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Peter Pan
by
J.M. Barrie
Listening Library presents one of the greatest children’s stories of all time narrated by one of the greatest narrators, Jim Dale.
Join 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. Captain Hook and...more
Join 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. Captain Hook and...more
digital, 5 pages
Published
1999
by Listening Library
(first published 1906)
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Aug 03, 2012
Abigail
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Readers Who Enjoy Classic (Victorian) Children's Fantasy
Recommended to Abigail by:
Martine
Review Temporarily Removed.
I was surprised by this book in many good ways. I was expecting something that glorified the Child and its imagination, and perhaps cursed the unstoppable destruction of our Childinity. I was surprised to see this was not truly so. Barrie loves the Child, but he does not hide its foolishness, its selfishness, its ignorance. The Child in this is almost pre-moral. They have some understanding of villainy, but do not grasp the virtue of a hero. Barrie deems a key attribute to being a child as being...more
Of course in the end, Wendy let them fly away together. Our last glimpse of her shows her at the window, watching them receding into the sky until they were as small as stars.
Reread in preparation for Neverland this coming weekend!
Reread in preparation for Neverland this coming weekend!
33 likes · like · see review
Nov 06, 2010
K.D. Oliveros
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to K.D. by:
501 Must Read Books
A story of a dead child and a mother who is missing him.
Sir James Matthew Barrie (1860-1937), a Scottish, wrote this book in 1902 for an older brother, David (his mother's favorite) who died in an ice-skating accident the day before he turned 14. Thus, in his mother's mind, David always stayed as a young boy who would not grow up. J. M. Barrie, a middle-child and then only 6 years old, tried to assume David's place in his mother's heart by wearing the latter's clothes and speaking and sounding l...more
Sir James Matthew Barrie (1860-1937), a Scottish, wrote this book in 1902 for an older brother, David (his mother's favorite) who died in an ice-skating accident the day before he turned 14. Thus, in his mother's mind, David always stayed as a young boy who would not grow up. J. M. Barrie, a middle-child and then only 6 years old, tried to assume David's place in his mother's heart by wearing the latter's clothes and speaking and sounding l...more
69 likes · like · see review
This was such a treat! Three things: 1. It made me realize what a perfect Pan-type Peter I married, so many similarities, some that made me laugh out loud. 2. It made me want to look into my 4-yr-old's imaginitive eyes a little longer. 3. I also occasionally picked up my 20-month-old while sleeping just to rock and enjoy him for extra minutes.
This book just so fully captures childhood and the problem of growing up, in a witty way. If you've never read it, really you must! The edition we own is...more
This book just so fully captures childhood and the problem of growing up, in a witty way. If you've never read it, really you must! The edition we own is...more
21 likes · like · see review
Nel momento in cui dubiti di poter volare, perdi per sempre la facoltà di farlo.
Delicato, allegro, spiritoso, bizzarro. Un libro per tutti i bambini e per gli adulti che sono rimasti bambini. E ancora per gli adulti che vorrebbero tornare bambini, ma non ricordano la strada per l'Isolachenoncè.
L'intervista immaginaria delle prime pagine, che funge d'introduzione, è a dir poco esilarante. "Chi è Peter Pan? Bé, suppongo colui che ha scoperto la sindrome. Un po' come Alzheimer, o Parkinson, o no?...more
7 likes · like · see review
I can't believe I've never actually read Peter Pan until now. I'd seen the Disney version, but this is both more charming and more sinister than that. 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.
But Peter is a monstrous sort of figure when you get past the romance of Neverland. He's a wild boy, selfish and cocky. Instead of being a kind of example of innocent childhood, he almost brings to mind the...more
But Peter is a monstrous sort of figure when you get past the romance of Neverland. He's a wild boy, selfish and cocky. Instead of being a kind of example of innocent childhood, he almost brings to mind the...more
32 likes · like · see review
Barrie had me at page 1.
"All children, except one grow up. They soon know that they will grow up...Mrs. Darling cried,'Oh why can't you remain like this for ever!'...henceforth Wendy knew she must grow up...Two is the beginning of the end."
I can't believe how many children's books I read to myself and my daughter, but never Peter and Wendy, just the Golden Book of Peter Pan. This abridged edition of course, includes the main characters, Hook, Smee, Tinker Bell, the crocodile, etc. but it leaves...more
"All children, except one grow up. They soon know that they will grow up...Mrs. Darling cried,'Oh why can't you remain like this for ever!'...henceforth Wendy knew she must grow up...Two is the beginning of the end."
I can't believe how many children's books I read to myself and my daughter, but never Peter and Wendy, just the Golden Book of Peter Pan. This abridged edition of course, includes the main characters, Hook, Smee, Tinker Bell, the crocodile, etc. but it leaves...more
“All children, except one, grow up.”
