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A review by kat_mayerovitch
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Wow, how do you even review a book like this?
Let's get the elephant in the room out of the way first: this book is racist. Like, super, grossly, offensively racist. If you saw the movie or the play, know that it's worse than that. Hoo boy, don't read this book to children.
All that said, this book is cynical as heck, darkly funny, and scathing in its descriptions. The narrator hates ... pretty much all of the characters. The adults, including Captain Hook, are obsessed with appearances and social class. The women and girls are weak. The boys are gullible. Peter is arrogant beyond belief and can only stay innocent because he loses track of how many people (adults and children) he's murdered. Perhaps the only character portrayed as being worthy of admiration is Nana, the dog. Which ... is fair. Dogs are great. Put Nana in charge of everything. But still.
So, is it worth a read? Sure, if you're curious. It was fun to see so many lines I remember from the stage play. If you like cutting humor, sure. It's quite a roast. But otherwise, there are plenty of better children's classics to return to.
Let's get the elephant in the room out of the way first: this book is racist. Like, super, grossly, offensively racist. If you saw the movie or the play, know that it's worse than that. Hoo boy, don't read this book to children.
All that said, this book is cynical as heck, darkly funny, and scathing in its descriptions. The narrator hates ... pretty much all of the characters. The adults, including Captain Hook, are obsessed with appearances and social class. The women and girls are weak. The boys are gullible. Peter is arrogant beyond belief and can only stay innocent because he loses track of how many people (adults and children) he's murdered. Perhaps the only character portrayed as being worthy of admiration is Nana, the dog. Which ... is fair. Dogs are great. Put Nana in charge of everything. But still.
So, is it worth a read? Sure, if you're curious. It was fun to see so many lines I remember from the stage play. If you like cutting humor, sure. It's quite a roast. But otherwise, there are plenty of better children's classics to return to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs
Moderate: Violence, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Sexism