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somelatenightreading's review
5.0
Far out that was bittersweet and painful.
When’s the next heart-wrenching retelling? I need it.
When’s the next heart-wrenching retelling? I need it.
eatingfiction's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I only wish I had read this alone and curled up in my reading chair, so I could openly weep. Instead I had to finish my lunch break and go back to my customer service job as if I hadn't just been utterly torn apart.
Peter Pan has long been a favourite of mine and I'll eat up any retelling that promises to do something interesting with the original tale -- or, in a case such as this, is written by a favourite author. H.G. Parry is a brilliant writer, as she proves again in this novella. As she tells the story of James, a young Captain Hook, she paints a world that dances between grimy and magical with just the right echoes of the original J.M. Barrie story.
Heartless is haunting, charming, frightening, and lovely. It's painful and inevitable in the way a good prequel is. It's a magical and tragical love letter to Peter Pan. Any fan will eat this up, and I highly recommend you do.
I can't wait to read it again.
Peter Pan has long been a favourite of mine and I'll eat up any retelling that promises to do something interesting with the original tale -- or, in a case such as this, is written by a favourite author. H.G. Parry is a brilliant writer, as she proves again in this novella. As she tells the story of James, a young Captain Hook, she paints a world that dances between grimy and magical with just the right echoes of the original J.M. Barrie story.
Heartless is haunting, charming, frightening, and lovely. It's painful and inevitable in the way a good prequel is. It's a magical and tragical love letter to Peter Pan. Any fan will eat this up, and I highly recommend you do.
I can't wait to read it again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, and Abandonment
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
brightbelladonna22's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
There is something distinctly magical about an H. G. Parry book. Maybe it's her prose (exquisite, luminous, fluid) or her scholar's ability to create works that unravel classic English literature (what I wouldn't give to be in one of Parry's literature classes!). Suffice it to say, I've been a huge fan of her works since her debut, The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heap, a riff on Dickens' works that's so deliciously nerdy. I adored A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians and its sequel, and I've had The Magician's Daughter on my TBR for ages.
So, suffice it to say, I was THRILLED to get my hands on an early copy of Heartless, a Peter Pan retelling that asks the question: what if Captain James Hook and Peter Pan were childhood friends?
Functioning as both a quasi-origin story for Barrie's original works and an interrogation of the source material, Heartless has all the classic hallmarks of a Parry book. It's brainy, heartfelt, and witty, and practically tailor-made for those English majors who had to leave English behind for the working world, but never forgot the classroom (hey! Kinda like Nerverland!!). I adored her take on Captain Hook and Wendy (Gwendolyn in her version) Darling. I adored the anti-colonial undertones of Neverland and Parry's rumination on how the act of storytelling fundamentally changes reality. It is a short book, more novella than novel, so I'm going to refrain from saying anymore.
An absolute must-read -- my only complaint is that it ends so soon! I could've easily spent 200 more pages in the world Parry crafted.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Subterranean Press, and H. G. Parry for gifting me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!
So, suffice it to say, I was THRILLED to get my hands on an early copy of Heartless, a Peter Pan retelling that asks the question: what if Captain James Hook and Peter Pan were childhood friends?
Functioning as both a quasi-origin story for Barrie's original works and an interrogation of the source material, Heartless has all the classic hallmarks of a Parry book. It's brainy, heartfelt, and witty, and practically tailor-made for those English majors who had to leave English behind for the working world, but never forgot the classroom (hey! Kinda like Nerverland!!). I adored her take on Captain Hook and Wendy (Gwendolyn in her version) Darling. I adored the anti-colonial undertones of Neverland and Parry's rumination on how the act of storytelling fundamentally changes reality. It is a short book, more novella than novel, so I'm going to refrain from saying anymore.
An absolute must-read -- my only complaint is that it ends so soon! I could've easily spent 200 more pages in the world Parry crafted.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Subterranean Press, and H. G. Parry for gifting me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!
dokushoka's review
adventurous
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
youshouldreadthisif's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
madlyreading's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Murder, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, and Violence
plottrysts's review
5.0
An incredible retelling of Peter Pan from Captain James Hook's perspective. James and Peter meet as boys in the workhouse, where James spends their nights telling stories: the ones he learned from his mother and ones he makes up about Neverland. James can't forget Peter even 20 years after they're separated.
H.G. Parry is one of my favorite authors, and this novella is a perfect example of why that is. She takes the traditional Peter Pan themes of storytelling, loyalty, and (of course) growing up and makes them into a powerful fable, both recognizable and strange. Her writing is just a dream!
If you've been nervous about starting her books because of their length, this novella is the perfect place to start. It is fabulously strange and poignant.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
H.G. Parry is one of my favorite authors, and this novella is a perfect example of why that is. She takes the traditional Peter Pan themes of storytelling, loyalty, and (of course) growing up and makes them into a powerful fable, both recognizable and strange. Her writing is just a dream!
If you've been nervous about starting her books because of their length, this novella is the perfect place to start. It is fabulously strange and poignant.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
megatza's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
An emotional retelling of Peter Pan, and the desire to throw away everything for the memory of a friendship that meant the world. Parry's gorgeous prose and insightful words lend a new magic to Neverland, and perhaps make you see the world simultaneously through the lens of the child Peter and the adult James [Hook]. Perfectly executed in novella form. Bittersweet (I cried) and moving.
cassimiranda's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I received an eARC of this book for review from Subterranean Press via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
- The brief: This fantasy novella is inspired by J.M. Barrie’s classic, Peter Pan. Orphans James and Peter spend years together at a London workhouse before Peter escapes. Decades later, James may finally be able to follow his odd friend to a strange and distant land. It might have been better if he had never had that chance.
- If you enjoy modern yet faithful interpretations of classics that incorporate beautiful prose and a strong plot, I urge you to give this one a chance.
I requested this title because I’d read Parry’s previous work, The Magician's Daughter. I am so glad I did! Heartless has deep and compelling characterization, an engaging plot, strong world building, and layered symbolism. You don’t have to be an ardent Peter Pan lover to appreciate this work. I’m not, and yet I was fully absorbed the entire time. It is nearly impossible to give you a more detailed plot summary than the published synopsis without spoilers. What I can say is that this book… it’s my new head-cannon. Don’t skip it – you will certainly regret it.
Quote:
bookshelvesandtealeaves's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I really enjoyed this take on Peter Pan!
Some of the details were heartbreaking, like Peter’s origin and Gwendolen’s fate and the details laid out for the Peter Pan story we actually know.
This one tugs on your heartstrings, too. James and Gwendolen are both such loveable characters, it’s very easy to get swept away in their story.
Two things didn’t quite work for me, though. Being only 140 pages, this whole plot felt SO rushed. I would have liked to have spent more time with James and George at sea, get to know the ways they’ve changed over the years. The other thing sort of leads on from that - I did not get the sense AT ALL that 20 years had passed. Not only to we miss any on-page development or true passing of time, but James’s dialogue felt just as juvenile at 34 as it had at 14. There was no sense of him having aged or gained any experience despite spending 20 years at sea.
Despite this, it was an easy, enjoyable read.