The Adventures of Mary Darling

by Pat Murphy

Who is Mary Darling? In this subversive take on both Peter Pan and Sherlock Holmes, a daring mother is the populist hero the Victorian era never knew it needed. In a witty and adventurous romp, The Adventures of Mary Darling draws on the histories of women and people indigenous to lands that Britain claimed.


Mary Darling is a pretty wife whose boring husband is befuddled by her independent ways. But one fateful night, Mary becomes the distraught mother whose three children have gone missing from their beds.

After her well-meaning uncle John Watson contacts the greatest detective of his era (but perhaps not that great), Mary is Sherlock Holmes’s prime suspect in her children’s disappearance. To save her family, Mary must escape London—and an attempt to have her locked away as mad—to travel halfway around the world.

Despite the interference of Holmes, Mary gathers allies in her quest: Sam, a Solomon Islander whose village was destroyed by contact with Western civilization; Ruby, a Malagasy woman on an island that everyone thinks is run by pirates (though it’s actually run by women); Captain Hook and the crew of the Jolly Roger; and of course, Nana, the faithful dog and nursemaid.

In a witty and adventurous romp, The Adventures of Mary Darling draws on the histories of women and people indigenous to lands that Britain claimed, telling the stories of those who were ignored or misrepresented along the way.

Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, Retellings, Pirates

320 pages, Paperback

First published May 6, 2025

About the author

Pat Murphy’s latest short story collection is called "Women Up to No Good," a title that describes Pat’s attitude in general. Pat writes about strong women who are not afraid of making trouble.

Pat's fiction has won multiple awards for her science fiction and fantasy works, including the Nebula Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Philip K Dick Award, the Theodore Sturgeon Award, and the Christopher Award. Her latest novel, "The Adventures of Mary Darling," is a historic fantasy -- a subversive take on Peter Pan (with a side helping of Sherlock Holmes). It will be out in May 2025 from Tachyon Publications.

Reviews

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up

This was surprisingly great! I was curious, but unsure what to expect from a mashup of Peter Pan and Sherlock Holmes centering Mrs. Darling. As it turns out, The Adventures of Mary Darling is a smart historical fantasy that reexamines classic texts through a feminist and intersectional lens. What strictures constrained the lives of women? What about people of African descent or indigenous peoples? How does taking that into consideration change the way we read a text like Peter Pan? And for all his observational brilliance, what blind spots does Holmes have, particularly in light of something mystical going on?

For all that, it's also an entertaining story with great characters. Mary Darling is is an inimitable heroine with secrets of her own, determined to rescue her children. Told through interweaving timelines, it's a lush and satisfying story that is really quite impressive. It seamlessly blends real history with the fantastic in a way that is more believable than you might expect. I definitely recommend it. The audio narration is excellent, capturing a diverse cast of characters in a historical time period. I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher all opinions are my own.

[Grandma Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This author was new to me. At times this story was intriguing, more of the time it wasn’t. I enjoyed the characters. Outstanding narration.

I was blessed with an audio ARC. The opinions expressed are my own and unbiased.

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the first things I noticed about this book was a font. That page right after the prologue where it says “Part One?” That font is somehow evocative of the Oz books I read as a child. There's just something very children's-literature-circa-1900ish about it.

When I first heard about the book, I assumed it was basically going to be a crossover between Sherlock Holmes and Peter Pan. While it is that–among other things–neither of the two spend a lot of time on stage. Which makes sense. It's Mary's story after all. Peter is in the story a bit more than Sherlock, likely because it's difficult to have Mary Darling seeking the kidnapper of her children without showing something of his actions.

I've never actually read Barrie's original. My knowledge of Peter Pan comes largely from the ubiquitous Mary Martin production, and the Disney version. I think that most of us, growing up, never really gave much thought to how the Darling children's parents would have reacted upon finding the nursery empty and the window open wide …

It turns out that Peter and Mary have a history.

It also turns out that *many* children have been taken to Neverland over the years. And not all have survived.

It's a darker view of Neverland than I was used to, but there's precedent in the original novel, as Pat Murphy points out in her Afterword. Yes, Adventures can be fun, but they can also be dangerous.

We also get the backstory on so many Neverland details, like how the decidedly American Indians came to be there. And how Captain Hook lost his hand. At times, it seems as though every time a new character appears, the next chapter delves into their history and how they came to be where the reader first encounters them.

The result is a richly-detailed and fresh take on a story that we thought we all knew. Mary Darling is a delightful protagonist who stands out in the midst of a quite astonishing cast.

Holmes fans might be disappointed to see that he's not the star of the show. He's more there to be the representative of the male-dominated society that Mary is rebelling against. His dedication to logic and reason render him incapable of entertaining the theory that the children literally flew off to Neverland. In the end, Watson is the one who is able to accept that the world may be stranger and larger than he believed. It's an interesting use of the character. If anyone is disappointed that he's not the hero, well, there are plenty of stories out there where he is.

The book wound up being quite different from what I expected. But in a good way. It's a fascinating look at a story that I thought I knew, rich in incident and detail. Highly recommended!

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always been a passionate defender of Mary Darling in all media and so seeing the title of this book was like catnip. A story about Mary Darling, and one that gives her agency too! In this tale, Mary and her brother are from Australia and are taken to Neverland by Peter Pan—but that is only the very start of Mary’s adventures and not how the tale unfolds. The reader learns her story backward, as HER children go to Neverland and she is determined to go and bring them back—with the help of her uncle John Watson and his friend Sherlock Holmes.

I enjoyed this a lot, which means a lot coming from me. The book is primarily traveling interspersed with vignettes from the past, and I historically do not like “traveling” books. But the author’s voice and her interest in history melding with the fantastic really captures the imagination. I think the real world melded with Neverland in a fascinating way.

Fair warning—if you are a Holmes fan, he does get the short end of the stick by being the Logical Man in a story of the fantastic, but the inclusion of these other famous British literary characters gave the story a unique twist.

One thing I did quibble about was part of the ending. After what George does in the beginning, I think he should have groveled FAR MORE and paid for it. But this at its heart was not a romance in that way.

All in all this was a very fun spin on the classic Peter Pan mythos and I’m glad to see Mary Darling shine.

[Jill Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun! Not in a light-hearted and cheerful way, but in a clever and smart one. I really liked Mary - she was complex and real and resonant in a way that she has never been in any previous book, play, or movie I have seen. I understand that Barrie"s original Mary is a product of her time (as he was), but as a mother myself I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the strength of motherhood play out in her quest to find her children. Even though the actual rescue felt a little rushed, the journey to get there was fabulous and original and engaging.

I also really enjoyed the supporting cast in this one, particularly Sam and John Watson. In many ways they were much more significant players than Sherlock and it felt to me like the dichotomy between Sherlock and Mary was oversold in both blurb and cover (Sherlock felt like a minor player at best here).

On the whole, I enjoyed this - it was a cool spin on a classic tale with a lot of fair original elements that made it entirely its own story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very fun! An interesting take on two popular stories of the time. I am a huge Sherlock Holmes fan and was curious as to how he would reckon with the ✨magic✨ of it all. Turns out, not so great.