Thus begins the most classic piece of children's literature of all-time. Written with such delicate embellishments the language is a wonder in itself, and you will find yourself sighing with delight at the stunning metaphors and fanciful explanations.
The story is naturally as immortal as Peter Pan himself, and every child should have the pleasure of taking off to Neverland along with him. Neverland is the perfect idealization of every child's imaginative dre...more
Thus begins the most classic piece of children's literature of all-time. Written with such delicate embellishments the language is a wonder in itself, and you will find yourself sighing with delight at the stunning metaphors and fanciful explanations.
The story is naturally as immortal as Peter Pan himself, and every child should have the pleasure of taking off to Neverland along with him. Neverland is the perfect idealization of every child's imaginative dre...more
Sep 06, 2008
Brad
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children,
better-as-a-movie
I am not sure I can see why Peter Pan is such a beloved "classic." J.M. Barrie's story of the boy who wouldn't grow up just didn't reach me. And I read it aloud to 4 year old boy-girl twins.
Oh, they enjoyed it, and I may have bred a love for the story in them that will last (which could be exactly why the story has endured -- parental readings), but no matter how much they liked Peter Pan I could not see the appeal.
Wendy drove me crazy; Peter grew increasingly annoying; Hook bored me stiff; ther...more
Oh, they enjoyed it, and I may have bred a love for the story in them that will last (which could be exactly why the story has endured -- parental readings), but no matter how much they liked Peter Pan I could not see the appeal.
Wendy drove me crazy; Peter grew increasingly annoying; Hook bored me stiff; ther...more
24 likes · like · see review
This is my favorite book of all time. When you grow up with the "overly-nice" Disney version of the story, picking up this book for the first time can be quite a shock. The book will also shatter the image that most girls have of Tinkerbell but personally-I prefer the original. Johnny Corkscrew, Peter's idea of a kiss, sewing on a shadow, sifting through the thoughts of your children as they sleep... So many things about this book are missed by those who never bother to pick it up because they "...more
16 likes · like · see review
I am specifically reviewing the illustrated, unabridged Unicorn edition of Peter Pan, published in 1987, ISBN 0881010693.
In 1990, my grandparents sent me Unicorn editions of Robin Hood, Pinocchio, and a Christmas Carol. All three books are clothbound, with embossed gold lettering on the covers and spine that, almost 20 years later, are only beginning to fade. The books are large, unabridged, and heavy: each book in the Unicorn series is over a foot long, almost too tall to shelve comfortably in...more
In 1990, my grandparents sent me Unicorn editions of Robin Hood, Pinocchio, and a Christmas Carol. All three books are clothbound, with embossed gold lettering on the covers and spine that, almost 20 years later, are only beginning to fade. The books are large, unabridged, and heavy: each book in the Unicorn series is over a foot long, almost too tall to shelve comfortably in...more
May 12, 2012
Dyuti
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
All those who still have a child within them
Recommended to Dyuti by:
Adhip Ghoshal
What a truly magnificent book! 4.5 stars.
One of the most loved characters of Children's literature, Peter Pan has stood the test of time. This is because in all of us, there's a Peter, a child who never grows up, a part of our soul which yearns for adventures, and believes in the make-belief as though it was real.
This simple tale filled with pirates and fairies, mermaids and red-skins has delighted and fed the insatiable hunger that every child feels for stories, for more than a century. Yet wha...more
One of the most loved characters of Children's literature, Peter Pan has stood the test of time. This is because in all of us, there's a Peter, a child who never grows up, a part of our soul which yearns for adventures, and believes in the make-belief as though it was real.
This simple tale filled with pirates and fairies, mermaids and red-skins has delighted and fed the insatiable hunger that every child feels for stories, for more than a century. Yet wha...more
I've seen several versions of this book in both the theatre and the cinema and really enjoyed them so I expected to like the book but I am afraid I just didn't. I understand that a lot of people love it and cherish it as a link to their childhood, but as an adult reading it for the first time it did nothing for me. The main issue I had was with the characters - they are just SO annoying! All of them! Peter is a cocky brat, Wendy is a little madam and Tinkerbell is a total cow. I was also shocked...more
3 likes · like · see review
Peter Pan
Pages 1-178 of 392
I Am Number Four
1-104 of 809
Pages 1-178 of 392
I Am Number Four
1-104 of 809
Peter Pan is about a boy,Peter Pan, who literaly never grows up. Peter befriends three siblings, Wendy, John, and Michael, who leave with Peter to go to Never Land. At Never Land they meet The Lost Boys, Peter's friends, and they all soon become great friends.
