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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
Took me a while to finish this but it was cute. Tinker bell has a little mouth on her!
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is sexist, racist garbage! That could (and maybe should) be my whole review. Even the wonder of Neverland gets lost behind convoluted language. After just 2 chapters I was fueled on only by hate, and things never got better.
-All women in this story want to marry Peter, and therefore hate each other. Peter is like… a 10 year old?
-The main role of women is to be MOTHERS. Everyone calls Wendy their Mother. While the Lost Boys get to go on adventures in the land of eternal youth, she seriously just holes up and darns socks. And she's happy about it? Girl.
-After he saves Tiger Lily the Indians call Peter GREAT WHITE FATHER! I'm not even going to delve deeper into the racism of the book because there's too much, and saying it's "of the times" is not a fair argument anymore.
-THE CONCLUSION is that Wendy returns to Neverland once a year to do Peter's spring cleaning! And when she's too old, her daughter goes, and so on! The HAPPY ENDING is that a line of women have been sold into indentured servitude to a sociopathic magical boy!
Kids lit is my jam, and I was set to really like this book. Sure, a lot of classic books have issues, but THIS WHOLE BOOK IS A HUGE PROBLEM. I want to fight J.M. Barrie! I think Peter Pan is a good example of a "classic" book we need to outgrow. Replace this terrible piece of the children's literature canon with something more worthwhile, please.
-All women in this story want to marry Peter, and therefore hate each other. Peter is like… a 10 year old?
-The main role of women is to be MOTHERS. Everyone calls Wendy their Mother. While the Lost Boys get to go on adventures in the land of eternal youth, she seriously just holes up and darns socks. And she's happy about it? Girl.
-After he saves Tiger Lily the Indians call Peter GREAT WHITE FATHER! I'm not even going to delve deeper into the racism of the book because there's too much, and saying it's "of the times" is not a fair argument anymore.
-THE CONCLUSION is that Wendy returns to Neverland once a year to do Peter's spring cleaning! And when she's too old, her daughter goes, and so on! The HAPPY ENDING is that a line of women have been sold into indentured servitude to a sociopathic magical boy!
Kids lit is my jam, and I was set to really like this book. Sure, a lot of classic books have issues, but THIS WHOLE BOOK IS A HUGE PROBLEM. I want to fight J.M. Barrie! I think Peter Pan is a good example of a "classic" book we need to outgrow. Replace this terrible piece of the children's literature canon with something more worthwhile, please.
5 stars for Jim Dale. I had a hard time staying interested in the story, though.
I’ll admit: I’ve never been the biggest fan of Peter Pan. From what I saw in the Disney film and heard about the book, I wasn’t really into it. The book was pretty much the same—it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t something I’d love to read again.
The Peter Pan character is a little too unlikable for me. I understand that he never wants to/hasn’t grow up and therefore acts immaturely, but he seems downright bratty at times, bragging about himself and having a kind of carefree spirit even in dangerous situations (he makes fighting pirates sound like fun). The book even says that Peter is vain. I can get kids being immature, but even Wendy and Michael and John don’t seem that immature. I just can’t get with the Peter Pan character.
While this book was set in the 1900s and racism and sexism was casual, that doesn’t justify it. The way the Native Americans are treated is pretty offensive; they’re constantly referred to as “redskins” (a derogatory term for Native Americans), act stereotypically, and I think they’re even referred to as not being as “sophisticated” or something to that sort as the white men. That shouldn’t have been acceptable back then as it is now, but I am glad that many of our attitudes about it have changed, despite racism still existing.
As for the sexism, I found it more subtle than racism—but it’s still there. Since this is set in the 1900s, women are given the traditional role of caregiver and aren’t allowed to do anything else. The Lost Boys want Wendy to be their mother, even though she is just a girl herself, which is under the assumption that most women are caregivers. Then there is the fact that every girl is pretty much in love with Peter Pan—in fact, Tinker Bell is so jealous of Wendy that she almost has the Lost Boys kill her. There is a somewhat positive aspect to this, however, as Tiger Lily is a fair hearted princess (which is a better portrayal of Native Americans as well) and Wendy is a mature and arguably the most well-rounded character in this story.
The main thing that I did like about this book, however (aside from the more advanced vocabulary due to its time) was the main theme: that yes, people grow up, but you should always keep your childlike imagination of adventures and escapism. I think, as adults, too many of us worry about things and have a harder time enjoying life. I am personally a very creative person and want to live life in the moment, just as the Darling children do, while minting my maturity as an adult.
Overall, Peter Pan was an okay book. It’s probably not something that I’d pick up again, but I’m glad I took the time to read the original story so that I could at least compare it to modern versions. If I had cared about the characters more, I think I would have really enjoyed this story. I love the message, though, and I know that’s advice I’ll keep in mind for the rest of my life.
The Peter Pan character is a little too unlikable for me. I understand that he never wants to/hasn’t grow up and therefore acts immaturely, but he seems downright bratty at times, bragging about himself and having a kind of carefree spirit even in dangerous situations (he makes fighting pirates sound like fun). The book even says that Peter is vain. I can get kids being immature, but even Wendy and Michael and John don’t seem that immature. I just can’t get with the Peter Pan character.
While this book was set in the 1900s and racism and sexism was casual, that doesn’t justify it. The way the Native Americans are treated is pretty offensive; they’re constantly referred to as “redskins” (a derogatory term for Native Americans), act stereotypically, and I think they’re even referred to as not being as “sophisticated” or something to that sort as the white men. That shouldn’t have been acceptable back then as it is now, but I am glad that many of our attitudes about it have changed, despite racism still existing.
As for the sexism, I found it more subtle than racism—but it’s still there. Since this is set in the 1900s, women are given the traditional role of caregiver and aren’t allowed to do anything else. The Lost Boys want Wendy to be their mother, even though she is just a girl herself, which is under the assumption that most women are caregivers. Then there is the fact that every girl is pretty much in love with Peter Pan—in fact, Tinker Bell is so jealous of Wendy that she almost has the Lost Boys kill her. There is a somewhat positive aspect to this, however, as Tiger Lily is a fair hearted princess (which is a better portrayal of Native Americans as well) and Wendy is a mature and arguably the most well-rounded character in this story.
The main thing that I did like about this book, however (aside from the more advanced vocabulary due to its time) was the main theme: that yes, people grow up, but you should always keep your childlike imagination of adventures and escapism. I think, as adults, too many of us worry about things and have a harder time enjoying life. I am personally a very creative person and want to live life in the moment, just as the Darling children do, while minting my maturity as an adult.
Overall, Peter Pan was an okay book. It’s probably not something that I’d pick up again, but I’m glad I took the time to read the original story so that I could at least compare it to modern versions. If I had cared about the characters more, I think I would have really enjoyed this story. I love the message, though, and I know that’s advice I’ll keep in mind for the rest of my life.
Not what I want expecting. Wouldn’t let a kid any where near it. An interesting look into the time period.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The prose is beautiful. It's a wonderful, whimsical book. However, as it was written in the early 1900s, it hasn't aged well. Native Americans are referred to as redskins, black people are darkies. There's a line about a fairy orgy. The whimsy couldn't get me past the racism.