marsh_mall0w's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Sexism, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Grief and Violence
mitzee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
- The prose was funnier than I thought it would be.
- Some parts were actually more graphic than I had expected it to be.
Spoiler
like the descriptions of pirates killing people - Definitely contains the same racist tropes I first learned about in the Disney film and actually contains racist slurs, which I was not expecting.
- I also didn’t expect to dislike Peter so much.
Graphic: Bullying, Toxic friendship, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Animal death
ok7a's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Racism, Racial slurs, Misogyny, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment and Toxic friendship
Minor: Cannibalism
writewithapendragon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Racial slurs, Abandonment, Bullying, Murder, Racism, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Grief, Kidnapping, Sexism, Misogyny, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Violence, Animal death, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, War, Murder, Racism, Sexism, Abandonment, and Racial slurs
niche's review against another edition
3.5
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Racism, and Toxic friendship
lisa_m's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, and Violence
kat_mayerovitch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Let's get the elephant in the room out of the way first: this book is racist. Like, super, grossly, offensively racist. If you saw the movie or the play, know that it's worse than that. Hoo boy, don't read this book to children.
All that said, this book is cynical as heck, darkly funny, and scathing in its descriptions. The narrator hates ... pretty much all of the characters. The adults, including Captain Hook, are obsessed with appearances and social class. The women and girls are weak. The boys are gullible. Peter is arrogant beyond belief and can only stay innocent because he loses track of how many people (adults and children) he's murdered. Perhaps the only character portrayed as being worthy of admiration is Nana, the dog. Which ... is fair. Dogs are great. Put Nana in charge of everything. But still.
So, is it worth a read? Sure, if you're curious. It was fun to see so many lines I remember from the stage play. If you like cutting humor, sure. It's quite a roast. But otherwise, there are plenty of better children's classics to return to.
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs
Moderate: Violence, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Sexism