I am Number Four is about a high school boy who is really from another planet, but lives in Ohio and goes by the name of John Smith. One day, in the middle of class, John Smith gains hi
...more
This book is lovely. Regardless of the complaints about the violence, or the nature of Peter himself, or even Wendy. I feel, that the conceit that Peter has does represent every little boy (and girl) in the earliest stages of their youth when they are amazed at all they can do, and refuse to believe there is anything they cannot accomplished. The violence, well what little kid has not played a game where they "kill" some one, at that age we used to play them aplenty in Venezuela, some one was al...more
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9 likes · like · see review
I'll start with the cons so we can end on a happy note.
Cons:
This book is weird and sexist. It's been ages since I saw the Disney version, so I don't remember all those sketchy parts of the story.
Pros:
This is such a sweet, sad fairy tale about the pains of growing up, and at the same time it's a bittersweet love story.
I love how flight is used as a symbol for youth:
Cons:
This book is weird and sexist. It's been ages since I saw the Disney version, so I don't remember all those sketchy parts of the story.
Pros:
This is such a sweet, sad fairy tale about the pains of growing up, and at the same time it's a bittersweet love story.
I love how flight is used as a symbol for youth:
It is sad to have to say that the power to fly gradually left them. At first Nana tied their feet to the bed-posts so that they shou...more
9 likes · like · see review
“All children, except one, grow up. They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this. One day when she was two years old she was playing in a garden, and she plucked another flower and ran with it to her mother. I suppose she must have looked rather delightful, for Mrs Darling put her hand to her heart and cried, ‘Oh, why can’t you remain like this for ever!’ This was all that passed between them on the subject, but henceforth Wendy knew that she must grow up. You always kn...more
15 likes · like · see review
The deeper, there is always something, a drab existence or a dreadful past, that begs to be fled in the story, in the Barrie's mind.
Peter Pan has captured the imagination of generations, feminist critiques and even psychological treatises - hell yes, according to Dr. Dan Kiley in 1983. This is Peter Pan Syndrome. Those who don’t have it are missing something vital.
The story of Peter amazed me as early as like five years old, way before I knew what it was like to feel like an adult.
Then suddenly,...more
Peter Pan has captured the imagination of generations, feminist critiques and even psychological treatises - hell yes, according to Dr. Dan Kiley in 1983. This is Peter Pan Syndrome. Those who don’t have it are missing something vital.
The story of Peter amazed me as early as like five years old, way before I knew what it was like to feel like an adult.
Then suddenly,...more
Urgh....I don;t know ho to describe the way I feel about this book. Ever since I have heard this story, ever since I was little, I always felt bad for Mrs. Darling, and always felt that Wendy and the chidren were awfully selfish. The ending of the story always, always made me cry, and made me superbly depressed.
Now that I have finally read this in its entirety, I am sorry to say, I cared little for the actual plot, or Neverland, and did not like Barrie's Narration. I will not ramble on about th...more
Now that I have finally read this in its entirety, I am sorry to say, I cared little for the actual plot, or Neverland, and did not like Barrie's Narration. I will not ramble on about th...more
3 likes · like · see review
May 30, 2011
Jason
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Kid's adventure likers, WTF comedy lovers
Recommended to Jason by:
The number of pages. (I was bookless at Union Station, had time to kill, and it was short).
Considering how little I think of the Disney movie, I was surprised to find myself enjoying this book immensely. It's not the story itself that does it for me, but the writing style. I love throwing out that "richly comic" phrase, and this book gives me an excuse to do it again. The story is melodramatic and ridiculous, but it falls into the realm of AWESOMELY ridiculous and melodramatic. The story is filled with WTF moments galore, and a lot of things make no sense. The losing of a shadow which...more
Jan 25, 2011
Callista
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
literature-esd,
fantasy-all-ages
Librarians: please do not change my edition of this book! It's not the same as some of the others.
I realized not long ago that I was remiss in never having read Peter Pan. I’ve always been aware of it, of course, from early exposure to the Disney version to jars of peanut butter named after him to hearing people say men who behave immaturely have a “Peter Pan Complex”.
I seem to be one of the few people who actually enjoyed Spielberg’s Hook , in which Peter Pan grew up, married Wendy’s granddaug...more
I realized not long ago that I was remiss in never having read Peter Pan. I’ve always been aware of it, of course, from early exposure to the Disney version to jars of peanut butter named after him to hearing people say men who behave immaturely have a “Peter Pan Complex”.