One thing this book did very well was reframe these stories around a highly capable women in a way that didn’t feel anachronistic - Mary had accomplished so much, and was never content to become the stereotypical housewife we catch glimpses of in the original story.

Also, I love every story where Peter is portrayed as the villain he is. It’s a hill I’ll die on.

Thank you to NetGalley, Pat Murphy, and Tachyon Publications for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[⊹ ✧ Beyond_the_Bookmarks ✧ ⊹ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great twist on solid classics - Sherlock Holmes & Peter Pan! I really enjoyed it and was thoroughly invested quite early in. It’s the first book in a long time with a mature female FMC and also the perspective of a mother - a very fresh breath of air I didn’t realise I needed! An interesting and entertaining read, definitely one I recommend ❤️

[BKarli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am exactly the target niche audience for this book. as someone who grew up loving peter pan, especially the book with all its grim darkness and light matter of fact whimsy, I loved every second of this book.
this author expands upon the original story with brilliant empathetic and well-rounded historical context and narrative. The descriptions of residential schools and how that may have played into the myth of "tigerlily" was especially provocative and captivating.
The characters were all likable in their own ways. Mary is the daring hero but she's not the only one. the villian is some ways... peter himself... but in other ways he is just the product of the villain of a society that destroys anything different from what it deems right. n adventure comes from the escape of the oppression ... with a few mermaids thrown into the mix...


if anything, this to me, is the perfect peter pan exploratative pairing to the original novel.

[petalsofpages ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank NetGalley and Tachyon Publications for sending me an arc of this phenomenal book and allowing me to read it before publication. This review is entirely my own and of my own volition.

Nostalgic. Action-packed. Whimsical. That is how I would describe Pat Murphy's The Adventures of Mary Darling.

Let's just start off with the absolute genius mash-up of Peter Pan and Sherlock Holmes! Absolute genius; not only do these books make sense together but it felt real and as if this was the original story, not an interpretation! I love how this book is structured as a piece of writing told from an outsider's perspective, especially when the narrator leaves little hints about what was really going on behind the scenes or whether a character was being truthful or not. And seeing Sherlock Holmes trying to explain how everyone was convinced magic and fairies was involved was hilarious, I will not lie!

Mary Darling for me was just the perfect protagonist. Fearless, fancy, and altogether the perfect mother; I love how the author has turned her into something other than 'the mother that is present for like ten minutes'. And the fact that this book had so many strong women in it was really inspirational to see, especially since the original doesn't really showcase the inner strength of women all that much.

BUT I DID NOT SEE THE TWIST OF NEVERLAND BEING SO DARK!!! I was honestly (and pleasantly) shocked by how dark Neverland truly was. As a kid, you don't really understand that kids fighting grown adults with real weapons was a really dangerous and probably stupid idea, so including the fact that lost boys and pirates can die was really awesome to see. Don't get me started on the mermaids and fairies though. I was and still am begging for more scenes of them.

Whilst I loved many of the characters and the overall plot, there were just a few things that stopped this from being a perfect read for me. And these were two things; Tom Watson and the anti-climatic feel of the ending. For me, Tom's inclusion as a character felt unnecessary and I would have preferred for him to be mentioned rather than actually take part in the novel. As for the ending, the final battle scene was over wayyy too quickly for me and it left me wanting a bit more, especially from Peter Pan.

Overall, if I had to choose between the original Peter Pan and this phenomenal retelling, I would 100% choose this one! I thoroughly enjoyed it and I hope to see the author take on other classics with more mashups in the future!

[Debbie Notkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This utterly delightful book stands the classic stories of Peter Pan and Sherlock Holmes on their heads, leaving Pan rather delighted with his new perspective and Holmes completely incapable of coping with change.

We start with the classic disappearance of the Darling children and the wracked guilt of the Darling parents. However, Mary Darling turns out to be Dr. John Watson's niece, so her husband immediately calls in Sherlock Holmes to find his abducted children. From there, be prepared for everything you think to be looked at askance, interrogated, and often found seriously wanting.

Murphy's premise is: what if Mary Darling was a hero, not only in the moment, but with a complex, romantic but unromanticized past? What if Sherlock Holmes was basically a poseur, using trivial knowledge to mask his complete lack of understanding of human behavior? What if Peter Pan was a lonely, insecure child pretending to be a hero? What if gender, race, and class were all far more complex and present in the story than J.M. Barrie ever dreamed?

If you love the old stories Murphy is deconstructing, you'll love this book. If you don't know the old stories, I think you'll still love this book. And if you can get comfortable spelling or finding a private pronunciation for Kanien'keha':ka, you're a better reader than I am.

[Sarah-Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Adventures of Mary Darling is an absolute delight, perfect for summer reading or any time you want an escapist moment. The book is a mash-up of Peter Pan and the Sherlock Holmes stories, presenting new perspectives on both.

The overlap between these two casts of characters are Mary Darling and her uncle, John Watson. Mary is the daughter of Watson's brother, who had moved to Australia hoping to strike it rich in the gold fields. When her father died, Mary became Watson's ward. When Mary's three children disappear one night—with no footprints on the snowy ground and the nursery windows left wide open—Watson pulls Holmes into the search.

Holmes, Watson, Mary, Mary's two brothers, her husband, Peter Pan, "Tiger Lily," a fairy, pirates, bloodthirsty mermaids, a brothel owner, also the dog Nana who runs the nursery all have parts to play. Some rise to the moment; others don't. Seeing them all come into their own, for better or for worse, makes for a mix of hilarity, tensions, adventure, and the unexpected.

If you have any fondness for either Holmes or Peter Pan and company, you're in for a treat with this title. Keep an eye out for it. I promise you'll be glad you did.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss; the opinions are my own.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

My friend Debbie Notkin recommended this book, and I'm so glad she did (thanks, Debbie!). As soon as I read her description, I could hardly wait to get my hands on a copy.

Big thanks to the author for coming up with this wonderful story that takes on so much bullshit (if you'll pardon the use of a sociological term in a literary context) and hands it over to us transformed into really pleasurable reading. How does she pull this off? By giving us the marvelous protagonist Mary Darling, devoted wife and mother, and seriously badass swashbuckler. From this premise, so much delightful stuff (sorry for all this scholarly jargon) flows, I could hardly believe it. Peter Pan put in perspective. Sherlock Holmes: Dismissed (and what a relief that is!), and Dr. Watson redeemed (more or less). But that's not the core of what makes this a joy, it's reading a rollicking adventure story that is clear-eyed about the fact that adventures are not that much fun when you are having them. Oh, I'm not doing this book justice at all, so just read it for yourself, you'll be glad you did.

[Trio · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Pat Murphy's clever and creative The Advenures of Mary Darling. A mashup of Peter Pan and Sherlock Holmes, this is one wild tale.

