Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - Pan

Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Pan by

13 reviews

readingoverbreathing's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Let me first say that this is definitely between two and three stars for me, but as I truthfully didn't get that much enjoyment out of it, I think I'm going with two.

Peter Pan is one of those stories that is so deeply embedded in popular culture that it's difficult to come to the original text without any preconceptions or expectations. I've never been a huge Pan fan in any respect, but I would say that I generally knew what to expect in terms of story and plot but otherwise had no strong emotions or feelings tied to this story.

This definitely turned out to be a good thing, as, regardless, I was pretty disappointed.

Unfortunately, this is just one of those classics that has not aged very well: racism and sexism certainly abound here, as does a surprising and rather distasteful amount of Freudism. I had absolutely no sympathy for Peter as a character and much prefer the glittery Disney version to the much darker undertones that reign here.

In terms of plot, there was a lot less true adventure than I was expecting. Most of the time in Neverland is spent in the Lost Boys' den describing Wendy's domestic playacting. The climax felt anti-climactic and the ending was unnecessarily sad.

Unfortunately, there was just not much here to redeem the problematic aspects for me. I think I now have to put my feelings for Pan in the same basket that I have for Alice in Wonderland — both I find to be borderline creepy, and it just baffles me how both have become so deeply ingrained in the popular imagination.

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oceanwriter's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I've seen the Disney movie, I've seen two different productions of the musical, I've watched Peter Pan Goes Wrong, and I've watched/read other movies and books that retold the story, yet until now, I'd never actually read the source material. I have to admit, I've liked many of the other versions/adaptions better.

I feel as though a book like this needs no recap, so I'll go right into it.

I never expected the pacing to be so fast even though it's a children's book. Maybe being familiar with the plot is part of the reason, but I felt like whenever I blinked I was on a new scene. A lot of the material hasn't aged well, either, which being a classic comes to little surprise yet never fails to catch me off guard. Still, I adore the premise and always have, so I'm glad to have finally read the original novel.

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mdwsn27's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

Loveable characters? No

2.0

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peggyluwho's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

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mcmeiss's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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mskingbean69's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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soph22's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Just too sad for me, I'm afraid. Maybe it’s because I’m so used to the Disney version, but I found Peter less charming and a bit of a brat. Either way, I liked the more positive note the movie ended on. I did however enjoy the unusual narration style.

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