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A review by callum_mclaughlin
Peter and Alice by John Logan
5.0
My heart hurts. This is probably the first time I've read a play and haven't felt something was missing through not seeing it performed live, though I would absolutely love to do so, and am sure it would be all the more powerful if I did.
The writing is stunning and so evocative that this stands as a solid book in its own right. The development of the characters as they slowly open up is also expertly handled. It completely swept me up and transported me into the worlds of Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland, creating a disconcerting blend of charm, due to the nostalgia factor, and sadness, courtesy of the darker side to these tales which we never knew of before.
Telling a fictionalised account of the real life meeting between the man and woman who inspired the iconic characters in their youth, they each share their heart-breaking stories; stories of lives where the books were both a blessing and a curse; lives where they could never compete with their immortal counterparts; lives where they failed to see the tragedy behind their canonization in the book world and the real motivation behind the authors.
It's stunning, playful, inventive, funny, poignant and ultimately devastating. Can you tell I loved it?
The writing is stunning and so evocative that this stands as a solid book in its own right. The development of the characters as they slowly open up is also expertly handled. It completely swept me up and transported me into the worlds of Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland, creating a disconcerting blend of charm, due to the nostalgia factor, and sadness, courtesy of the darker side to these tales which we never knew of before.
Telling a fictionalised account of the real life meeting between the man and woman who inspired the iconic characters in their youth, they each share their heart-breaking stories; stories of lives where the books were both a blessing and a curse; lives where they could never compete with their immortal counterparts; lives where they failed to see the tragedy behind their canonization in the book world and the real motivation behind the authors.
It's stunning, playful, inventive, funny, poignant and ultimately devastating. Can you tell I loved it?