The audio version of The Adventures of Mary Darling is nicely performed by Charlotte Flyte.

an audiobook version of The Adventures of Mary Darling was provided by HighBridge Audio, via NetGalley, for the purpose of my honest review, all opinions are my own

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tackling the uglier side of the Victorian classics "Peter Pan" and "Sherlock Holmes", Pat Murphy tells the story of Mary Darling (mother to Wendy and her brothers) and shows us a woman accustomed to action and daring moves, but who now lives a quiet and unconventional life. Her placid and society-approved exterior conceals a person willing to take bold action, and who can be quite ruthless, when necessary, something she learned in Neverland, after Peter convinced Mary and her brother to accompany him to the island when they were children.

Mary joined the Lost Boys, as the Mother role Peter would have preferred for her did not appeal. Mary learned to fight and engaged in numerous battles initiated by Peter, who gleefully attacked pirates and disappeared Lost Boys who no longer fit his idea of useful.

Years later, when she and her husband George return from a night out, they discover their children gone and Nana the dog deeply agitated. Mary knows the signs immediately: Peter has come for her children. George, refusing to confront this truth, engages Sherlock Holmes. Holmes immediately wonders at Mary's attitude and strange statements, and looks on Mary with suspicion. When the children cannot be found, George retreats into denial of Mary's words, and a sort of magical thinking when he moves into Nana's dog house, insisting he'll stay there till they return. When he sees Mary is firm in her beliefs, he crawls out, and attempts to have a physician drug her and take her to an asylum.

Mary escapes home secretly, recruits a longtime friend (and former Lost Boy)Samuel Smalls, who was taken by Peter from his island (likely one of the Solomon Islands) to fill out the ever changing ranks of his little army of boys, and the two set out by ship to find her children. (Samuel's way of life and home was destroyed when British arrived at his island, and Peter's offer seemed much more attractive.)

George, it turns out, was also a Lost Boy, and while Mary was helped and supported by the Mrs. Hudson and the Watsons (yes, they of Sherlock fame), while George never really fit in once back in England. He and Mary had reconnected and married, their childhood experiences setting them apart from others, and giving them a shared sense of comfort and understanding in each other, though George pretends Neverland never happened.

Mary and Samuel travel to an island in the Indian sea to get help for their attempt to get to Neverland, with George, John Watson and Sherlock Holmes in pursuit. None of the people Mary calls on would be people Holmes would consider reliable: a Malagasy woman who runs a brothel and runs a formidable information network, and Captain Hook.

Sherlock remains absolutely convinced that there is a logical explanation for all that has transpired, and refuses to countenance anything different. John, meanwhile, begins opening his mind to other possibilities, especially since he knows Mary is no flighty or devious person. In fact, he begins to understand that the world can encompass the unusual, and the magical.

This was fantastic. The audiobook narrator, Charlotte Flyte, does a wonderful job voicing all the characters, and brings a great mix of emotions to Mary Darling, who, as a child seeks adventure, and when back in society, has to find a way to fit in. But when called on, is ferocious in defence of her children.

Author Pat Murphy shows us the much darker sides to these Victorian tales. These tales promotea side of the British Empire that as triumphant, and right, and strong, and bringing civilization to the disreputable heathens. When in actual fact, imperialism and conquest rely on the exploitation, harm and subjugation of marginalized peoples and women, and the environment. We hear the voices, in Murphy's story, of people who have no voices or positive presences in the Victorian canon and beliefs, and this mashup of Victorian tales is so much richer, complex and better for it.

At the same time, it's still a highly entertaining narrative, with lots of action, betrayals, revelations, humour, warmth and just plain fun.

Thank you to Netgalley and to HighBridge Audio for this ARC in exchange for my review.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are far too many Peter Pan retellings out there, yet authors keep trying despite the fact that it doesn’t usually go all that well. There are exceptions of course (Hook’s perspective novels seem to work the best) but unfortunately this book isn’t one of them.

A lot of this feels like an attempt to wash Barrie’s original novel of its problematic elements. While we all have to acknowledge (whether we love the original or not) that the Barrie novel has some significant issues for a modern reader, I don’t think this is the right approach to take to educate readers about that. A lot of the problem is that this particular aspect of this book is all tell, no show, and that’s a shame because some of Murphy’s ideas for how to do this were quite good and might have been successful had they been more subtly deployed.

Another problem here is that so much of this book is essentially just the exact same plot points from Peter Pan but “corrected” for modern readers. It’s a tedious way to reimagine this world, and it also prompts very direct comparisons between the author’s writing and Barrie’s. Though Murphy is, for the most part, an objectively good writer, she can’t touch Barrie and she’s made that all too apparent by building plot this way.

Also a tough hang: Literary mash-ups, both in general and in this particular instance. It’s a bit ham-fisted plot-wise how Sherlock Holmes and Peter Pan are melded here, and I’m not sure the Holmesean elements added anything at all to the story. As the blurb suggests, Mary is both more likable and in many ways a better detective than the bombastic, eye roll-inducing Holmes, and she didn’t really need a foil in this regard.

The best moments of this are those with Sam or on the pirate ship, where Murphy finds some originality and some very compelling moments. I wish we had gotten more like this and less of the rest, which caused the book to drag more often than not.

All of that said, the book does have bright spots, and I loved the tone. And while I didn’t find the attempt successful, I appreciate the intent of what Murphy was trying to do here in attempting to create a Peter Pan tale that is truly for everyone.

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

[Kam Yung Soh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating historical fantasy that mashes together the characters from Peter Pan and Sherlock Holmes. It retells J. M. Barrie's story of Peter Pan from the perspective of the mother, Mary Darling, and gives a modern interpretation to the tale involving slavery, the denigration of native people, the restricted lives of women in the Victorian era, and the rougher side of actually living in Neverland with a Boy that Never Grows Up.

It starts on the night Peter Pan takes her three children to Neverland, and Mary Darling is determined to go there and get her children back. Mary Darling is the niece of John Watson, so he and his companion Sherlock Holmes gets involved in the investigation into the children's kidnapping (as told to the rest of London).

In the first part of the story, we follow Mary Darling as she prepares for the journey, and Holmes' investigation into how the children were kidnapped. We learn more about the background of Mary Darling and the people she knows, and see the first 'collisions' between the magical world of Peter Pan and the logical world of Sherlock Holmes.

The second part of the story covers the separate journeys of Mary Darling, and Holmes and Watson, to where Neverland can be found. As it turns out, Mary made her own journey to Neverland with Peter when she was young, so she is not unprepared to face Peter to get her children back. Watson, meanwhile, has brief encounters with fairies and mermaids and is unsure how to explain such phenomenon to Holmes.

The final third part of the story would involve, of course, Captain Hook, who has a bad relationship with Peter (due to his hand) but who also knows Mary. They would all collide over the rescue of Mary's three children. But what could have been a violent encounter is defused by the timely arrival of the dog, Nana, who is also the children's nanny. As for Holmes, he is left wandering in a case where fairies are real can make people fly, but that can never be part of his logical deductions.

A tale with light touches of magic and a re-imagining of well known fictional characters, now told with modern sensibilities.

[Céline Badaroux · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must say I was surprised by this book, in a good way. The more I knew Mary the more I loved her. Sadly, the more I loved her, the more I despised her husband. I can't help thinking he's a coward, and what he wanted to do to his wife before her escape was just unforgivable for me. However, even if I'm a bit disappointed by George, all the cast is great and very on point. I love how Sherlock is way out of his depths and how Watson becomes pro active.

***POSSIBLE SPOILER***

One thing keeps bothering me though, after all that happened I feel like the evil creature who's Peter Pan escaped too easily. So... as much as I liked the book, I closed it with a feeling of unachievement, and as a mother, I would have never let that flying monstrosity live...

[Zoe Lipman · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

This was an incredibly unique way to write a retelling/inspired story. I genuinely can't say I've read another retelling/inspired story like this one, from unlikely perspectives and a combinations of source materials.

The gist of this story is that it is a Peter Pan and Sherlock Holmes retelling. Mary Darling (the mother of Michael, John and Wendy - the children from the classic, Peter Pan) discovers that her children are missing and enlists the help of Sherlock Holmes to find her children.

Something about this writing style made it so easy to read (and to read quickly). But at some times it did feel a bit dragging. But it wasn't too bad, it never made me put down the book or let me get distracted.

If you're looking for a unique retelling that still holds the feel of the classic, I would recommend this. (Especially if you like mysteries.)

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

[Cynthia T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you @NetGalley and @RBmedia for the ALC. This was so nostalgic to read. It had my love for Sherlock Holmes, Peter Pan and Mary Darling point of view. This takes place when Mary's children disappear to Neverland with Peter Pan and she knows that might end in tragedy. Mary is a mama bear and she seeks the help of Captain James Hook to fetch her children. I loved the back history on all the characters and how all of them have been touched by pixie dust.

[Literary Redhead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think Sherlock Holmes + Peter Pan, with brave mother Mary Darling leading the investigation into her missing children. Mary is a heroine for the Victorian ages while Sherlock plays second fiddle because he's just not up to her sleuthing excellence. Such fun!

[Morning Glory]

I really enjoyed the middle part that used indigenous people in Wild West shows to deal with the Native American issue with which Peter Pan retellings always struggle, but the quick descent from there to celebrating mature content made me quit. Dnf.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun take on Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, Mary Darling, John Darling, Captain James Hook, Peter Pan, & the lost boys.

[Penn Hackney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rivendell Discussion Group of the Mythopoeic Society, July 19, 2025
Pat Murphy, b. 1955
B Nebula for The Falling Woman (1986), finalist for Mythopoeic Fantasy award ($8 for Kindle)
B The City Not Long After (1989) recommended by David Lenander ($7 for Kindle)
B Cf. Trip Galey, A Market of Dreams and Destiny (Titan, 2023) set in London with fairy market Mythopoeic finalist

THE ADVENTURES OF MARY DARLING, by Pat Murphy (2025)
Opens with a 1934 letter from Jane Darling, Wendy's daughter (Wendy is Mary's daughter, see the last chapter of Peter Pan (Peter and Wendy, 1911) "When Wendy grew up" [1]
https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/... )
to her granduncle John Watson. So John is Mary's uncle, and Mary Darling is Jane's grandmother (Jane is telling "my grandomther's story") .

[1] Wendy: 'You won't forget me, Peter, will you, before spring-cleaning time comes?' Of course Peter promised; and then he flew away. He took Mrs. Darling's [Mary's] kiss with him. The kiss that had been for no one else Peter took quite easily. Funny. But she seemed satisfied. [This chapter makes me weep; as adult Wendy puts it, "she smiled, but it was a wet smile."]

?? So how did Barrie get it so wrong? He heard Mary's story at the dinner party.
He got this right: That Jane went too. See chapter 17 of his novel:
'When people grow up they forget the way.' 'Why do they forget the way?' (Jane) (the way to fly - and to get to 'the Neverland')
'Because they are no longer gay and innocent and heartless. It is only the gay and innocent and heartless who can fly.'
'What is gay and innocent and heartless? I do wish I was gay and innocent and heartless.'

The story opens in 1900, on the street where the Darlings live at no. 14,with a painting in the nursery by Mary's mother of "three smiling fairies sat in the shade of a bottlebrush bush, sharing a pot of tea." p. 13

Watson's well-meaning but demeaning refrain: "you must take care of yourself and your husband" rather than go out an investigate herself, pp. 33, 34,

George is in the dog house - literally pp. 35-36. Takes it to the extreme by going to work in it, p. 52, "I promised [who?] to stay here until the children return" p. 56 - which takes Nana's house away from her, and makes life more difficult for everyone - a very selfish man. It's hard to imagine a women of Mary's termperament having sex with such a man. "'I wanted to keep her safe,' George murmurred. He looked miserable. 'You can't do that by heeping her at home,' Ruby regarded him with some sympathy." At the end, "He was smiling, but his face was wet with tears. 'You are magnificent,' he murmurred into her ear." p. 286

Mary met George at a dinner party at James Barrie's p. 78-79, where Mary told a "fairy story" about Peter Pan. She "remembered her mothers story of Peter Pan." p. 79
It turns out she married George because they had Neverland in common, he was Tootles, p. 180

George pretends to be a realist but has too much imagination - he imagines "all the things that could go terribly wrong," p. 85

THE SWELL MOB, fraternity of thieves and swindlers p. 38

Mary visits a black sea-going tailor named SAM SMALLS with an artificial leg making leather of rat skins, with a parrot named Captain Flint in the shop pp. 40-41
(Homage to Robert Louis Stevenson I presume)
John Watson's brother (Henry, Mary's father), neice (Mary?), and nephew (Tom?) "became my family when I needed one most." p. 42
ALICE WATSON, m. Henry Watson, parents of Mary and Tom. Henry was "a dashing young man with more panache than prosepects" and Alice was an artist who paints "accurate botanical illustration with fantastic imagery" i.e., fairies.p. 87

The disconnect between Mary as deciding to marry George Darling and be a mother and housewife, with the Mary Watson who studied martial arts and sword fighting with Miass Sanderson and Annie Maunder, pp. 46-50 and acting as MARTY to bring friends places and then going after her children, and having learned to sew the same place Sam did - "on the deck of the Jolly Roger" p. 95. "Neverland was the place where she had first picked up a sword." p. 135

It turns out she married George because they had Neverland in common, he was Tootles, p. 180

"Mrs. Hudson had been wild in her youth." p. 54

True FRIENDS: Mary: "Best not to talk about that." The others: "I only need to know one thing. How can I help." (Mrs. Hudson, p. 55)

MARY SOMERVILLE, 1780-1872, p. 46
British science writer whose influential works synthesized many different scientific disciplines. The Royal Society commissioned a marble bust of Somerville from sculptor Francis Chantrey. Somerville and Caroline Herschel were made the first women honorary members of the Royal Astronomical Society.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/...

MISS SANDERSON, pp. 46-47, studied with bare-knuckle fighter Alilce Leary:
Hattie Leslie vs. Alice Leary: The Prizefight That Sent Victorian-Era Buffalo into an Uproar
https://thegruelingtruth.com/boxing/h...

ABC Tea Shop, p. 45. The initials A.B.C stand for ‘The Aerated Bread Company Ltd’, founded in 1862 by Scottish medic and chemist, Dr John Dauglish, quickly becoming a large and profitable business empire comprising bakers, confectioners and tea rooms.
https://amudlarksdiary.com/2019/01/04...

https://theabcsoftea.com/2017/12/31/a...

"London was not kind to poor children." p. 57 Crossing sweepers, match sellers, ragged clothing, pickpockets, aiming for the "swell mob"

Sam's p.o.v. is more reliable than Watson's, e.g., p. 59 - not impressed with Holmes
AND, "Unlike her husband and Dr. Hill, I value Mary's wishes. I believe that she has a right to contol her own destiny." p. 95

Dr. Watson: "At that moment, George was worthy of our respect." p. 96

Mary told Uncle John and he didn't believe her, so no sympathy for his consternation.

~~~~~~~~
STRUCTURE:
The story goes back and forth between the present (1900) and the childhood of Mary, George, Sam, and Tom, spent in Neverland (and getting there) and on the Jolly Roger ( and getting away and to Australia). Usually the switch comes inside a chapter, and it's nicely done, the reader is never confused about when the story is taking place, and always lookingforward to the next "chapter" in whichever timeline one is reading.

~~~~~~~~
THE BACK STORY: MARY AND PETER: in NEVERLAND
I love Peter's insoucient egotism, e.g., p. 89 But he's heartless and selfish, with a boy's thoughtless cruelty. .
And Tom's fearlessness: "Based on his reading [of adventure tales], he was confident he could handle the situation." p. 90 matched by Mary, of course
"Being a mother seemed like too much work and no fun at all." p. 101

So, WHO IS MARY DARLING?

"The town a sprinkling of lights like stars on the ground." p. 91
"Mermaids rather enjoy watching people drown." p.103 Haha "They enjoyed watching people die." p. 268

the Lost Boys: Tootles, Curly, Nibs, Slightly, the Twins, and Sam
"Peter always chose the most thoughtful boy to call Tootles." George, James, Oliver. p. 272
Sam has most experience and is not careless or ignorant (as the others are both).
Mary asks Sam to be her older brother

Peter is not human, he's more a spirit in himan guise so he can go to London and return, "powerful and unpredictable" p. 124
Peter tells stories that sound like childhood games, p. 125, but pirates are killed

The mermaids tell her, "You don't belong there - always pretending ot be something you're not. Pretending to be a docile and obedient wife. Pretending to be a man." p. 133 "Neverland was the place where she had first picked up a sword." p. 135

One of the secrets of Neverland: EVERYONE CAN DIE. p. 137 "At awkward moments it is always good to have something practical to do." p. 139

~~~~~~~~
Sam Smalls is a Lost Boy p. 107 - cool
the back story: SAM SMALLS: ch. 14 pp. 108-T119
Born in the Solmon Islands to a British missionary and an islander woman

~~~~~~~~
the back story: Polly (a/k/a PRINCESS TIGER LILY) ch. 18 pp. 140-147
?? Note that Polly's people are the Kanien'keha:ka, meaning "people of the flint" and Sam's parrot is named Captain Flint
colonial missionary "residential schools" for Indian children
Brigadier-General Richard Henry Pratt (December 6, 1840 – March 15, 1924)[1] was a United States Army officer who founded the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania in 1879 and served as its longtime superintendent. Pratt is also associated with the first recorded use of the word "racism," which he used in 1902 to criticize racial segregation in the United States.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard...

https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswit...

Nicholas Flood Davin, 1840-1901, considered one of the architects of the Canadian Indian residential school system. In 1879 he wrote the Report on Industrial Schools for Indians and Half-Breeds, otherwise known as The Davin Report, in which he advised the federal government to institute residential schools for Indigenous children. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission concluded that the assimilation amounted to cultural genocide.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nichola...

Metamora; or, The Last of the Wampanoags is a play written by a Massachusetts native named John Augustus Stone in 1829. It is a tragedy that reinterprets major events of King Phillip's War (1675–1678)[2] including Metamora's death. Metamora is known by many names including King Phillip and Metacomet. The play changed Metamora's identity from being a barbarian to a heroic warrior who cursed the white men as he died. Metamora gave the audience reassurance that the Wampanoags were truly dead..
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metamor...




~~~~~~~~
the back story: JAMES HOOK, ch, 28 The Battle of the Coconuts pp. 217 ff. when Peter appears, James is a ten-year-old reading this, but he "wasn't impressed":
B THE CORAL ISLAND: A Tale of the Pacific Ocean, is an 1857 novel written by R. M. Ballantyne. It is notable for being one of the first works of juvenile fiction to feature exclusively juvenile heroes, focusing on the adventures of three boys marooned on a South Pacific island after a shipwreck. The narrative is presented from the perspective of 15-year-old Ralph Rover, who recounts their survival and the challenges they face, including encounters with native Polynesians and the influence of Christian missionaries. The novel explores themes such as the civilizing effect of Christianity and the impact of 19th-century imperialism in the South Pacific. It has remained popular and has inspired other works, including William Golding's Lord of the Flies.

"A real adventure takes your life and shakes it, like a terrier shakes a rat. Your life may be better for it, or it may be worse - as it was for the rat. But it won't be the same." p. 219.

First he's Tootles, then he enlists as Cookie's assistant on the Jolly Roger under Captain Scratch, also assistant navigator and accountant, and and makes his way in seven years to first mate, when the Jolly Roger picks up Mary, Sam, and Tom, then, on Scratch's retirement, he's elected Captain.

Rumbold is rescued from the jungle island by the Jolly Roger and joins the crew as ship's doctor and becomes good friends with James, when they are acosted by Peter and the Lost Boys. See Jolly Roger, below.


~~~~~~~~
Mary/Marty On the HONEST TRADER:
Captain Jack
Carter
Davies (cf. the Llewelyn Davies boys, friends with, and inspiration to, J.M. Barrie)
Marty, a way to be safe and not have to suffer either unwelcome advances or unwelcome advice.

Nosy Boraha is a small island off the east coast of huge Madagascar (5 times the size of Pennsylvania). In this novel, Nosy Boraha is a Pirate haven
https://www.bing.com/maps?q=Nosy+Bora...
Madagascar is approximately 587,041 sq km, while Minnesota is approximately 206,189 sq km, making Minnesota 35.12% the size of Madagascar, so Madagascar is 2.85 times as big as MN.

