Peter Pan
by J.M. Barrie
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Book Summary Information
Author: J.M. BarrieReader: Jim Dale
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Format: Audiobook, Unabridged
Published: 2006-09-12
ISBN: 0739336908
Publisher: Listening Library (Audio)
Book Reviews of Peter Pan
Book Review: Not sure this is really a story for young children
Summary: 5 Stars
My only exposure to Peter Pan was the Disney version and a stage play (based largely on the Disney version), so in listening to this unabridged original, I was a bit surprised to find it darker and more adult than the Disney adaptation. Tinkerbell, in particular, is darker and more adult in her "naughtiness" -- both in her jealousy of Wendy and in her feelings for Peter. The author several times mentions her "off-color language" and indeed she does several times call Peter a 3-letter word beginning with "a". Also, there are mentions of her desire for privacy, and once Peter refers to her "negligee", all of which give Tinkerbell a quite different persona that the cutesey/naughty fairy in the Disney film.
All of which is to say that, although this is a clean and fanciful fairy tale, I don't know that it is all that appropriate for young children. The language is probably too sophisticated for most children to grasp, and the story has a more adult feel to it. The main characters seem to be somewhat warped; Peter, quite obviously, as a boy who hates adults and refuses to grow up, but Captain Hook also, as a vain pirate who is somewhat stuck in his boyhood and still under the influence of the prep school he attended. Even Wendy's role-playing as mother to the Lost Boys and Peter felt a little more strange and slightly less innocent than in the Disney adaptation (perhaps animation just automatically lends a lightness to the tale - ?). And then there is Mr. Darling who, feeling guilty over the abduction of his children, quite literally lives in a dog kennel for the entire duration of their absence in Neverland -- very strange.
That being said, this is an enjoyable story with many facets -- I will no doubt listen to it again, since I think there are things I didn't catch the first time around. Jim Dale's narration is absolutely outstanding; he is a master at voices and lends color and depth to every character.
A bonus is that at the end of the book there is a short biographical sketch of J.M. Barrie that gives background on his life and the writing of Peter Pan.
Summary of Peter Pan
"All children, except one, grow up."So begins the journey of Wendy, John, and Michael Darling as they follow Peter Pan, the boy who never grows up, to a world where fairies live and children can fly. But beware--dangers abound in this magical land of mermaids, Indians, and fairy dust.
There's always an adventure to be had in Neverland. so come along with the Darling children as they soar into the night sky "second star to the right and straight on till morning."
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