Returning to Neverland…Officially
I’ll admit that I’m sceptical of sequels to great literary works written by others other than the original and decades (or centuries) after the first. I mean, does anyone have the right to presume to know what the original writer would want to happen with their heroes and heroines? And sometimes, isn’t part of the fun leaving to the imagination of the reader, what the on-going saga would be. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice being one of my favourite books, I certainly had my ideas of D’Arcy household post wedding day and have refused to read Emma Tennant’s Pemberley. And don’t forget about the original writer’s personal style of writing. Can anyone truly emulate this? Isn’t that part of what you love or enjoy about a novel?
This month, the first official sequel to JM Barrie’s Peter Pan was published. Peter Pan in Scarlet by Geraldine McCaughrean, hit bookshops on October 5. The positive side to this is that the sale of this book benefits the Great Ormond Street Hospital’s Children’s Charity in London. (Back in 1924, JM Barrie specified that the copyright to Peter Pan would go to GOSH, which has meant that they have and do receive all royalties from performances etc.) McCaughrean is said to have captured the spirit of JM Barrie but we’ll leave that up to the reader’s discernment. Because of my personal biases noted above, I may not be easily hooked (sorry, yes, that pun was fully intended!).
