“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 know after you are two. Two is the beginning of the end.”

How’s that for an opener? Holy hell.

This book was pure good.
A huge course of emotions is what J.M. Barrie decides to bring to the Classic Literature Dinner Table. It is placed right in between Gaston Leroux’s mask-shaped brie and crackers, and Dumas’s sweet revenge dessert platter.

This is a story of magic even more magical that I could even imagine in my wildest dreams. The best part? It’s good-hearted nature and utmost ridiculous explanations of the magic presented made this story one of the best, the elite.

We all know Peter Pan, at least, we know Disney’s super duper fluffy version, or maybe even the Jeremy Sumpter version (and personally I can only handle Robin Williams’ version because of Dustin Hoffman....and Robin Williams).

Anywho, Peter Pan is a small boy who can never grow up. Why? Maybe it’s because he lives in Neverland, or maybe it’s because his mother forgot him. A boy who became dead to the world he deserted. He takes the Darling children - Wendy, John, and Michael - to the Neverland, where theirs dreams all come together. They fly there using Tink’s fairy dust, to the second star to the right and straight on ‘til morning.

Oh my god this book.

J.M. Barrie knew his audience, and he knew how to develop characters before even a word was spoken from their mouths. I’ve yet to see such detail in these characters since the Dursley descriptions in the first Harry Potter book. In one paragraph, I knew everything I could possibly know about Mrs, Darling’s personality, Mr. Darling’s, and their relationship as a couple. Having read through this, I understand why we dove into Mrs. Darling so deeply, but I’m so amazed at how beautifully written this whole story was.

It was short and sweet, with many points of laughter, suspense, pride, jealousy, and of course, a giant ball of sadness that it was far too difficult (for me) to get past. Barrie was a genius, a damn smart genius. Who needs scientific logic sometimes? Fairies are born when babies laugh; that’s logical enough for me.

Barrie is exceptionally smart about what the story’s about. We follow the tales of Peter through the Darlings, and we know them the best before Peter’s arrival, but it’s obvious that the book is about Peter, and no, we can’t figure that out simply from the title; that’s silly. Wendy Darling is our human connection to the ageless boy clad in skeleton leaves.

Peter Pan is a riot. He is sadistic, selfish, cocky, and mischievous. He enjoys killing pirates after waking them, and he basically makes the Neverland the universe that it is. This is not because Peter is a god, but it is because he is gay, innocent, and heartless. Only those like him can make it to the Neverland.

This book is a pure treasure, and I can only say that my feelings for this book cannot be completely written down. So here’s a few gifs to show my range of emotions in Peter Pan:

















“There could not have been a lovelier sight; but there was none to see it except a little boy who was staring in at the window. He had ecstasies innumerable that other children can never know; but he was looking through the window at the one joy from which he must be for ever barred.”

This basically sums up Peter’s conflict, one that he can’t bring himself to resolve. And it’s okay, because as a boy who never grows up, he isn’t able to develop to a high enough level to overcome the loss of his own mother.

Oh my, this book did many things to me.
And I can’t wait for them to do it again.

Peter Pan.

Why haven’t you all read this yet?
And if you have, why aren’t you freaking out at the people who haven’t read this yet?
Read this book now.
Buy it.
Read it.
Tell everyone about the boy who can’t grow up.

Ghirardelli, out.