Customer Reviews

Peter Pan

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Jim Dale, who reads the Harry Potter audiobooks, does a FANTASTIC job with this book. I had never read Peter Pan prior to listening to this and my 9 year old son and I were mesmerized by this audiobook. I enjoyed it even more than the Harry Potter books. Adults will enjoy as much as children.

I would have given this audio book 5 stars except that I thought Jim Dale's narrations of the Harry Potter books and "Around the World in 80 Days" were better. But compared to other audio books *not* narrated by Jim Dale, it is definitely 5 stars.

Jim Dale is a gifted narrator who uses distinct voices for each of the characters (though I don't think he does as well with female voices), which is both entertaining and helpful in keeping the dialogue straight while listening.

I'm hoping one of the audiobook companies will hire him to record some of the other British classic novels like Treasure Island or Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson or more of the Jules Verne novels.

The story of Peter Pan is very well known, but I wonder just how many people have actually read the book. Well, I had never read Barrie's story, so I started this audiobook with the expectations that it would be a fun diversion but nothing really more special than the Disney adaptation. I could not have been more wrong.

First, as to the story, it really is quite magical. It's a sweet and imaginative tale that will delight children and adults with excitement and fun at every turn. Peter is not nearly as one dimensional as...well, the cartoon version of himself, and I even found myself feeling rather sorry for Captain Hook and Smee.

Moving on to the audio aspect of the book... I'm certain Barrie's wit and creativity would jump off the page if you were to read the written version, but I have to say that Jim Dale's rendition is brilliant. His pacing is perfect, and the voices he does are fantastic. I honestly think this is one of the best audiobooks, if not the best, I've ever experienced.

I listened to this magical audiobook with my six year old daughter.
It was strange for me to realize that even though I knew the story so well, I had never actually read the book. I could have sworn that I had. What was actually in my head was the pop culture/disney movie and cutesy images of Tinkerbelle. The real book is of course so much better than all of those things and Jim Dale does a superb job of bringing it all to life. This is a much darker tale than the disney version. Tinkerbelle is truly bad. The original "mean girl". A fact that was quite shocking to my daughter ( and me too actually) Tinkerbelle is motivated only by jealousy, hatred for Wendy and her obsessive love for Peter. The fact that Wendy survived till the end of the book was no thanks to Tinkerbell. The shock we felt when Tinkerbelle tells the lost boys to "shoot the Wendy" was comical and long lasting. No more love for Tink in our house.

J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan is a story that has been presented in many forms. It began with a 1904 play, which Barrie then adapted into a 1911 novel. Many film versions have been made, of course, including Disney's 1953 animated feature. Having never read any of the original formats, I decided to listen to Listening Library's 2006 audio book version, read by Jim Dale of Harry Potter fame.

Peter Pan is full of whimsical magic. From Peter himself, to Tinker Bell, to the strange world of Neverland, there's a touch of fey that permeates the story. This atmosphere carries the reader away, and somehow makes an island of Lost Boys, pirates, Piccanninies, mermaids, and wild animals believable. It simply is part of childhood to visit such places, and therefore it is there to be visited.

Peter himself is full of a charming combination of innocence and arrogance. In some ways, he's what many adults wish they could be like - always young, always having adventures, not a care in the world. But Barrie also shows that there's more to such a condition than appears at first glance. An entire realm of experience is closed to Peter, as he cannot appreciate it, and time flows by, leaving him behind. In a way, I finished the book feeling sad for Peter.

The other two main characters are Captain Hook and Wendy Darling. Hook is a fantastic villain, menacing and terrible, yet comic at the same time. He is the only one the old sea cook ever feared, and Hook shows a surprising amount of depth in this book, not being a simple one-dimensional rogue. Wendy, the eldest of the Darling children, serves as the bridge between fantasy and reality, between childhood and growing up. Torn between two worlds, she drives much of the tension in the story.

One recurring theme that amused me is, as the above mention of the sea cook indicates, that Barrie included a number of references to Robert Louis Stevenson's classic pirate story, Treasure Island. As a big fan of Treasure Island, I really appreciated these, and they're used to good effect if you're familiar with that tale.

Jim Dale is one of the best known audio book reader in the world, having been encountered by countless listeners as the American voice of the Harry Potter series. Dale delivers another excellent performance with Peter Pan. He does a great job of portraying the whimsy of Neverland, the menace of Captain Hook, the innocent arrogance of Peter, the magic of childhood, and the bittersweet inevitability of growing up. I really enjoyed Dale's performance, and listening to him was like listening to an old friend after spending so much time listening to him with the Harry Potter series. In writing this review, I also discovered that Dale has recorded Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and I can't wait to listen to that as well.

I really enjoyed Peter Pan, and Jim Dale's reading of it. It delivers magic, but also has a serious undertone that gave the story surprising weight. Fans of whimsical fairy tales, pirates, original versions of classic stories, and Dale's narration should definitely give this production of Peter Pan a listen.