Mary likes the crow's nest best - can be alone, ch, 24 p. 183
She ends up "tanned, lean, fit, and focused. She wore her sword at her belt. She was ready to act." ch. 27 p. 212
At Nosy Boraha, see below.

~~~~~~~~
The men on the GOLEN DAWN ch. 16 pp. 126 ff.
Watson & Holmes
George Darlilng
Sam Smalls
Nana & Captain Flint
~~~~
Benito Salini, jeweler
John Dawson and son, orchid hunters
Richard Rumbold, MD, charming scoundrel, on a tropical island relies on deities, dancing and dosing for healing, p. 132

Watson and the fairy ARIBELLE, ch. 23 pp. 174-180
George had been to Neverland too!
The 3 Musketeers p. 181 Watson, George, Sam
Narrator to the reader, p. 181

Arrival at Toamasina ch. 30 pp, 233 ff. The 3 plus Holmes, Rombold, and Nana
Lady Hawkins, now a widow, invites the 3 Musketeers to a tea parrty at Monsieur Durand's mansion

~~~~~~~~
SALACIA, pleasure steam yacht, owned by Emily Hawkins and her hisband, feeds and saves the children (Mary, Tom, and Sam) en route home ch.
Chapters30-31, when a widow, Lady Hawkins schools Watson in a wider reality, including debunking Holmes's genius in The Hound of the Baskervilles, that the three children had flown to her yacht en route to Neverland, that Peter Pan is not human, and "anglic" being, and when Watson says "God does not kidnap children," Sam answers, "Kidnapping is the least of it. Have you read the book of Job?" p. 246-47

~~~~~~~~
I hear the mermaids singing each to each ch. 21 .... "I do not think that they will sing to me"
from The Love Song of Alfred J. Prufrock:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poet...

https://interestingliterature.com/202...

Sam met George, Mary, and Tom in Neverland, p. 159
Holmes, of course, says Sam and George met in a pickpocket gang after George's kidnapping p. 161
Rumbold's friend warned him about mermaids. "It's a great wide world, Watson." p. 163

~~~~~~~~
NOSY BORAHA
An Island of Women, ch. 25 pp. 191 ff
Ruby / Raza, smart AND clever, multiulingual (French, Spanish, Portuguese, English, and a smattering of Latin), overheard more than expected, and understood men's secret desires even when they did not themselves.
left at 18 to Nosy Boraha and opened Ruby's bordello, purchasing agent met the pirate ships, she fenced the goods, and serviced the pirates
James's good deed in arranging the children's stay with Ruby (rather than being sold elsewhere), and Ruby finding them a passage home, on the SAFE PASSAGE, a merchant ship bringing pirate plunder to market.
With Felana, "There are many ways to be a woman, many ways to be a man. There are many ways to be a person." p. 200
Mary, "When everyone thought she was a boy, no one expected her to be their mother." p. 200

Chapter 26
In Tom's version, Tom was the hero, Mary the lovely maiden, and Sam the loyal Indian scout; she and Tom were heroes, rather than heartless children who flew away to have fun while their mother suffered and died looking for them. p. 204 "People wanted to believe that plucky children could stand up to pirates and survive. They wanted to think that a British pirate captain like Captain Scratch would send the children home." p. 205

Adult Mary, as Marty, ch. 27 pp. 211 ff. back to Ruby's: "And then I will help you. Of course I will." p. 214

Backstory of James, see above.

Chapter 29 Like a Cat with a Mouse pp. 227 ff.
Mary comes out as a woman - who can fight (the "aesthetic dress movement" is a real thing)
James is outed as gay (Ruby says "he appreciates women but he prefers men" p. 228 )
Tom shows up, and Mary chooses to believe his stories - "it is easier to choose belief than to start an argument." p. 230

Chapter 32, The Legend of Captain Hook, pp. 248 ff.
at Ruby's Mary and James reconnect and team up to rescue the children; unknown to all but Mary and Ruby, James "had a kind heart." p. 248.

Chapter 35, Surrounded by forces you do not understand, pp. 273 ff.
Aribelle comes to grant Watson's wish: "What do you want, you mutton-headed foozler! .... You great gallumpus!" .... You cork-brained looby!" p. 280


~~~~~~~~
The JOLLY ROGER
Captain Scratch, former accountant, always weighing value against expense ("Scratch was always grumbling about the cost of rum and its effect on the ship's efficiency." p. 186 , first mate, good family, boarding school
Zalri, Malay
Cookie (Abraham)

oakum p. 187

James, Captain of the Jolly Roger, ch. 28 the battle of the coconuts, pp. 217-226. Becomes Hook after Peter lops off his hand at the wrist before being chased away by Rombold's stinkpot;
Rumbold, ship's doctor, saves James from Peter with a stinkpot
Skylights - gets ambitions and is assassinated
Bill Jukes
Alf Mason
Gentleman Starkey

Chapter 36, It's Hook or me thi time! pp. 282 ff.
"History does not give cooks enough credit." p. 282
Mary's sword fight with Peter, "I fight like a boy. I learned by watching you." p. 283
"To die will be an awfully big adventure." p. 284


~~~~~~~~
NEVERLAND:
The Jolly Roger sails for Neverland, leaving drunk and foolish Tom behind haha
Mary as "a proper lady and also the very devil with a blade" p. 264 ch. 34
"Some say that you can find Neverland only if the island want to be found.... In the end, finding the island was easy. Perhaps it wanted to be found." p. 265
"The fairies tolerated Peter, but did not serve him." p. 267
Mary remembers the heightened emotions as children, the heedless rushing fun, now knows that "rocks could slide, that she could fall, that she could die." p. 268

~~~~~~~~
AFTERMATH:
"Tom went off to the bordello where he had been staying, eager to begin spending his share of the treasure." p. 290

"Barrie had a terrible view of growing up, and a very skewed view of women." p. 296

They all wanted to make sure Jane was able to keep herself safe if she decided to fly off with Peter. p. 197

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The story of the Darling kids in Neverland with Peter Pan has been oft-told and retold, but what happened back in London when their parents find them missing? What kind of parents have a dog as a nanny? How would Sherlock Holmes react to everyone around him flying, encountering fairies, etc.? All of these questions are answered in a novel that has a great elevator pitch (Peter Pan + Sherlock Holmes = ???), but Murphy's execution of it is uneven at times and at the end I'm left with more questions than answers.

For some reason I always pictured Neverland as existing on another planet ("Second star to the right", I guess), but this novel places it somewhere off the coast of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. Murphy draws from Barrie's original tale moreso than the subsequent, more family-friendly, retellings, which means that the mermaids are malignant creatures luring humans to their deaths for sport, the fairies are haughty sprites, the lost boys are malnourished kidnap-victims, and Peter Pan is the worst of all: some sort of spirit in the body of a perpetually-young boy who kidnaps children, forces them to commit murder on a whim, and then replaces them when they are eventually murdered with other young boys who he bequeaths with identical names (we meet at least three "Tootles"-es in this story alone).

I found this adaptation of the source material fascinating and dark, but this is also a Sherlock Holmes pastiche. Mary Darling (the mother of Wendy, Michael, and John) is the niece of John Watson, so when the children go missing she and her husband George enlist the help of legendary detective Sherlock Holmes, who is underused and portrayed as if not bumbling then definitely willfully ignorant and unhelpful.

It's quickly revealed that both Mary and her husband had been whisked away by Pan as children themselves, which begs the first question: why would they have involved Holmes at all? George spends the first half of the book as a blubbering fool while Mary makes her plans to go rescue the children herself, so why was a detective or the police involved when they both immediately knew what had happened to the kids as soon as they came into the room with the window open, all three kids missing, and no footprints in the snow outside? It felt like a fairly-major inconsistency, just for the sake of getting Holmes into the story.

Then there's the ending, which I won't spoil but let's just say felt very rushed. There's some great stuff in here about the origin story of Captain Hook, but the final encounter between all parties felt dashed off after so much buildup.

All in all, this is an interesting concept that ultimately left me a bit unsatisfied. I waffled quite a bit between 3 and 4 stars, but I had to round up just for the worldbuilding. If you enjoy Victorian-era adventure stories with literary characters, you may enjoy this one as well, but if you're looking for more of a Sherlock Holmes pastiche where he investigates and solves a case, this one is not for you.

[Stefania Camaci · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope this book goes viral on booktok. It deserves it. Such an excellent tale.

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter Pan’s story is one of those stories that we all think we know. There have certainly been plenty of variations, from the original by J.M. Barrie in 1904 to the animated 1953 Disney version to 2003 live-action adventure film Peter Pan and all the various TV versions, movies and video games in between and ongoing.

But all of those versions, as chronicler Jane Darling rightfully points out in her introductory letter to her Grand-Uncle John Watson, were based on Barrie’s original story which was, to paraphrase her words rather a lot, told in such a way as to make the boy who refused to grow up, Peter Pan, the hero of the thing.

Which, based on her own grandmother’s account, he clearly was not. And he’s certainly not a heroic figure in Jane’s retelling, as her version is intended to correct that previously male-centric record, tell the truth – at least according to her grandmother – and give all of the female figures in the story the due that Barrie would never have granted them.

And what a story it is!

Because, looking at the tale of Peter Pan from an adult perspective – and not the child I was when I first saw the Mary Martin version on TV as a child – one does end up wondering WTF Mr. George and Mrs. Mary Darling were doing while Wendy, John and Michael were off having adventures.

While George Darling is being, frankly, ridiculous – as his granddaughter Jane doesn’t mince all that many words in describing – Mary Darling is quietly going about, making plans to shed the respectable persona she has been wearing like a badly fitting costume for entirely too long. Even as her husband makes plans to lock her up in an asylum for “her own good”. Even though he knows better. He’s just not ready to admit it.

Mary Darling knows EXACTLY what has happened to her children. Because once upon a time, it happened to her. Mary is also entirely too aware that Peter’s adventures can be very, very dangerous – never for him but all too frequently for the children that he charms into following him to Neverland.

Just as he once charmed Mary’s little brother Tommy – with Mary following after because she was the big sister and it was her job to take care of him. Just as Wendy sees it’s her job to take care of her little brothers John and Michael.

Once upon a time, a long time ago in a place very far away from either of the places Mary ever called home, Mary did her damndest to keep as many of Peter’s “Lost Boys” alive and fed and cared for as possible, no matter how badly she wanted to go home or how much she resented being shoehorned into the position of “mother” when she still wanted her own mother so desperately. Or an adventure of her own. Or both.

So Mary, along with her friend Sam and the reluctant cooperation of her brother Tommy, made a very careful plan to escape Peter and Neverland before Peter got all of them killed – as he was wont to do when boys got rebellious and/or started to grow up – or the island did the work for him.

Now Peter has her children, so she has made a different but equally careful plan – to go to Neverland and get her children back. With her husband, her Uncle John, and her Uncle John’s friend Sherlock Holmes following at her back, whether to aid her or stop her, because they all think they know better than she does.

Because, after all, they are men, and she is merely a feeble woman who can’t possibly know her own mind. Or how to use the sword and the knife she has sheathed at her waist. Even though she so very clearly does. And has. And certainly will again if any of them get in her way.

Escape Rating A: I went into this expecting a grand time – and I absolutely got one.

I picked this up because it is, in part, a Sherlock Holmes pastiche, and I’m ALWAYS a sucker for one of those. But this is neither a kind interpretation of Holmes NOR is the ‘Great Detective’ either the central character of the story or, for that matter, all that great. He’s too grounded in logic to accept that sometimes the world isn’t logical at all, and that, as Shakespeare said, “There are more things in heaven and earth…than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

The Holmes of Mary Darling’s adventures has all the blind spots and prejudices of the character from the original Holmes canon, and they do not serve him in this story. (If you’re curious about a similar variation on Holmes, take a look at the interpretation in A Study in Sable and the books that follow it in Mercedes Lackey’s Elemental Masters series.)

There was also plenty of delicious irony in this portrait of Holmes, as his denigration of magic and spiritualism and particularly fairies stood in direct opposition to his creator Arthur Conan Doyle’s later-in-life rather strenuous belief in all of the above.

Mary’s adventures in this story represent a sloughing off of the strait-jacket of respectability that she had worn for so many years after her childhood adventures, and a return to the persona that should have always been hers. And the punishment for it that she barely escaped would have been ridiculous, severe and unjust to the extreme all at the same time. Her husband, who had himself been one of Peter’s Lost Boys and KNEW for certain that she was not mad, was living inside the dog’s kennel when he called in doctors to have Mary committed. He’d obviously lost his tiny mind but she was the one who needed to be locked up?

I cheered when she escaped them all. That along the way she received help from her women’s club filled with suffragists, rebels, and umbrella-wielding stick-fighters reminded me so much of Amelia Peabody Emerson and her archaeological adventures that I smiled broadly in remembrance even as I loved seeing them all do their bit in Mary’s rebellion and escape.

It’s not just Mary who gets her due in this story, as her tale takes her back in memory and onwards to the places where she has friends and allies. It is also, explicitly, an anti-colonialism story that allows the peoples that Britain has claimed to have ‘conquered’ and ‘civilized’ – read that as oppressed and suppressed, also get to claim their proper places in this story every bit as much as Mary does.

Mary’s adventure, not in spite of but because of the magic of it and in it, is a grand and glorious one. And it’s HERS and absolutely not the adventure of any of the men who stand in her way and certainly not that of Peter Pan, the most lost boy of them all.

Originally published at Reading Reality

[Barbara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hmmm...always loved Peter Pan since childhood, but had trouble processing the real w/ the fantastical. Somehow it made it less enjoyable. Maybe another time or maybe not.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

One look at the cover and at the glowing advance reviews, and I knew I needed to read Pat Murphy’s latest book. The premise – that Sherlock Holmes is hired to investigate when the three children of George and Mary Darling vanish from their London home overnight – is just that irresistible. At the same time, those same reviews set off a number of my internal alarm bells – promising, as they do, a narrative sharply critical of the colonialist and Victorian sensibilities woven deep into J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan.

As it turns out, my literary Spidey-sense was right; The Adventures of Mary Darling reads – to me, at least – like a textbook example of how not to approach a literary mashup.

Let me be clear here: I have no inherent objections to either the book’s literary form or to an honest critique of Peter Pan’s problematic elements. As to the latter, Pat Murphy has done more than sufficient homework to justify that aspect of the project. But as a mashup – or crossover, the term used most often by modern fanfic writers – Murphy’s novel falls short on almost every count.

Broadly speaking, I have three major issues with the book. First, the title and cover art are misleading on multiple levels. Mary Darling doesn’t get nearly enough time onstage in what’s ostensibly her own book, Sherlock Holmes is at best a minor presence throughout, and far too little of the story can be accurately described as “adventure”.

