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Who didn’t dream of going off to Neverland with Peter Pan as a child? I know I did! However, there were always some unanswered questions: What happened to Wendy when she grew up? What happened to the boys from Neverland? Did they ever grow up? Did Wendy and Peter ever get together again? Did Peter stay in Neverland? This book paints some wonderful possibilities about the fairy tale of Peter Pan. It made me believe in fairy tales again, if just for a little while.
Faye O’Neill is an advertising executive who has been out of the work force for 10 years. With her 2 young children, Maddie and Tom, she moves to London to escape an abusive ex-husband. Her former spouse abducted the children at one point, and Faye hopes that she can start a new life in London, where he cannot find the children. Faye no longer believes in Fairy Tales, Prince Charming, or Happy Endings. Faye moves into a charming older home that has been converted into 3 flats. Her landlady warns Faye to keep her children away from the landlady’s mother, Mrs. Wendy Forrester, who lives in the upstairs flat. According to the landlady, Mrs. Forrester is old and cannot be bothered with children.
Faye’s downstairs neighbor is Jack Graham, an American physicist in love with the stars. Jack is a carefree, adventurous sort who loves to travel. He was adopted as a young child and has no memory of his early years, but his adoptive parents gave him a love of nature and the night sky. He is much in demand for his scientific knowledge and plans on leaving London in a few months to work in another laboratory.
Both of Faye’s children are extremely wary of strangers and Tom no longer speaks after he was struck in the head by his father. Jack loves children and slowly befriends Maddie and Tom. Jack tells them that Mrs. Forrester believes she is really Peter Pan’s Wendy. Faye is determined to protect her children, and to achieve that goal, she refused to let them believe in fairy tales. Faye proudly informs Jack that her children do not believe in the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy. She forbids them to bother “Crazy Wendy,” even though Jack says Wendy loves children and is harmless.
I found magic in this story and it’s characters. Although there are many plot lines, including: Faye’s re-entry into the world of work; her disbelief in magic; Jack’s commitment problems; the relationship between Faye and Jack; the children’s discovery of magic; and problems with the landlady, they all lead back to Wendy. She is the true heart and soul of this book, and who she may or may not be is a central theme.
Faye is almost a tortured character. She has suffered many obstacles as the result of her failed marriage and carries a load of guilt about Tom. Her transition from someone interested only in facts and reality into someone who believes in fairy tales and happy endings again, is both heart wrenching and beautiful. Jack also must confront his fear of commitment and accept responsibility in his relationships. Jack must become an adult, and Faye must remember what it meant to be child.
Two problems kept this book from being perfect. The romance was much more on what I would consider the sweet side, which is not a problem, but there was virtually no sexual tension between Jack and Faye. The author also used scientific terms during the (few) intimate moments between them. Writing, “he was fighting against a current of electrons flowing between them. . . ,” was more distracting than descriptive or arousing.
However, this was still a magical, fun, fairy tale. If you’ve ever loved the story of Peter Pan, this book is a must read.
Grade: B+
Book Type: Fantasy Romance
Sensuality: Kisses
Review Date: 02/05/99
Publication Date: 1999
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Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.