I got this at the library for my 3 and 5 year old to listen to in the car. The 2 year old was excited because she heard the name Tinker Bell, but I don't think she really cared about the story once it began. My 5 year old was as excited to listen as I was. She sat quietly and was always eager to hear it. The reader has an English accent and I think that it makes the listening experience even more fun.

It was a beautiful, happy/sad, and eloquent story. There was something quite lovely in the way J.M. Barrie tells the tale. The unnecessary details that he gives highten your interest and draw a smile across your face turning each insignificant element into the heart of the story. It made me understand and love each character more. I've always loved the Peter Pan movies, but hearing the author describe the characters helped me to understand and love them even more that i ever had.

One warning is that there are a few times that swear words are used. Mostly the "A" word I think. So you will probably have to discuss that with your child when it comes up.

Recently I came across Peter Pan online somewhere and read a bit, and was startled by how utterly charming, funny and original it was. I wound up getting this audio book, and Dale does a wonderful job with a wonderful book.

Like a lot of classic children's books, Peter Pan, seems to be written more for adults than kids. While the story is a wonderful kid's story, the writing is eccentric and thoughtful, and Barrie, who introduced Peter Pan in a book for adults, has a wonderful and expressive tone that makes the book not interesting just for the story but for hundreds of small observations about the characters and of charmingly offhand comments about children in general.

Absolutely amazing.

This is pretty much fantastic, and read by one of the top readers out there. Jim Dale is a revelation. As I listened, I found the original Peter Pan book to be an absolute Masterpiece. From the very first lines of the book, I was amazed at the thematic complexity, and delightful ironies of the author. J.M Barrie's quirky playfulness, and winking wickedness was astounding. I couldn't believe how beautiful it was. The craft and humanity it expressed in the simple text was astounding. It truly is a book that must not be lost simply because it has been necessary to dumb it down for various cartoons or community theaters. I thought the book might be old and dated, but it was surprisingly modern in its ability to convey both the innocence and absolute narcissism of childhood (and adulthood for that matter). As a grown man I found tears of both joy and sadness on my cheeks as I drove. Like all the best works of art, it works on levels we are not always in touch with, but I was deeply touched by this forgotten book, Peter Pan.

You think you know the book, but until you've heard the text you've only skimmed the Cliff Notes.

My only exposure to Peter Pan was the Disney version and a stage play (based largely on the Disney version), so in listening to this unabridged original, I was a bit surprised to find it darker and more adult than the Disney adaptation. Tinkerbell, in particular, is darker and more adult in her "naughtiness" -- both in her jealousy of Wendy and in her feelings for Peter. The author several times mentions her "off-color language" and indeed she does several times call Peter a 3-letter word beginning with "a". Also, there are mentions of her desire for privacy, and once Peter refers to her "negligee", all of which give Tinkerbell a quite different persona that the cutesey/naughty fairy in the Disney film.

All of which is to say that, although this is a clean and fanciful fairy tale, I don't know that it is all that appropriate for young children. The language is probably too sophisticated for most children to grasp, and the story has a more adult feel to it. The main characters seem to be somewhat warped; Peter, quite obviously, as a boy who hates adults and refuses to grow up, but Captain Hook also, as a vain pirate who is somewhat stuck in his boyhood and still under the influence of the prep school he attended. Even Wendy's role-playing as mother to the Lost Boys and Peter felt a little more strange and slightly less innocent than in the Disney adaptation (perhaps animation just automatically lends a lightness to the tale - ?). And then there is Mr. Darling who, feeling guilty over the abduction of his children, quite literally lives in a dog kennel for the entire duration of their absence in Neverland -- very strange.

That being said, this is an enjoyable story with many facets -- I will no doubt listen to it again, since I think there are things I didn't catch the first time around. Jim Dale's narration is absolutely outstanding; he is a master at voices and lends color and depth to every character.

A bonus is that at the end of the book there is a short biographical sketch of J.M. Barrie that gives background on his life and the writing of Peter Pan.

So many persons have experienced "Peter Pan" as a Broadway musical or as a Disney film that it is easy to overlook how brilliant, fun, and timeless this story is. 100 years from now it will hold up...as it has held up in the last 100 years. What are some of these terrific ideas? - a faerie that can either be all good or all bad, but not both at once - a boy wrapped in leaves who is dangerously courageous but still naive - a shadow that can be attached with a sewing needle - a marvelous dog that acts like a nanny - a mother who arranges a child's thoughts at night - a pirate captain who sings as he plunges his iron claw into his victim - bright stars that wink and whisper.

Barrie's tale has both delightfully light and disturbingly dark aspects...perhaps that is part of its universal appeal. And for all the fun of "Peter", he is emotionally scarred from his conviction that he was abandoned by his mother. The scenes of Wendy holding him in her lap when he has nightmares is very touching.

Children love "Peter Pan" because of the adventure! The final show down between the Lost Boys/Peter Pan and the Pirates is not to be missed.

What I liked about Jim Dale's narration is that he makes you feel he is reading aloud a "bed time" story...maybe something you heard from your father long, long ago. On top of that, he is very good in voicing different accents for the various characters so it is easy to distinguish the many personalities. Even for those who "think" they know Peter Pan, this can be a surprising gift.