Journey into Spain with some of the world’s best writers, and discover a country of heightened senses, bougainvillea blossoming in crimson and orange, and air pungent with sizzling olive oil. Readers travel the ancient road to Santiago, get a glimpse of Pamplona during the running of the bulls, walk in Don Quixote’s footsteps on a midlife quest, and follow a woman’s dream to study the “male” art of flamenco guitar. These soulful stories of travel in a land poised between the old world and new. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Barbara Kingsolver, Calvin Trillin, and Penelope Casas are among the authors featured.
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 Tony DiTerlizzi on Illustrating the Cover for Peter Pan in Scarlet
I grew up with J. M. Barrie's Peter and Wendy and later read Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens which was illustrated by the great turn-of-the-century artist, Arthur Rackham. Peter's carefree spirit and nature is what I adored as a child and long for now as an adult. And these are the feelings I tried to convey into my rendition of the boy-who-would-not-grow-up.
In working on an image for the American jacket of this authorized sequel, I went through many designs trying to capture the spirit of the 100-year-old character while making him intriguing to the readers of today. This, of course, is much easier said than done.
Many of us have an idea of what Peter Pan should look like based on stage plays, movies, and the myriad of illustrated books, but in actuality both J. M. Barrie and Geraldine McCaughrean describe very few of his physical features. This opens up a lot of room for visual interpretation for an illustrator, however anything too severe in redesign would lead to confusion of identifying who this iconic and (dare I say) mythic character is. So I tried to breathe some new life into his appearance, but still remain faithful to the Peter Pan we all know and love.
--Tony DiTerlizzi |
Book Description
A riveting sequel to J.M. Barrie's classic PETER PAN, reaturing Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Captain Hook, Wendy, and the Lost Boys, and introducing a major new character, a new fairy, and a new villian. McCaughrean has said of the new audiobook: "This story involves the themes of exploring and dressing up, as in the fact that when children dress up, they turn into someone else."
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful, tapped right into Barry's spirit , .......2007-08-22
I just finished the only Great Ormond Street Hospital Authorized sequel to Peter Pan. I was enchanted. I'm really (yes I'll admit it) only just emerging from childhood at the tender age of twenty-one, and Peter Pan has always been near and dear to me. He may very well remain the last firmly rooted sprig of summer in my heart as I continue to grow up, though not old, I must make that very clear, I will never grow OLD, just UP.
Anyhow, in Choosing Geraldine McCaughrean they did very well. Peter Pan in Scarlet was amazing. I wasn't sure how it would be, but I loved it. I won't spoil much, but she turned Captain Hook into sort of a Tragic Villain, I liked that. He had a lot more depth in Barry's original story than anyone ever gave him anywhere else, and she took that and expanded upon it. She made it quite clear that even notorious villains don't emerge from their mother's womb, wielding a cutlass, already in the state in which we love to hate them. It was very clever.
The best part about the story is that it reads like the original book Peter Pan and Wendy. It's not exactly the same since P.P.and W. was based on Barry's play, (I don't think you could ever successfully stage the sequel) and this was a book to begin with, but it has the same spirit and almost the same voice. It can't have exactly the same voice, because sir James M. Barry and Geraldine McCaughrean are two different people (not to mention that they lived nearly a century apart) and, although feminists everywhere would bluster, Men and Women have a different voice, they simply do not sound exactly the same when they write.
This book was so wonderful that I read it in less than twelve hours and that is saying something for the slow contemplative reader that I am. Anyone that is worried about this book encroaching on their childhood, you needn't fret! It is marvelously true to anything Barry would have wanted. He always told of how Wendy told stories and how no story teller every leaves a good story as it is. There is always more to tell and tidbits of adventure that she forgot the time before. I don't personally think that he would have made Wendy do such things if he didn't believe in them himself. Why else would he have given his famous story over to the Children's hospital, and not kept the profits for himself? Frankly I believe that he valued what his creation could become and do in the hands, minds, and imaginations of those children and everyone who loved it, and he trusted the generations who would come long after he died. Wendy would probably tell you that Mr. Barry has gone off to Neverland to see how his creation is faring, and I wouldn't say she'd be too far off.