I seem to be one of the few people who actually enjoyed Spielberg’s Hook , in which Peter Pan grew up, married Wendy’s granddaug...more
5 likes · like · see review
What began in 1904 as a play became a novel in 1911 and is now one of the most famous stories ever told. The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up, Peter Pan, whisks the three Darling children, Wendy, John, and Michael, off to Neverland, where they meet up with the Lost Boys and have countless adventures, facing pirates and beats of the night and, the most dreaded of all, Captain Hook. But what happens when the children want to return to their home and leave this new world, leaving Peter Pan behind, and ulti...more
Michael and I have been reading Peter Pan as part of our nightly bedtime routine. In all honesty, I didn't have high hopes for it as a kids book, despite it being a classic, just because it is so long. But it has quickly become one of my children's favorite. The language is so lighthearted and humorous that it is funny to read, and as usual I am amazed by what my children understand. We were happy to meet our old pal, Captain Flint, of "Treasure Island" fame, even in passing, and it was enjoyabl...more
My children wanted to do our read aloud outside this evening. So we went on the patio and I began reading "Peter Pan." I read about how the mermaids would play with the bubbles, but when the children would come they would all disappear, but they would secretly watch. Pretty soon I hear over the fence our 11 year old neighbor boy say, "Is that Peter Pan?" "Yes," I say, "Would you like to come listen?" "I've been listening from here," he says. So I go on and read about Wendy's rule that all the bo...more
Picked this for my "Read a classic" in my 2009 Book Challenge. About time I actually read the book instead of going off of movie/play adaptations and spin-offs.
I think I like the 2005(?) movie version better. It brought magic/romance/depth to the story where I thought it should be. Not that the book is awful. I guess I'm just familiar enough with the storyline that some of the telling dragged on. Some of the writing style was actually annoying (e.g. giving all these hints of what's to come, and...more
I think I like the 2005(?) movie version better. It brought magic/romance/depth to the story where I thought it should be. Not that the book is awful. I guess I'm just familiar enough with the storyline that some of the telling dragged on. Some of the writing style was actually annoying (e.g. giving all these hints of what's to come, and...more
A favorite exchange:
“I can’t come,” she said apologetically. “I have forgotten how to fly.”
“I’ll soon teach you again.”
“O Peter, don’t waste the fairy dust on me.”
She had risen, and now at last a fear assailed him. “What is it?” he cried, shrinking.
“I will turn up the light,” she said, “and then you can see for yourself.”
For almost the only time in his life that I know of, Peter was afraid. "Don't turn up the light," he cried.
She let her hands play in the hair of the tragic boy. She was not a li...more
“I can’t come,” she said apologetically. “I have forgotten how to fly.”
“I’ll soon teach you again.”
“O Peter, don’t waste the fairy dust on me.”
She had risen, and now at last a fear assailed him. “What is it?” he cried, shrinking.
“I will turn up the light,” she said, “and then you can see for yourself.”
For almost the only time in his life that I know of, Peter was afraid. "Don't turn up the light," he cried.
She let her hands play in the hair of the tragic boy. She was not a li...more
The last three books I finished were all trauma-related nonfiction. So one morning before work, I scanned my shelves hoping to find something I hadn't read four times already, to occupy my morning commute - something light and untraumatic. Classic fiction for children seemed like a good idea, so I pulled down this copy of Peter Pan that I've had since about fifth grade.
I soon remembered why my fifth grade self couldn't stomach finishing even Chapter Three. By that point, Peter has managed to tur...more
I soon remembered why my fifth grade self couldn't stomach finishing even Chapter Three. By that point, Peter has managed to tur...more
Peter Pan is about the story of Wendy and her brothers that are befriended by a young boy named Peter Pan. Wendy wakes up one night to see Peter in her bedroom and he asks her about his shadow, to which she helps him sew on again. Afterwards, Peter tells her to join him at Neverland. Wendy and her two young brothers join Peter, flying because of the pixie dust from Tinker Bell. They go on amazing adventures in Neverland.
I have always loved this story. The original story is so much funnier than...more
I have always loved this story. The original story is so much funnier than...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hate it! | 47 | 297 | May 31, 2013 09:48pm | |
| Peter and Hook....desires of each other? | 5 | 44 | May 31, 2013 12:55pm | |
| Mrs Darling's First Name ? | 5 | 34 | May 12, 2013 06:42pm | |
| Book crush! | 11 | 72 | Apr 05, 2013 05:50pm | |
| I have a question to people who have read and understood the original Peter Pan book very well. | 17 | 511 | Feb 18, 2013 02:35am | |
| Books2Movies Club: January 2013 - Peter Pan | 16 | 41 | Jan 28, 2013 02:23pm |
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...more
More about J.M. Barrie...
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“To die would be an awfully big adventure.”
—
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“All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust.”
—
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