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tinynavajo's review against another edition
5.0
Adults and children
Are on a spectrum, a sliding scale you might say. Anyone can exist as an adult and as a child, sometimes all in the same day. It's finding where you are on the scale and how to use that knowledge to make it through.
Are on a spectrum, a sliding scale you might say. Anyone can exist as an adult and as a child, sometimes all in the same day. It's finding where you are on the scale and how to use that knowledge to make it through.
howdidiendhere's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
septembrea's review against another edition
2.0
A plodding read that did not get better with each turned page. Avoid this revisit of the Peter Pan story.
khlara's review against another edition
4.0
Slow going with largely atmosphere. And then the next to last few chapters beat massive symbolism into your face. But it's okkay, because it's awesome symbolism.
katscribefever's review against another edition
2.0
I was incredibly skeptical about this book, because I grew up loving Peter Pan in all his boyish glory, certain no one could do justice to the magic Barrie created. Naturally, this novel is nowhere near as remarkable as the original, but I was pleasantly surprised by the way McCaughrean stayed true to the original simplified language without making it too flowery or modernized. This book also brings to light the after-effects of Peter's isolation after the Darlings and the Lost Boys left NeverLand for London, as well as hints at that old cliche about becoming what you hate. As the one and only Pan sequel that was soliticted and sanctioned by the Great Ormond Street Hospital, I would recommend it to anyone who has ever wanted to take flight from their own bedroom window.
annaslitpages's review against another edition
2.0
2.5
I was hesitant to read this because Peter Pan is a favourite story of mine and I couldn't see how a sequel written by someone other than J.M. Barrie could live up to it. I have no problems with stories going off theme for an unofficial spin-off or retelling but making it the official sequel was a different story.
However, A Pack of Lies was one of my absolutely favourite books as a kid. The story had been mesmerising. So maybe Geraldine McCaughrean could pull out the stops for.
Unfortunately, it was a letdown. It started okay - McCaughrean was obviously trying to stick with the storytelling style that J.M. Barry had written in and she somewhat carried it off but I think also took it too far at times. There was a quirky comparison for almost everything and the description and narration just went on a bit too much in parts. Aside from that, though, I was enjoying it enough at the beginning. But then it all seemed to fall apart halfway through.
The plot was all over the place, every time the kids overcame one difficulty there would be another to the point of getting a bit ridiculous. And each difficulty would be just as easily sorted out as the last. At one point, the narrator even made a point of saying "oh you think so and so is going to show up and save the day? Or this is going to happen so the kids will be saved? Well, you're wrong, you don't realise how deadly Neverland really is." But then, right after saying that, something happens to conveniently save the day so it all felt a bit redundant.
I also don't think that McCaughrean got the character of Pan right at all. He was simultaneously both too dark and not dark enough. He was much more whingey and bossy than he usually is but he'd also lost that mysterious air and to him that he had in the original. His nativity was also gone and seemed to be replaced more with a conscious insistence in thinking a certain way.
One other aspect that really disappointed me was that this book seemed to be stuck in Barrie's time with its political correctness. Of course, some things had to stay the same - Wendy couldn't up and change her personality and I supposed there couldn't have been a complete switch from how the Native Americans had originally been portrayed. But things certainly could have been improved. Rather than improve, though, McCaughrean seemed to lean into the Native American stereotype rather than work to improve it and she created a second female character purely, it seems, in order to play the girly, damsel in distress character. At least Wendy had been strong-minded and adventurous, even if her role as a girl was very different to the Lost Boys or her brothers. Female Tootles was annoying and just wanted to play marriage and "save Tootles" games.
I think maybe this book had been on the right track but then it went and tried to do too much with the story while doing nothing at all with the writing style. It's too bad that a new story about Peter Pan written in modern times fails to incorporate modern thinking into it.
I was hesitant to read this because Peter Pan is a favourite story of mine and I couldn't see how a sequel written by someone other than J.M. Barrie could live up to it. I have no problems with stories going off theme for an unofficial spin-off or retelling but making it the official sequel was a different story.
However, A Pack of Lies was one of my absolutely favourite books as a kid. The story had been mesmerising. So maybe Geraldine McCaughrean could pull out the stops for
Unfortunately, it was a letdown. It started okay - McCaughrean was obviously trying to stick with the storytelling style that J.M. Barry had written in and she somewhat carried it off but I think also took it too far at times. There was a quirky comparison for almost everything and the description and narration just went on a bit too much in parts. Aside from that, though, I was enjoying it enough at the beginning. But then it all seemed to fall apart halfway through.
The plot was all over the place, every time the kids overcame one difficulty there would be another to the point of getting a bit ridiculous. And each difficulty would be just as easily sorted out as the last. At one point, the narrator even made a point of saying "oh you think so and so is going to show up and save the day? Or this is going to happen so the kids will be saved? Well, you're wrong, you don't realise how deadly Neverland really is." But then, right after saying that, something happens to conveniently save the day so it all felt a bit redundant.
I also don't think that McCaughrean got the character of Pan right at all. He was simultaneously both too dark and not dark enough. He was much more whingey and bossy than he usually is but he'd also lost that mysterious air and to him that he had in the original. His nativity was also gone and seemed to be replaced more with a conscious insistence in thinking a certain way.
One other aspect that really disappointed me was that this book seemed to be stuck in Barrie's time with its political correctness. Of course, some things had to stay the same - Wendy couldn't up and change her personality and I supposed there couldn't have been a complete switch from how the Native Americans had originally been portrayed. But things certainly could have been improved. Rather than improve, though, McCaughrean seemed to lean into the Native American stereotype rather than work to improve it and she created a second female character purely, it seems, in order to play the girly, damsel in distress character. At least Wendy had been strong-minded and adventurous, even if her role as a girl was very different to the Lost Boys or her brothers. Female Tootles was annoying and just wanted to play marriage and "save Tootles" games.
I think maybe this book had been on the right track but then it went and tried to do too much with the story while doing nothing at all with the writing style. It's too bad that a new story about Peter Pan written in modern times fails to incorporate modern thinking into it.
jfkaess's review against another edition
4.0
The first authorized sequel to the original. Well written, good story.
bookgirl4ever's review against another edition
2.0
Turns out I like to watch Peter Pan movies but am not interested in reading about him.
mrswythe89's review against another edition
4.0
Oh, I LOVED this, it was such awesome Peter Pan fanfic. The maze of mothers was just excellent. Race dodginess as expected, though not very bad if I recall correctly.
horrormones's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix