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piperhudsburn 's review for:
Tiger Lily
by Jodi Lynn Anderson
I made a playlist for this awesome book. Find it here.
If Please Ignore Vera Dietz rendered me speechless, Tiger Lily has surely killed me. I honestly don't know how I can manage to read another book for awhile now.
First, I would like to point out that Jodi Lynn Anderson is an excellent writer- she has this pleasant, moving, imaginative way of words- I am eternally jealous. Her May Bird series was a favorite of mine growing up and she does not let up in this standalone. This book was divine- probably one of the best YA books out there in recent years.
Tiger Lily is a remarkable retelling of Peter Pan. Just so you know, I despise Peter Pan- the book, the movies- everything about them. This book was so good it made me want to read the original story- just so I can see where everything fit. That's how good it was. So why the Wuthering Heights quote? This is a tragic story- an intense, consuming love story, but a tragic one nonetheless. So, if you aren't into stories like that, you might want to look somewhere else.
Besides the romance between Peter and Tiger Lily, the novel benefits from various other reasons. First the story is told from the point of view of Tinker Bell- whose commentary and fascinating nature only enhances the magic of Neverland. Also, Anderson has managed to write a novel that covers topics such of sexuality, gender-fluidity, and colonialism with surprising depth and understanding. Anderson does not use Tiger Lily to preach, instead the characters relay themes on their own.
Those who are fond of Peter Pan may not like this book- mainly because it turns a lot of things on it's head. For example,Anderson's Neverland has a dark, seedy underbelly- and character's don't often have the best intentions. Wendy, also, is not painted in the best light- it's not a damning light, but you won't come away liking her. However, other characters are given new backgrounds: Hook is a lost alcoholic, Smee is a sympathetic serial killer.
Love sure is a crazy thing. Anderson has succeeded in writing a YA novel that doesn't resort to cliches or one-liners to communicate some sort or tragedy. She lets her characters live and breathe- like Peter's false bravado, Tiger Lily's quiet strength, and even Tink's broken heart.
I suppose I'll leave you with another quote from Wuthering Heights that sums up the book pretty well:
“I wish I were a girl again, half-savage and hardy, and free.”
― Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights
If Please Ignore Vera Dietz rendered me speechless, Tiger Lily has surely killed me. I honestly don't know how I can manage to read another book for awhile now.
First, I would like to point out that Jodi Lynn Anderson is an excellent writer- she has this pleasant, moving, imaginative way of words- I am eternally jealous. Her May Bird series was a favorite of mine growing up and she does not let up in this standalone. This book was divine- probably one of the best YA books out there in recent years.
Tiger Lily is a remarkable retelling of Peter Pan. Just so you know, I despise Peter Pan- the book, the movies- everything about them. This book was so good it made me want to read the original story- just so I can see where everything fit. That's how good it was. So why the Wuthering Heights quote? This is a tragic story- an intense, consuming love story, but a tragic one nonetheless. So, if you aren't into stories like that, you might want to look somewhere else.
“She did not believe he could have really gone, because for her, to leave the person you loved was impossible.”
Besides the romance between Peter and Tiger Lily, the novel benefits from various other reasons. First the story is told from the point of view of Tinker Bell- whose commentary and fascinating nature only enhances the magic of Neverland. Also, Anderson has managed to write a novel that covers topics such of sexuality, gender-fluidity, and colonialism with surprising depth and understanding. Anderson does not use Tiger Lily to preach, instead the characters relay themes on their own.
Those who are fond of Peter Pan may not like this book- mainly because it turns a lot of things on it's head. For example,Anderson's Neverland has a dark, seedy underbelly- and character's don't often have the best intentions. Wendy, also, is not painted in the best light- it's not a damning light, but you won't come away liking her. However, other characters are given new backgrounds: Hook is a lost alcoholic, Smee is a sympathetic serial killer.
Tiger Lily, do you think magic exists if it can be explained? I can explain why I loved you, I can explain the theory of evolution that tells me why mermaids live in Neverland and nowhere else. But it still feels like magic.
Love sure is a crazy thing. Anderson has succeeded in writing a YA novel that doesn't resort to cliches or one-liners to communicate some sort or tragedy. She lets her characters live and breathe- like Peter's false bravado, Tiger Lily's quiet strength, and even Tink's broken heart.
I suppose I'll leave you with another quote from Wuthering Heights that sums up the book pretty well:
“He wanted all to lie in an ecstasy of peace; I wanted all to sparkle and dance in a glorious jubilee. I said his heaven would be only half alive; and he said mine would be drunk: I said I should fall asleep in his; and he said he could not breathe in mine.”