The Adventures of Mary Darling
Author: Pat Murphy
Reviewer: Jen
Rating: B/B-
What I’m Talking About:
Much like the 1991 film, Hook, The Adventures of Mary Darling is a re-framing of James Barrie’s Peter Pan which expands the legend into additional generations of the Darling family. The story is framed as Mary Darling’s (mother to Wendy, Peter, and Michael) version of events, although the tale is shared from an omnipotent POV, shifting from one character to another, giving readers a better understanding of each character.
Mary, upset with the disappearance of her three children, sets out to save them because she knows who has taken them. Murphy weaves a tale of multiple generations of Watson/Darling children taken by Peter to Neverland, most of whom eventually return home. Mary dresses as a man and sets forth on a long boat journey to Neverland. Following her a week or so later is her husband, adopted brother, and her uncle John Watson, who brings his partner, Sherlock Holmes, to rescue Mary and the children.
The story is an expanded fairytale, sharing the adventures with a female twist. Rather than seeing children who adore Peter, we learn that the boys didn’t enjoy being given new names and wanted to go home. The young girls were not enamored with Peter and didn’t want to be mothers. We learn that Peter, a spirit boy who never ages, is selfish and immature. He sees no consequences to his actions, choosing instead to forget the bad and move on. It is an interesting and exciting version, and I enjoyed the strong female characters.
The travels aboard the ships are broken up with large backstory sections, which allows the author to provide the necessary histories that ultimately lead to Barrie’s Peter Pan. It also gives the reader an idea of how long the trip is without detailing the mundane. It’s interesting to see how Murphy weaves connections across time to ultimately meet up with the story we all know. The origins of Captain Hook, Mary and George Darling, and Peter Pan are not straightforward as we’ve all been told.
Overall, I enjoyed the adventures, but question the need to include Sherlock Holmes. He is a superfluous side character used to model a man with a lack of imagination and an inability to think outside the box. Why the author chose to pick on this literary character rather than create her own character for a punching bag, I’m not sure. Honestly, I would have preferred it not be the famous detective, because knowing he was involved in the story set expectations for a crime-solving mystery, which this story is not.
If you enjoy fairytale retellings similar to Wicked, I think you will find The Adventures of Mary Darling to be right up your alley. It’s creative and inventive, bringing a new spin on this old tale.
My Rating: B/B-
Jen
About the Book:
Mary Darling is a pretty wife whose boring husband is befuddled by her independent ways. But one fateful night, Mary becomes the distraught mother whose three children have gone missing from their beds.
After her well-meaning uncle John Watson contacts the greatest detective of his era (but perhaps not that great), Mary is Sherlock Holmes’s prime suspect in her children’s disappearance. To save her family, Mary must escape London—and an attempt to have her locked away as mad—to travel halfway around the world.
Despite the interference of Holmes, Mary gathers allies in her quest: Sam, a Solomon Islander whose village was destroyed by contact with Western civilization; Ruby, a Malagasy woman on an island that everyone thinks is run by pirates (though it’s actually run by women); Captain Hook and the crew of the Jolly Roger; and of course, Nana, the faithful dog and nursemaid.
In a witty and adventurous romp, The Adventures of Mary Darling draws on the histories of women and people indigenous to lands that Britain claimed, telling the stories of those who were ignored or misrepresented along the way.
Release Date: May 6, 2025
Publisher: Tachyon Publications
Series: Standalone
Genre: Historical Fantasy, Fairytale retelling
Format(s): paperback (320 pages), e-book, audiobook
Book Source: NetGalley