Peter Pan (Collins Classics) by Barrie, Sir J. M. (2014) Paperback

by J.M. Barrie

Paperback Bunko

About the author

James Matthew Barrie was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several successful novels and plays.

The son of a weaver, Barrie studied at the University of Edinburgh. He took up journalism for a newspaper in Nottingham and contributed to various London journals before moving there in 1885. His early Auld Licht Idylls (1889) and A Window in Thrums (1889) contain fictional sketches of Scottish life representative of the Kailyard school. The publication of The Little Minister (1891) established his reputation as a novelist. During the next decade, Barrie continued to write novels, but gradually, his interest turned towards the theatre.

In London, he met Llewelyn Davies, who inspired him about magical adventures of a baby boy in gardens of Kensington, included in The Little White Bird, then to a "fairy play" about this ageless adventures of an ordinary girl, named Wendy, in the setting of Neverland. People credited this best-known play with popularizing Wendy, the previously very unpopular name, and quickly overshadowed his previous, and he continued successfully.

Following the deaths of their parents, Barrie unofficially adopted the boys. He gave the rights to great Ormond street hospital, which continues to benefit.

Reviews

[inah_rchive · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story follows Peter, Wendy, John, and Michael as they fly away to Neverland, a place where children never grow up. What I loved most was the balance between magic and adventure—the pirates, the Lost Boys, and of course Captain Hook kept the story exciting, while the idea of staying young forever made me think about how quickly childhood passes.

Peter himself is both fascinating and frustrating. He’s full of wonder and fun, but also selfish at times, which makes him feel real. Wendy, on the other hand, reminded me of how children eventually step into responsibility, even when they’d rather stay in the world of play. Reading this made me nostalgic for my own childhood and the freedom of imagination.

The Collins Classics edition was very straightforward—light and easy to carry, with the full original text. It doesn’t have many notes or illustrations, but that simplicity let me focus on the story without distractions.

Overall, Peter Pan was whimsical, a little bittersweet, and timeless. It reminded me that growing up is inevitable, but we don’t have to lose our sense of wonder.

[Richard Howard · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first reaction in finishing this was 'WTF did I just read?' I had never read the original and only knew Peter Pan from Disney & pantos neither of which features actual massacres! The calm way in which the pirates are despatched by the lost boys while one of them counts them off is just weird for a children's book. Then there's the (expected) racism with a 'redskin' tribe called the 'Piccaninnys' ffs. The tale is told by an omniscient narrator who comes across as slightly deranged, though that may just be the strangeness of the Victorian/Edwardian prose, which might have been amusing to adults at the time but has now dated very badly. (The attitude to women and 'motherhood' is really creepy.) I think I'll stick to the Pan of Disney & pantos: they're way less disturbing.

[Mariam Vahramian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter Pan boy who never grew up

Տարին ամփոփենք սիրուն հեքիաթով՝ մաղթելով, որ մեր հոգու երեխան երբեք չմեռնի ✨🪄