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Here you leave today and enter the world
Of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy.
.Peter Pan Book Review.
I've finally read another classic. And this time it is Peter Pan, this beautiful edition is part of the Puffin Chalk covers.
I think what I liked most overall about this book was that Peter wasn't who I thought he was. There are parts of this book that didn't sit too well with me. As there was no set age for him I kept picturing him older than he was, all we had to go on was that he ran away to be with the fairies when he was a baby and still has his baby teeth. And this is what I struggled with the most, he and the Lost Boys seem very at home with violence towards to the pirates, and I found this kinda creepy, so it helped to picture him older.
I feel Peter should be a story told to frighten young children. Although yes he is the young boy who never grew up and is up for adventures, he is very self absorbed and quite cruel. Whilst travelling with him to Neverland the Darlings had no concept of time, nor did they know how long they had been flying for. In one passage it says that Peter found it funny to watch them try and stay away and often falling towards the ocean where he would save the brothers last minute.
Another example of his selfishness is that he has a tendency to leave them for lengths of time before coming home. It's times like these where you can see he is still a child, he gets lost in his own fun and adventures. Wendy is who Pan clearly wants and only takes her brothers as a means to an end. And it's quite sad really, I gives me the image of young boy who tricks children out of their homes to come live with him because he wants more friends.
What was a welcome surprise was that the book also focused on the Darlings themselves, what they were like when they married and as they grew as a family. There were a few strange parts, the fact that Nana the dog was quite literally the nanny, and when the children are gone Mr Darling is living in Nana's kennel. Not to mention the medicine that Mr Darling takes.
When Peter does eventually return the children home he makes a deal to come once a year to take Wendy away and then bring her back as she is his 'mother'. My gut instinct was that she was never coming home or he would just eventually forget and move on, but it was sweet that the tradition continued on over the generations and the story of Pan got told throughout the years.
Overall a good read, but quite surprising.
Happy reading.
xx
