Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“It turned out that my curiosity did not outweigh my courage after all. Sometimes love means not being able to bear seeing the one you love the way they are, when they're not what you hoped for.”

 I've never been particularly fond of the Peter Pan story, however this is nothing like that. I think this book was mature in a way I'm not yet, though the outline is similar to that of the classic by J. M. Barrie this story focuses on Tiger Lily, a character that is sometimes forgotten and almost overlooked in some adaptations; and covers different, more adults themes. I thought it appealed to a very secret, maybe lonely part of myself that sometimes even I don't acknowledge and that is why I love it so.

"Still, the longer I was around her, the more I could see the colors of her mind and the recesses of her heart. There was a beast in there. But there was also a girl who was afraid of being a beast, and who wondered if other people had beasts in their hearts too."

 Tiger Lily is the daughter of the chief of her tribe and a very lonely girl despite her supposedly privileged status. She doesn't exactly fit in the feminine girl place just as her adoptive father doesn't exactly fit in the masculine man place, but they care for each other and are happy; it all changes of course when she meets charming Peter. We all know how it goes, but this book covers a different, not often told story about the people who don't get the magical happy endings and whose lives don't shine like in the usual fairy tales.

 There are elements of discrimination, control, dreams lost and sadness which are not very often mentioned in young adult reads, matched with some others more common to the genre like love, friendship and hope. It speaks about the quiet sorrow of growing up while leaving behind the comfortable innocence of childhood, and how some people will impose their beliefs on others without stopping to think about the impact this could have on the lives of those they consider less "educated". Still it is a beautiful book, a little bittersweet in the end but that's life I suppose.

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 Nunca me ha gustado particularmente la historia de Peter Pan, sin embargo esta es completamente diferente. Creo que este libro es maduro en una manera en la que yo aún no lo soy, aunque la trama es generalmente similar a la del clásico por J. M. Barrie esta historia se centra en Tiger Lily, un personaje que algunas veces es olvidado en algunas adaptaciones; y trata temas más adultos. Creo que apela a una parte muy secreta, quizá solitaria de mí misma que incluso a veces ni yo tomo en cuenta y es por eso que me gustó tanto.

 Tiger Lily es la hija del jefe de su tribu y una chica muy soltaria a pesar de su estatus supuestamente privilegiado. No encaja muy bien en el rol de chica femenina al mismo tiempo que su padre no encaja en el de hombre masculino, pero se aman y son felices; claro que todo cambia cuando conoce a Peter. La historia es conocida, pero éste libro cuenta un lado diferente sobre las personas que no obtienen mágicos finales felices y cuyas vidas no brillan como en los cuentos usuales.

 Hay elementos de discriminación, control, sueños perdidos y tristeza que no siempre son mencionados en las lecturas jóvenes, junto a otras más comunes en el género como amor, amistad y esperanza. Habla sobre la pena de crecer y dejar atrás la infancia, y cómo algunas personas imponen sus creencias a otros sin tener en cuenta el impacto que esto puede tener en las vidas de los que consideran menos "educados". Aún así es un libro precioso, un poco agridulce al final pero así es la vida supongo.

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