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A review by danchuchie
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
3.0
I really liked Peter Pan’s story as I was growing up; it was magical. Although I had always hated the ending. I decided to read the original version of Peter Pan as part of my reading challenge to read old Disney classics.
«“Second to the right, and straight n till morning.”»
The story begins when Peter Pan stumbles upon a house looking for children to become future Lost Boys. However, in the process, Peter ended up detaching his shadow from him, causing him to return later. When he returned to the window, he noticed the three children were asleep. Peter tried to capture his shadow but he was unable to put it together and Tinker Bell ended up being stuck somewhere in the room.
The children - Wendy, John and Michael – woke up and noticed Peter. Wendy had fallen for him, a children’s crush, and Peter had sought out in Wendy what he had long lost: a mother. Quickly, Peter taught the three children how to fly and guiding them through the sky until they reach Neverland. There, the children lived unknown days of fun and adventure: from meeting the Lost Boys, to the mermaids to the final battle with Captain Hook.
However, Wendy believes in growing up. Can she forget her parents and her life before Peter for a boy that is afraid of growing up?
Like I mentioned before, I have always loved this story up until the ending. Although the ending had changed a little bit from the version I’m better familiar with (Disney’s version), it still felt bittersweet.
I’m a sucker for happy endings for my favourite characters and I believed, much as a child as I do now, that Wendy and Peter could’ve had the most beautiful bond. And they did – don’t get me wrong. I don’t believe that Peter had viewed Wendy as a mother completely but I do feel like he missed his own mother, whom he had forgotten everything about, and he saw in Wendy some of the purest kinds of love: the pure love of a children’s fondness.
I’d had prefer to have Wendy and Peter either live forever in Neverland or Peter getting past his afraid of growing up but, as I’m older, I understand now that not all stories are meant to have a happy ending. Some stories end up badly, others have a bittersweet taste and feeling to them.
The story of Peter Pan might not appear complex but Peter is perhaps one of the most intriguing characters of children’s books that I’ve read in a while. Peter is afraid to grow up, therefore he snatches children from their bedroom’s windows in the middle of the night. He mentioned that he doesn’t need a mother but he craved Wendy’s care. Peter’s problem is that he fears growing up. It is unclear why Peter has developed this phobia of growing up but his mother is certainly the root of the problem. Did she abandon him? Did she mistreat him? It is not clear – or perhaps I didn’t notice – in the book but I have some questions regarding Peter Pan’s character that I will certainly research.
The writing is completely normal for a children’s classic of the 19th century. It is simple and clear but it has a complexity of telling, developing and unravelling of the story extremely linked to that time period. The plot, much like the writing, it appears simple but it has a complexity to it that is mostly focused on the fantastical but, unlike other children’s classics of the time, it adds a much stronger sentiment to it.
I’ve never liked Tinker Bell in the Disney’s versions of the movies and neither did I like her here. However, she does make a good Halloween costume and to practice my drawing skills.
I can understand why some people might address this book as problematic because of how the author describes the native Americans featuring in this book. However, although it is NOT a language that I agree and condone, it is a language that was rather common at the time. It is necessary to understand that Neverland is not a real place, therefore, although some of the character might’ve been inspired by real people (native Americans and pirates), it is unclear how much of it reflects the author’s true thoughts and what of it is narrated in a way to fit a narrative perspective or objective.
I must say that, the more time it passes and the more I think about it, the more I realized that I enjoyed the story itself. I was ashamed that I wasn’t as into it as I hoped while I was listening to the audiobook but I realize that I enjoy the story a lot.
Overall, it is a really good children’s book and I can understand why it has become a known classic over time. It has everything children’s aim for in a story but it also gives them a sense of not only a lesson to take at the end but also hope.
Other reviews for the original tales behind the Disney's animated movies:
✨ The Hunchback of Notre Dame
✨ Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
✨ Through The Looking Glass and What Alice Found There
«“Second to the right, and straight n till morning.”»
The story begins when Peter Pan stumbles upon a house looking for children to become future Lost Boys. However, in the process, Peter ended up detaching his shadow from him, causing him to return later. When he returned to the window, he noticed the three children were asleep. Peter tried to capture his shadow but he was unable to put it together and Tinker Bell ended up being stuck somewhere in the room.
The children - Wendy, John and Michael – woke up and noticed Peter. Wendy had fallen for him, a children’s crush, and Peter had sought out in Wendy what he had long lost: a mother. Quickly, Peter taught the three children how to fly and guiding them through the sky until they reach Neverland. There, the children lived unknown days of fun and adventure: from meeting the Lost Boys, to the mermaids to the final battle with Captain Hook.
However, Wendy believes in growing up. Can she forget her parents and her life before Peter for a boy that is afraid of growing up?
Like I mentioned before, I have always loved this story up until the ending. Although the ending had changed a little bit from the version I’m better familiar with (Disney’s version), it still felt bittersweet.
I’m a sucker for happy endings for my favourite characters and I believed, much as a child as I do now, that Wendy and Peter could’ve had the most beautiful bond. And they did – don’t get me wrong. I don’t believe that Peter had viewed Wendy as a mother completely but I do feel like he missed his own mother, whom he had forgotten everything about, and he saw in Wendy some of the purest kinds of love: the pure love of a children’s fondness.
I’d had prefer to have Wendy and Peter either live forever in Neverland or Peter getting past his afraid of growing up but, as I’m older, I understand now that not all stories are meant to have a happy ending. Some stories end up badly, others have a bittersweet taste and feeling to them.
The story of Peter Pan might not appear complex but Peter is perhaps one of the most intriguing characters of children’s books that I’ve read in a while. Peter is afraid to grow up, therefore he snatches children from their bedroom’s windows in the middle of the night. He mentioned that he doesn’t need a mother but he craved Wendy’s care. Peter’s problem is that he fears growing up. It is unclear why Peter has developed this phobia of growing up but his mother is certainly the root of the problem. Did she abandon him? Did she mistreat him? It is not clear – or perhaps I didn’t notice – in the book but I have some questions regarding Peter Pan’s character that I will certainly research.
The writing is completely normal for a children’s classic of the 19th century. It is simple and clear but it has a complexity of telling, developing and unravelling of the story extremely linked to that time period. The plot, much like the writing, it appears simple but it has a complexity to it that is mostly focused on the fantastical but, unlike other children’s classics of the time, it adds a much stronger sentiment to it.
I’ve never liked Tinker Bell in the Disney’s versions of the movies and neither did I like her here. However, she does make a good Halloween costume and to practice my drawing skills.
I can understand why some people might address this book as problematic because of how the author describes the native Americans featuring in this book. However, although it is NOT a language that I agree and condone, it is a language that was rather common at the time. It is necessary to understand that Neverland is not a real place, therefore, although some of the character might’ve been inspired by real people (native Americans and pirates), it is unclear how much of it reflects the author’s true thoughts and what of it is narrated in a way to fit a narrative perspective or objective.
I must say that, the more time it passes and the more I think about it, the more I realized that I enjoyed the story itself. I was ashamed that I wasn’t as into it as I hoped while I was listening to the audiobook but I realize that I enjoy the story a lot.
Overall, it is a really good children’s book and I can understand why it has become a known classic over time. It has everything children’s aim for in a story but it also gives them a sense of not only a lesson to take at the end but also hope.
Other reviews for the original tales behind the Disney's animated movies:
✨ The Hunchback of Notre Dame
✨ Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
✨ Through The Looking Glass and What Alice Found There