Mini Review: Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

Title: Peter Pan: Peter and Wendy and Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens
Author: J.M. Barrie
Publication: 1st 2005 by Penguin Classics (first published January 1st 1991)
Genre: Childrens
Format: Paperback, 234 pages
Cover Rating: 4/5
Overall Rating: 5/5
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Peter Pan, the "boy who would not grow up," originally appeared as a baby living a magical life among birds and fairies in J.M. Barrie's sequence of stories, Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. His later role as flying boy hero was brought to the stage by Barrie in the beloved play Peter Pan, which opened in 1904 and became the novel Peter and Wendy in 1911. In a narrative filled with vivid characters, epic battles, pirates, fairies, and fantastic imagination, Peter Pan's adventures capture the spirit of childhood-and of rebellion against the role of adulthood in conventional society. This edition includes the novel and the stories, as well as an introduction by eminent scholar Jack Zipes. Looking at the man behind Peter Pan and sifting through the psychological interpretations that have engaged many a critic, Zipes explores the larger cultural and literary contexts in which we should appreciate Barrie's enduring creation and shows why Peter Pan is a work not for children but for adults seeking to reconnect with their own imagination.

My thoughts: 

Back in August, I read Tiger Lily by Jody Lynn Anderson, a retelling of Peter Pan told by Tinker Bell's point of view. (Sounds awesome, right? :D) I was so impressed by this wonderful book that I just had to read the original story by J.M. Barrie. When I finally found it at a local bookstore I immediately bought it and not much later I started reading it. I finished in about four days so yes, I absolutely loved it. My obsession with everything involving Peter Pan has been fueled even more now than ever. 
Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens was a little odd for me to read. I couldn't always follow half of what was happening but I did enjoy it. It's nice to know Peter's full story.

I would recommend this book to everone. Young and old, doesn't matter. You have to at least have read it once in your lifetime. You may love it or not but you can't deny the nostalgic feeling you'll be getting for sure. 
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie is a brilliant, imaginative, outstanding children's book that left me turning page after page without stop. I found Barrie such an amazing storyteller. The way he takes you through Neverland with the pirates, indians, mermaids and of course let's not forget Peter Pan, is so enjoyable to read.

~Quotes~

"All children, except one, grow up."

"To die will be an awfully big adventure."

~About the author:

Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, OM (9 May 1860 
– 19 June 1937) was a Scottish author and dramatist, best remembered today as the creator of Peter Pan. The child of a family of small-town weavers, he was educated in Scotland. He moved to London, where he developed a career as a novelist and playwright. There he met the Llewelyn Davies boys who inspired him in writing about a baby boy who has magical adventures in Kensington Gardens (included in The Little White Bird), then to write Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up, a "fairy play" about this ageless boy and an ordinary girl named Wendy who have adventures in the fantasy setting of Neverland. This play quickly overshadowed his previous work and although he continued to write successfully, it became his best-known work, credited with popularising the name Wendy, which was very uncommon previously.[1] Barrie unofficially adopted the Davies boys following the deaths of their parents. Before his death, he gave the rights to the Peter Pan works to Great Ormond Street Hospital, which continues to benefit from them.