50 Books in 2012: Book 2

Title:  Peter Pan

Author: J. M. Barrie

Genre:  Classics - Children's Literature

Synopsis:  The three Darling Children, Wendy, John and Michael, are whisked away on a series of adventures with Peter Pan, the boy who never grows up.  The travel to the fantastic world of Neverland where they encounter fairies, Lost Boys, Indians, mermaids and a band of pirates lead by Captain Hook.

Review:  Ok, let's be serious for a moment.  We all know this story inside out and backwards, but how many of us have actually read it?  I know this was the first time I have.  I am so happy that I decided to take the time to check this one off my list.  It's a very easy book to read on most levels, although there are many phrases and words in it that have fallen from common use and can trip up the reader at times.  The writing style is so different from what I was expecting.  I thought it would be your standard story as told from a neutral perspective but was pleasantly surprised to find that it reads much more like a bedtime story as narrated by and imaginative adult.  I could picture myself lying in bed and listening to my great-grandmother tell me the wonderful stories she used to make up.  It has a unique flow that must be read to be truly enjoyed.

   There were a few things that really stuck me about this book.  I found it very interesting how little was actually described about Peter himself, thus allowing the reader to create their own image of the boy.  Barrie never tells us his age or even describes much about how he looks other than stating that Peter still had all of his baby teeth and wore clothing made of leaves.  I was also a little shocked at how violent the book is at times.  When the Pirates, Indians and Lost Boys fight, they kill each other.  Not in a make believe way, but in a final that's-the-end-of-that character way.  I didn't expect that.  I was also a little surprised as how small of a role Tinker Bell actually plays.  

   Reading this book gave me a better appreciation for a few of my favorite movies as well.  I was struck by how many amazing little details from the novel ended up in the movie "Hook"  From the two-cigar pipe that Hook smokes to the "silly ass" line that Tink says, they did a great job of little shout outs here and there.  It also really made me appreciate "Finding Neverland".

   Though this may not be the greatest story I have read, it it truly one of the best stories told.  That's how it feels as you read it, as though someone is telling it to you.  I hope you take the time to experience it for yourself.

I give it 5 out of 5 bookmarks and raise it a solid imagination.