Tigerheart
by Peter David
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Book Summary Information
Author: Peter DavidEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-05-12
ISBN: 0345501608
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: Del Rey
Book Reviews of Tigerheart
Book Review: A creative retelling of Peter Pan
Summary: 4 Stars
Paul Dear is a sweet boy whose family is a perfect portrait of happiness. But that picture is broken with the disappearance of his baby sister. Through the ambiguous suggestion of the narration, one can guess that she was fatally ill. Overwhelmed with anguish, Paul's mother began to neglect his needs. And with increasing tension between the Dear's spouses, his father also moves out of their house. In solitude, Paul seeks comfort from the animals and from his dream. Yes, he is a special child who can speak the language of animals and go on adventures within the boundary of dreams. If that is all the story offers, isn't it just another Where the wild things are kind of book. But that is not the case. Paul's devotion to his mother urges him to take on the quest of finding another newborn baby to replace the one they have lost. And where else is a better place to look for a child than the Neverland, or the Anyplace as it's called in this particular book?
Tigerheart reminds me of Pan's Labyrinth; it's a story about children, if not necessarily for children. It leads readers to a world full of vibrant, never-ending adventures with insidious fairies, talking animals, valiant Indian, salvage pirates, and not to mention, The Boy that never grows up. Yet at times, that world is so grim and violent. More often I found myself overwhelmed with melancholy or at loss at the cruel realism the story displays. "Oh gosh, no child should go through such heart-breaking or horrible experience" is what I kept thinking. Therefore, despite that many critics have praised Tigerheart as "the book for all ages", I am still uncertain whether it makes a suitable bedtime story for children under 10.
That is not to say Tigerheart is a bad book, more likely the opposite. It's one of the most creative retellings of the ever-loved Peter Pan. Although in the book, Paul is the hero, Peter Pan is the second lead. Unlike the children travelling to the Anyplace to avoid adulthood, Paul's adventure is mature and selfless as his ultimate goal is to make his mother happy once again. Tigerheart flows effortlessly with creative narration and witty comments, lending subtle wisdom to the story without being preachy.
I came to the book with an expectation for a conventional children lit. You know, the type of books with carefree escapades and triumphs awaiting the heroes at the end. And this fixative belief is what constantly shook me up. Tigerheart is nothing as such. As I've mentioned above, there is more than a grain of realistic symbolism in the story. Paul's quest is not always joyful; it's plagued with regret and somewhat violent death of both friends and foes. It turns out that David Peter is an avid comic writer, now that explains a lot about the warfare-and-violence feeling I've been sensing throughout the book. However, at its very core, Tigerheart is a beautiful story about both the pain and the joy of growing up, and yet know that your day of adventure will never stop just because you're an adult. It's a heartbreaking yet profound sentiment I can relate to.
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