Neverland is home to Peter Pan, a young boy who has never grown up. On one of his visits to London, Peter makes the acquaintance of young Wendy Darling, whom he invites to travel with him to Neverland and become the mother of his gang of Lost Boys. Flying through the night sky to Neverland, Wendy and her brothers are soon caught up in adventures.
4 STARS
It has been quite a while since I've enjoyed this book instead of just watching the movie (which is one of my favorite movies ever) and I really enjoyed this re-read! I have one of the most gorgeous editions of this book and I am so happy I was able to read it. Peter Pan is such a sweet, adventurous, and ultimately super heartbreaking story. I don't think I fully grasped how sad it was when I read it when I was younger but reading it as an adult is always a bittersweet experience.
I love Peter Pan as a character. He's incredibly interesting and like most of the characters in this story, a bit dramatic the way kids tends to be. I find it interesting that reading this story I have n problems believing that I'm reading a story with kids as the majority of the book. The imagination and random thought process kids can have comes off really well in Peter Pan. They play make believe often and it's so cute. I do have to admit that I was disappointed by Wendy in this re-read, which I don't remember experiencing in my previous reads of Peter Pan. Granted, it has been quite a while. I watch the 2003 live action adaptation of Peter Pan a handful of times each year. It's one of my absolute favorites and I have always seen it as a really great adaption, which it is. But I didn't realize that they changed some things to make Wendy a more independent/feminist character. In the book, John mentions that he has always thought if he became a pirate, he'd be called Red Handed John, but in the movie Wendy has the same thought but she'd be called Red Handed Jill. Which I love. I always thought Wendy participated in the sword fighting but in the book she doesn't. I am coming to realize that the Wendy have always loved is the version in the movie, not the book. Which I am not sure if I have ever experienced that before. Also, Tink is great as both a character in the book and in the movies.
The plot is such a classic adventure story with twists and turns that I absolutely love. This book was originally published in 1906, so I can only imagine what books have been inspired by this plot since then, but it makes me love Peter Pan even more. Little me loved Alice's Adventures in Wonderland so much because of the nonsensical world and plot, and I think that is the same reason I love Peter's story. I think Peter Pan focuses more on the fantasy elements like mermaids, pirates, fairies, and kids who never grow up. It's this perfect world to little kids and I completely understand the appeal even as an adult.
The writing is a bit odd to me, I always forget how much I both like and dislike the voice of the narrator in this story. I like it because it's so proper and whimsical, but it sometimes comes off as a bit fake and talks down a bit to the children listening to the story. I am not sure how to explain it, but I think it's just the writing style. One thing I always find interesting with this story, whether you're watching it, reading it, or listening to it, is that the way Barrie describes and handles Native American people is super uncomfortable and problematic. Obviously, it's a product of it's time considering it was published in 1906 and at the end of the audiobook it even says: "This text contains language that does not reflect the beliefs of the narrator, these words reflect the time in which it was written in 1906 and as such may sound archaic to our modern ears." So like, I get it and understand that but it didn't make it any less uncomfortable. The only other negative thing I can say about the writing is that there are parts of the story where it got a bit slow. The book is short enough that it's easy to push through but I did find myself a little bored in moments. I think it was random tangents the author went on of information I felt like the reader didn't need to know.
Overall, I highly recommend this story. I think it's a classic that should be passed down to generations and I think if you're in the mood for one of the best adaptations ever I recommend checking out the 2003 version. If you've already seen it, I recommend checking out this deleted scene! It always makes me cry, just like the scene in the book. I love that movie takes direct dialogue from the book and it made re-reading it that much more enjoyable.
No comments:
Post a Comment