelty and mercurial temper.
A.C. Wise’s take on "Peter Pan" fills in Wendy’s life post-Neverland, from her childhood onward. It’s not the happy time one would have expected after all the siblings’ adventures. Instead of bonding over their experiences in Neverland, the memories prove to be divisive in the extreme, with Wendy holding onto her memories desperately, and demanding the boys retain the wonder of their time away, while the brothers forgot the longer they were back in London. Add in family and personal trauma, grief, loneliness, and mental health issues.
Wise moves back and forth in Wendy’s memories, from moments in Neverland in both her past and present, and how she becomes the person we see at the beginning of the book, including a stint in an asylum. If Neverland isn’t horror enough, early 20th century mental health medical practices (i.e. abuse) add greater pathos to Wendy’s story.
The author presents us with a grown Wendy who is a flawed person, insisting on the truth of her experiences. Wise also shows us the horrors of Neverland and the always-young Peter. Together, these elements make this an interesting story. It’s a wiser and more honest woman who returns to London at the end of the book. Wendy’s journey is compelling reading, and left me feeling satisfied with Wise’s portrayal of a person dealing with a profound and disturbing experiences.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for a review.
It's definitely a book. It has words; too many of them if you're asking me. If we cut off some of the constant recalling and unnecessary inner monologue, it would have had a lot less words. Does it have a concrete plot? Yes, I guess, but don't ask me to explain it.
adventurous
dark
Fell short of 5 stars for me, but I enjoyed it. I wish Tinkerbell would have been in it lol.
