Review: Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

Here is my first book review!  Not too good at this but I want to try to do this more often.

Title: Peter Pan
Author: J.M. Barrie
Description: (from the back cover)

"Come Away, Come Away!" is Peter Pan's irresistible call to the Darling children - and to generations of readers who have traveled with him to Neverland and all the secret places in a child's heart.  With a magic and emotional appeal unmatched by any other story.  Barrie's Peter Pan speaks directly to childhood's dreams and desires with an imaginative genius that evokes both laughter and tears.  Peter, the boy who wouldn't grow up; Nana, the Darling children's nurse and pet Newfoundland;deliciously dreadful Captain Hook, who is stalked by a crocodile with a clock in his stomach; and Tinker Bell, "quite a common fairy," who swears like a sailor and is murderously jealous-these characters of startling originality are rich, funny, mischievously insightful, and a joy to read about again and again.  The result is a masterpiece of literature that has been working its timeless wonderment on us since it first appeared in 1904.

My Thoughts:  Peter Pan is shockingly different from what I remember of the Disney version.   I was very surprised how dark the storyline was.  I was really expecting a Disney-like story and got quite the opposite.  Throughout the book it got a bit boring and tedious but through spots it got very interesting.  I was really surprised at the character of Peter Pan and how different he was from the traditional character we all know and love.  I found him to be a very sad character who had no memory of his previous life in Neverland.  He was a very negative character who easily forgot people through out the story.  I found that very surprising.  The parts with the pirates was the section I got very bored by.  I like hearing more about Peter's adventures with the kids than about Hook and his crew.  Although I wasn't completely thrilled with this I still recommend it to anyone who is interested in reading the classics.  I would even go as far as to say that I would be interested in reading a book that might extend the story.  I would find it fascinating to hear Peter's further adventures.  I'm also planning on watching various versions of the movie (from Netflix) to see the differences and how they compare to the book.

What I Liked Most:   I really enjoyed the fairytale like quality to the book.  I enjoyed that Wendy grew up and every generation after her took care of Peter Pan.  

What I Liked Least: Peter's attitude really bothered me.  I always viewed him as a fun character and he really seemed slightly depressing.  Also, the memory loss was slightly shocking to me.  I totally didn't expect that.  

More Like This: J.M Barrie's Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens and Peter and Wendy

Bottom Line: A MUST-read for all ages.

My Rating: 7/10