Second, Murphy makes a very strange narrative choice by presenting the entire tale as a manuscript written not by her title character, but rather by Mary’s adult daughter Jane. The result is to severely distance readers from both the action (such as it is) and the characters. This is especially frustrating in the case of Sherlock Holmes, whose portrayal borders on caricature to a degree that Holmes’ fans are likely to find annoying. Watson (whom Murphy makes Mary’s uncle) comes across somewhat better – and gets one key scene that should have more impact on the story than it actually does – but is otherwise mostly a peripheral presence.

Third, the novel fails to deal adequately with the elephant in its chosen room. Murphy’s (or Jane’s) narrative acknowledges that genuine magic exists in its version of the world – but almost completely refuses to explore the consequences of that choice. Two examples stand out.

First, Peter Pan’s origin and nature are given scant and contradictory attention. On one hand, according to Jane’s narrative, he’s led three generations of children out the nursery window of the family house in London – Mary first, then Wendy and her brothers, and most recently Jane herself. Yet what we see of Peter in and around “Neverland” is a being with only a child’s memory, easily distracted or overcome either by a more promising adventure or a mother’s threat of bedtime without supper. It’s an inconsistent portrayal, and as a result Peter never emerges as a well-realized character.

Second, the story goes out of its way to avoid confronting Sherlock Holmes with the reality of magic. He’s otherwise occupied at one key moment when Dr. Watson finds himself airborne due to an accident involving fairy dust – and he’s deliberately left out of a planned “rescue” of Jane Darling from the supposed clutches of Captain Hook, likewise aided by a supply of fairy dust. This Holmes, we’re told, would disbelieve in magic even if given the chance to see it at work. That’s flatly unfair, particularly in light of the oft-quoted Holmesian axiom: “whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth” after one has eliminated the impossible.

Yet as badly as the novel fails on a narrative level, those early trade reviews are not entirely wrong. Ironically, the best parts of the book are those focusing on the secondary characters – sometime pirates Sam Smalls and the eventual James Hook (whose true identity is an ingenious and admirably subtle twist), Chief Laughing Bear’s family of Wild West showrunners, and Jane’s fascinating assortment of female allies. Even George Darling has his moments – and indeed, possibly the strongest character arc in the novel, not excluding Mary’s. One almost doesn’t need the authorial afterword to discern that Murphy has indeed done an excellent job of replacing J. M. Barrie’s ethnically stereotyped players with well-rounded, fascinating individuals.

At the end of the day, The Adventures of Mary Darling is a profoundly schizophrenic book. I can’t recommend it as a mashup or crossover – indeed, I suspect fans of both the original Peter Pan and the Sherlock Holmes canon will find it disappointing at best.

That said, I can and do recommend the book as what it’s been praised for: a well-crafted re-imagining of the Neverland setting with a more historically reliable and relatable eye. If Tachyon had put a full-cast illustration on the cover, titled it accurately (perhaps as The Mostly True History of Neverland by Jane Darling) and perhaps persuaded Pat Murphy to excise Sherlock Holmes from a story in which he really doesn’t belong, I would be a much happier reviewer.

[Singer_of_Stories · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can honestly say I would have never thought to combine Peter Pan with Sherlock Holmes, and that combination was truly intriguing. The mix of the dark wildness of Barry's original Peter Pan with the cool logic and deduction of Sherlock made for a fascinating combination, and the different perspectives that those two stories brought when tied together was a really fun decision. I have to hand it to the author--she has a lot of creativity. I've been thinking up fairy tale mashups for most of my life, and this combination has truly never occurred to me.

I also really appreciated the way the author handled the Peter Pan part of the story (I know less about Sherlock, so I can't say much about whether that was handled well). One of the often-forgotten things about the J. M. Barrie's original Peter Pan is just how dark it is, and I think this story captured that grittier feel very well without ever being too graphic or overwhelming. Peter Pan felt correctly incorrect, and the Lost Boys' situation felt appropriately realistic.

I do feel that the author might have gotten a little carried away with the execution. This is a highly character-driven story, and almost every character (whether significant or minor) is introduced by a long backstory where you learn exactly how the character got to that point and all the character's significant motivations. At times this was an enjoyable and interesting experience, but at other times it slowed down the pace significantly and didn't seem to add much to the overall plot. It seemed a bit like the author found out something fascinating or horrifying in her research of the era or thought of a brilliant reason why x person was in y place and wanted to make sure that all those details made it into the book--whether or not it truly fit the narrative arc. As a result, the main story often felt choppy as we would stop following Mary Darling or one of the other primary characters and suddenly follow someone else's story for chapters before reconnecting to the main story and sometimes never seeing that side character again. The constant build-up and character work with the side characters meant that I often lost track of the main thrust of the story and the conclusion was not nearly as gratifying as I had hoped since by that point I had largely lost track of whose story I was supposed to be invested in. To be honest, I think that was part of the author's point--to show how many different unique stories intersect at any given point in time--but the execution just didn't work for me. With so many stories being told in such detail all at once, it was hard for me to feel truly connected or invested in any one of them.

That being said, this was clearly a very well-researched book that provides insights into much of what was happening in the world around the time period of Peter Pan. If you love history and love heavily character-based books, this might be just the thing for you.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Rebecca Veight · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mary Darling's three children have been kidnapped. Due to the event of being John Watson's niece, the world's greatest detective, Sherlock Holmes, gets involved. His investigation is going down a dangerous path. As to not be locked away as mad, and to save her family, she travels far and away, making allies of people from lands Britain has claimed, even Captain Hook himself.

We could call this another side to the Peter Pan story, as we experience and ultimately enjoy the adventure of the mother left behind. And blending it with a healthy dose of Sherlock Holmes is a master stroke. I relished seeing the famous detective at work, the staples of the J.M. Barrie story that are included here, and the twists on both. I will not say more so as not to spoil. But I will mention how the antithesis between Holmes's almost obsessive reliance on logic and the fairytaleness of things to do with Neverland add to the story. It smells of the internal battle of adulthood against our inner child.

The narrative has the feel of someone sharing the story with us in confidant-oriented conversation, colored with child-at-heart wonder. Its directness — tender, not strict — and delightful wit result in us breezing through the story. Descriptions here are lively and full of flair, details that spark our curiosity and imagination, transport us to the era and fantastical endeavors. While humor spirits through the storyline there is an endearing quality, but also a blunt edge that provokes our thoughts and what we believe to know. I really like how we peek into the mind of even minor or unexpected characters.

I love that Mary is a woman of fortitude, way ahead of her time. Other characters will astonish you with those same exact qualities, their extraordinary stories helping you get an idea of how their people fared in that time period. Through amicable storytelling and the musings of characters we witness the workings of the world, in some ways similar to our time. Discrimination and social inequality unfortunately still exist today, do they not?

Sometimes the switch between past and present or different characters and their tales is a bit jarring. Momentarily you may be lost. Some of those tales seem out of place or time, and the book has tangled its story threads. I do wish it had been done somewhat differently because the story is engaging. You cannot deny that the different storylines are always interesting and be wholly entertained by how they connect.

This novel is also about how your world can shift in an instant and the powerful feeling of home. Adventurous, endlessly surprising and a lot more dangerous than expected, this is a fun & contemplative team up of 2 legacies of the reading world.