Peter Pan by J.M.Barrie

Peter Pan by J.M.Barrie
Release Date: October 11, 1911
Pages: 253
Rating: 💜💜💜💜💜
Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

One starry night, Peter Pan and Tinker Bell lead the three Darling children over the rooftops of London and away to Neverland - the island where lost boys play, mermaids splash and fairies make mischief. But a villainous-looking gang of pirates lurk in the docks, led by the terrifying Captain James Hook. Magic and excitement are in the air, but if Captain Hook has his way, before long, someone will be walking the plank and swimming with the crocodiles...






Surprisingly enough, I had never read Peter Pan before now. I'd studied the film throughout my childhood, and played with the pop-up book version countless times, but I'd never read the actual books. This month I finally got around to reading it and I'm so glad I did.

The book starts off quite slow, with world building and introducing characters. It feels like the entire book is constantly switching between timelines- the future, the present, the past all in one big mess. Somehow J.M.Barrie managed to pull it off though, and set up the book perfectly.

This story is a lot more sinister than the happy Disney version we know. Peter Pan is more cunning,, the lost boys are less happy and the whole community is structured around who wants to kill whom. However there are lots of sweet little details, like mothers tidying up their children's thoughts, and the kiss on the corner of Mrs Darling's mouth. It gave the book a wholesome feel which I really enjoyed.

It was interesting how my views of each character changed after I read this book, especially Peter Pan. Peter Pan is not an innocent child, he has experienced more as a child than most of us do in our entire lives... The best moment, the best quote of this book is when Peter says, "To die will be an awfully big adventure." We should all view life, and death, through the eyes of Peter Pan..