Wendy

Nine-year-old Wendy Darling may lead a privileged life, but simply having the love and affection of her parents would more than likely make up for anything she lacked in the riches department. One night, being sent to bed early by the abusive Nanny Holborn, Wendy sneaks out of the nursery where she should be sleeping with her younger brothers John and Michael, to spy on the glamorous party that her parents are throwing for a large group of their friends, when she sees her father passionately kissing Lady Cunningham on the mouth. Weny, being a mere child, is shocked by this turn of events. After all, the only person her father should be kissing is her mother. After the incident, Wendy and her brothers are sent to stay with Uncle Arthur for the summer at his country estate, where they soon learn that their father, still in the city, has lost everything in the stock market. When Wendy spies her mother hugging a teenaged boy named Thomas who is "soft in the head," so to speak, she becomes even more confused, until she finds that the boy is her brother. I have been a huge fan of the story of PETER PAN for years, so when I heard that a story told from Wendy Darling's perspective was being published, I was overjoyed. Karen Wallace has done a marvelous job of weaving a story that tells of the hardtimes that Wendy's family goes through over the course of a few months. From affairs that take place within the family, unknown to the Lady of the house, to the child that has been kept hidden away from his sister and brothers because he is autistic. The greatest part of the book, in my opinion, would be Wallace's marvelous descriptions of the autistic long-lost brother named Thomas - who takes on the role of Peter Pan. His actions and movements are so well written, and truly bring the story to life through the eyes of a boy who will never grow up. A marvelous book that should be in everyone's home library. Erika Sorocco Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

Peter Pan has turned into a Cinderella story. Wendy's world begins to fall apart - or perhaps it has never been that nice, as her nanny is a crocodile and Mother never notices her children are unhappy. Forced to play with the awful children next door whilst the neighbour conducts and affair with Mr Darling which Wendy & John unhappily witness, London is the world the Darling children would love to escape. Mr Darling slides into debt and Mrs Darling is absorbed in her own misery - the Princess who never grew up, whilst Mr Darling is himself a big child, unable to face facts and denying his part in the unhappy events which unravel. All too morbidly real, this isn't a story for children, with it's tales of affairs, bankruptcy and indifferent adults. I was alarmed to recall it was lodged with the junior books on library shelves, because I would recommend 15+ to read this book. Nana Darling, the loveable dog is the only unchallenged character. Mrs Darling is viewed as a selfish Tinkerbell, whilst Peter Pan is the addled Thomas, living in the country and madly painting when Wendy visits. Mildly disturbing, it's Peter Pan treated as an everyday sad world - the magic is all imagined and although the Darling children are rather nice, one ought not imagine a novel of magic and childlike wonder, less it is the wonder dissipating! Wendy is forced to play mother to them all, as in her close concentration on the world about her events keep intruding on her reality. Interestingly, the cover it's been published with for the Australian, and also I suspect the British, audience, is far more evocative for the Peter Pan story than the Alice through the Looking Glass bookcover advertised herein. Interesting and indeed as it claims on the cover 'A bold and unforgettable novel inspired by the world of Peter Pan'. It IS bold and unforgetable, and also poignant, messy and scary! Nicely told kotori 2005

Short of the fact that this isn't the sort of fairytale story that most authors write for children, it is still a very enjoyable read. Karen Wallace does an excellent job in creating a very different mood for the Darling Children. She conveys a family life, which though contradictory to the original Peter Pan which describes a happy home, is quite possibly more accurate given the time and the circumstances of the Darling children. As soon as you open the book and begin to read you find yourself captivated by Ms. Wallace's beautiful and fluid writing style. Wendy Darling's search for truth in her famiy becomes the reader's search. Because of the subjects that this book covers, I think it a very appropriate book for young readers who find themselves in similar situations as the Darling children, and especially Wendy who whitnesses the events personally and battles herself inward. It will help those in the same situations cope better with the reality of their own inner struggles. Overall, this book is really just a fantastic little treasure. I encourage anyone to read it, young and young at heart alike.

I grew up with memories of Peter Pan and his adventures, wwithout ever thinking very much about Wendy and her own family. Karen Wallace's wonderful and unsettling story of Wendy has made me rethink these memories and how families are not always what they seem, that beneath the placid and benign surfaces lurk darker forces. Of course, as readers will discover, everything is never as bad as it seems. I strongly recommend this book for all ages. Finnegan D.

Karen Wallace's Wendy is a brilliantly-written book and an excellent read. In the best Shakespearean tradition, the author grounds her novel in an older, familiar work - J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan - but develops the basic elements of that novel in an original way, and explores some of its underlying concerns on another level altogether. Most of us will remember from our own childhood that children are aware of far more than adults give them credit for. This is certainly the case in Wendy. As the title suggests, the world of Wendy is seen largely through Wendy's eyes. Anyone who has ever known - or for that matter been - a bright and sensitive young girl will recognize Wendy: perceptive, thoughtful, somewhat lonely. Her attachment to Nana (her dog and confidante), her attempt to make sense of seemingly bizarre adult behaviour, her strong feelings of responsibility for her younger siblings, her sense of what is right and wrong - all make her a realistic and appealing character to whom the reader becomes quite attached. Childhood can, of course, be a difficult time, and the dark side of Edwardian family life appears in this novel. In the best fictional tradition of the young person finding his or her way in the world, Wendy and her brothers rely on themselves and on each other, as well as on various helpful and caring adults, to cope with their sometimes difficult life. The novel is also very much about a young girl's growing awareness of the future choices awaiting her as a woman. These choices emerge clearly as the story evolves. Questions about what women can do and who women can be - raised naturally as an integral part of the narrative - are still relevant today for young girls. The Peter Pan motif is brilliantly and lovingly woven into the novel in the person of a young artist, incapable of growing up, and fascinated by flying.Wendy is hard to put down. The historical detail has been rendered meticulously, so that we really feel that we are in the rooms of the Darlings' house, in the streets of London, or in the English countryside, as the case may be. Not only is attention paid to the tiniest domestic details, but to the larger trends and movements of the day. The book shows us various attitudes to all kinds of contemporary issues, from the advent of the automobile to the suffragist movement. I highly recommend Wendy for young readers. Adults will enjoy it as well. It is a pleasure to read such a carefully researched and written book. Wendy transports the reader into another era. It is a touching, engrossing, and both emotionally and intellectually satisfying book.