Tim Curry is marvelous!.......2007-08-07
This review is specifically of the audiobook and it's hard to imagine a better choice than Tim Curry for reading Peter Pan in Scarlet. He has such a breadth of variety and emotion in his voice that lends richness to an already intriguing and well-written story. We listened to this audiobook on a long car trip and it held the attention of our entire family. They story introduces old characters and new and keeps you interested throughout. I have to confess that I've never been a particularly rabid fan of Peter Pan but my youngest son can't get enough of the "one and only child". This book was a wonder and Tim Curry's interpretation just added to the wonder of the book!
Not a Novel to Pass By.......2007-07-19
Geraldine McCaughrean was, without a doubt, the right person to write this sequel.
In my opinion she wrote a surprisingly sophisticated novel full of playful puns, clever plays on words, and tongue in check explanations of some strange nuances of adulthood. Clever enough to keep the attention of adult readers but presented in such a seamless manner that even young readers will easily understand the presented ideas; abstract though some are.
The Darlings and Lost Boys have all grown up, and all have faced loss and experienced the sorrows of war and the mundane humdrum of modern life. Something odd is happening in Neverland and leaking into the real world. Geraldine McCaughrean has masterfully presented these darker themes with honesty and believability while still keeping them smartly in the background of the plot.
I do not wish to give you a step by step walk through of the plot as some reviewers have done. What is the point in that? But I will say that there will be no disappointment upon completing this book. Readers are greeted by all the characters they knew and loved, given believable explanations of past events that happened while the Darlings made their first visit to Neverland, and are introduced to new and wondrous parts of Neverland including new Faeries and old witches.
And what about Captain Hook? Well... You'll need to read it to see, won't you?
Very disappointing.......2007-06-26
I read to my children every night and they have so enjoyed the Peter Pan prequels from Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. We looked forward to reading them every night and are now looking forward to their next book. However when we read Peter Pan in Scarlet, we were expecting something much better than we found. The story is strange, hard to follow, and has none of the original playfulness of J.M. Barrie that has been so wonderfully captured by Barry & Pearson. We found ourselves having to review each night to remember what happened the night before as the story was so strange, eventually the kids told me that this was not a very good book, but that we should finish it so as to have not wasted the money that was spent on it. Check out the prequels over this sequel.Peter and the Starcatchers
Borrow this book, don't buy it........2007-06-12
I was really looking forward to this book because I loved Peter Pan and Wendy, and Geraldine McCaughrean's The White Darkness. However, the writing was just terrible! I was surprised. Some of my reasons for disliking it -
Continuity - There were so many problems with continuity, I was getting really annoyed and frustrated with G.M.'s lazyness. First, we're told that Peter Pan doesn't sleep. He even spends one evening flying around gathering food for the Darlings, because he wants to keep busy while they sleep and he's awake. Then, towards the end of the book, Peter goes to sleep and has a dream. Ooo... kay... then why did she make such a point of telling us he never sleeps?
No Plot - None. Nothing moves the story forward. The Darlings return to Neverland, and bumble from one side of the island to the other, with the vague goal of finding treasure.
Climax - is frustratingly predictable. I don't want to give anything away, but I saw it coming from page 30... and I'm usually pretty oblivious. :)
But then again, it WAS written for children, and I'm a grown-up. :)
Climax - is the exact same as in The White Darkness. Main character goes into a frenzy of madness atop a frigid mountaintop/glacier. I liked The White Darkness when I read it the first time. I didn't want to read it twice.
Characters - are lame. Raveling Man at the end is very weak. No one has any serious motivations.
Better luck next time, G.M. Your first chapter was excellent... wish you'd been able to keep that voice and tone in the rest of the story.
Product Description
Amy's life was marked by a simple, determined obedience to God, regardless of circumstances. Her story and legacy are stunning reminders of the impact of one person who will fear God and nothing else.
