The Wendy

Tales of the Wendy Series, Book 1

De: Erin Michelle Sky, Steven Brown

Narrado por: Henrietta Meire

Wendy Darling is an orphan, ridiculed for believing in a future she can never have. She longs to sail the seas in the Royal Navy. Instead, she's about to be sold into service as a dressmaker. When she learns the Home Office is accepting female applicants, she jumps at the chance, joining the fight against the most formidable threat England has ever faced - magic.

But her new position isn't exactly what she'd hoped. Accompanied by a reimagined cast of the original Peter Pan, Wendy soon discovers that her dreams are as far away as ever, that choosing sides isn't as simple as she thought, and that the only man who isn't blinded by her gender...might be her nation's greatest enemy.

©2017 Erin Michelle Sky and Steven Brown (P)2019 Tantor

Excellent re-imagining of a classic tale!

Perfect narrator. The authors re-wrote a well-loved tale to allow readers to enjoy the story from the feminine perspective. Unlike most of the re-writes we are forced to endure, they did not butcher the story🙃 I truly enjoyed listening and cannot wait for the next in the series.

A Darling Tale

This book ensnares your attention from the beginning while daring your eyes to stray from the page. The Tales of Wendy promises a world of adventure and immense satisfaction from start to finish. Well done!

High brow eyebrows

A delightful retelling including the best use of eyebrows in a narrative that I have ever read

Not just another retelling.

I must preface my review by saying I don't want to spoil anything for you, so please forgive my vagueness. It's been decades since I saw any of the various film versions of Peter Pan, and I admit I've never read the book.

I loved this book! I 'read' the audiobook version. The style of narration made it feel like I was being told a bedtime story. The narrator's voice was very pleasant and had a British accent. It fit very well for the character of Wendy. The omniscient viewpoint allowed for fun moments, like finally being able to know what Nanna (the dog) was thinking. This commentary always brought a smile to my face.

The Wendy is a retelling of Peter Pan, from the point of view of Wendy. But it's much more than that. To say it's a retelling is to ignore the fact that this is an entirely new story. The core of the characters and enchantment of the world are still there, but everything around them has been reimagined. Perhaps that's what a retelling is, but it didn't FEEL that way for me.

It's not just that Wendy is the focus of the story, she is a true heroine. I fell in love with her ability to be strong and capable, while at the same time nurturing and caring. Pan is still the self-centered, fun-loving miscreant, but the way we're introduced to him gives him a dangerous edge.

The Wendy takes the child's tale I saw as a kid and throws it into the grown-up world. Where the play fighting is a real war and Hook an actual captain. I love the reasoning for why Wendy and Nanna are vital to the war efforts. It makes sense and explains why a woman would be 'allowed' such agency in a time when women were expected to only be caregivers.

If it weren't book one in a series, I could see myself returning to this story over and over as comfort reading. Since it is in a series, I'm excited to get the next book and find out what happens.

If you like fairytale retellings, stories with strong, yet nurturing women protagonists, and magical worlds that feel real enough to hide in our own, then I highly recommend you add The Wendy to your reading list.

An amazing book

Wow. It was spotless from beginning to end. I loved the feminist Wendy and how she had an amazing vocabulary, especially when she fought with men. The only thing I was sad about was that it’s really a clever version of Peter Pan, which I like, but I feel like I would’ve liked this book more if it weren’t that. But still-brilliant authors and an amazing book. I would most certainly recommend, whoever you are.