Barrie, J: Peter Pan

Eines meiner Lieblingsbücher, kann ich nur jedem empfehlen. Obwohl schon etwas älter, finde ich die Sprache nicht schwer zu verstehen

One does not have to have read this book in order to know about Peter Pan. There’s countless adaptations of this beloved children’s classic and everyone is bound to know at least one. By now there are so many retellings, in fact, that I thought I should read the original in order to be better able to appreciate those, so that’s why I picked it up. And let me tell you, I am astonished. I love how imaginative and whimsical a world J.M. Barrie has created, but I am shocked to learn how dark and brutal this book is. I find it hard to believe that this is meant to be a story for children, what with all the scalping and killing that occurs. Also, I did not know how much of a selfish and inconsiderate little brat – excuse my French – the eponymous hero is. I know „Peter Pan“ is a favorite of many, but I found the overall story more apalling than enjoyable. Even though, there are bits and pieces I quite liked, this book, sadly, just isn’t for me.