Driven by love and compassion, and sustained by faith and determination, Amy Carmichael defied the cruel barriers of India's caste system. The story of this young woman from Northern Ireland is a brilliant, sparkling example of God's love generously poured out to "the least of these among us.
Customer Reviews:
Easy read, inspiring for all ages.......2006-03-28
If you are looking for books that are in-depth and complex in their evaluation of events in the lives of missionaries, this would not be the one to choose. But if you are looking for an easy read, and want to be inspired reading about the life of a woman who has given her all to serve the Lord Jesus in a foreign land, this will be a great choice. I find this series to be wonderful--simple, informative, and breezy reading, perfect for a lazy afternoon and for sharing with the family. It is great storytelling for all ages. Amy Carmichael's life has been revealed simply yet with enough depth to satisfy everyone who delights in learning about the lives of missionaries in our world.
Religious devotion at its best, marred by cultural ignorance.......2002-01-30
Amy Carmichael was an admirable woman who performed great deeds in India. She was devoted to God and did her best to serve him. Although she labored under some misconceptions and ignorance about Hinduism, it is possible to forgive her because she operated from a pure heart and a sincere desire to do the Lord's work. It would not be fair to judge her by today's more knowledgeable and open-minded standards.
Without wanting to detract from Amy Carmichael's achievements, I wish the authors had taken the trouble to understand the reality behind some of her misguided beliefs. For example, the following statement (from pp. 77-78) is patently untrue: "Buddhism is a religion of many gods and many statues of gods. Buddhists often believe the statue itself is a god and not just an image of a god." A cursory look at just about any middle school social studies book should prove otherwise.
The authors also depict the British contributions to India in a wholly positive light, although most scholars would agree that their legacy is mixed. Furthermore, their contention that "English rule ... brought roads, railways, industry, and education to India" (p. 96) completely ignores the richness of a great and sophisticated civilization that was the birthplace of some of the world's greatest religions, that gave the world the mathematical concept zero, that had a sophisticated infrastructure already in place (such as the Grand Trunk Road), traded extensively around the world, had a flourishing industry of handicrafts (which were part of the reason the British were originally attracted to India), and so on long before the arrival of the British. The arrogance of such a statement takes my breath away.
Finally, the author's blanket condemnation of the "devadasi" or temple dancer tradition in South India is ignorant and misguided. From the Columbia University website:
"The tradition of the ... devadasi in the temples of India, was one of dancer and sexual initiator. It is a tradition found in relatively recent times throughout the East, traditions as old as those in Ancient Greece and Egypt. The Devadasi was often trained in the art of dance from childhood and she would be officially married to the Temple God at the onset of puberty. The dance form was equally erotic and spiritual which is difficult for the western mind to comprehend. .... The Devadasis were not slaves as they are often portrayed but women of high social status, with accomplishment in all of the arts. However because the Western mind could only comprehend the woman as being married or celibate, the devadasi was seen as a prostitute by the British authorities."
Except that they were not celibate, this is not so different from the position of Christians nuns who are also "married" to the God they serve. Historically, parents in Europe who could not afford to marry off or maintain their daughters also brought them to the church to dedicate their lives to God -- often against their daughter's wishes. I applaud Amy Carmichael for assisting those girls who did not want to become devadasis. But undoubtedly they were many who enjoyed their work and were honored to serve God. Carmichael, who was very much a product of her times and culture could not be expected to understand that. The authors however have a responsibility to be more evenhanded.
Amy Carmichael.......2001-01-30
Amy Carmichael had a huge heart for God, and a huge heart for God's calling for her. She cared for many children and rescued them from a horrible life of being destined to temple prostitution. She made a huge impact on all of the children she raised, and showed them the wonderful love of Jesus. She's also a great example of a woman that wasn't bothered to serve God as a single woman. This book tells about the many ways God used her to reach people who desperately needed to know the freedom of Christ.
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should have been better.......2001-02-11
