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Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English
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DARLING GIRL

Liz Michalski

In this beautiful, grounded, and darkly magical modern-day reimagining of J.M. Barrie's classic, one woman must take on the infamous Peter Pan - who is not the innocent adventurer the fairy tales make him out to be - to save her daughter's life.
Life is looking up for Holly Darling, granddaughter of Wendy - yes, that Wendy. She's running a successful skincare company, her son Jack is happy and healthy, and the tragedy of her past is well behind her... until she gets a call that her daughter, Eden, who has been in a coma for nearly a decade, has gone missing from the estate where she's been long tucked away. And worst of all, Holly knows who must be responsible: Peter Pan, who is not only very real, but more dangerous than anyone could imagine.

Eden's disappearance is a disaster for more reasons than one. She has a rare condition that causes her to age rapidly - ironic, considering her father is the boy who will never grow up - yet which also makes her blood incredibly valuable. It's a secret that Holly is desperate to protect, especially from Eden's half-brother, Jack, who knows nothing about his sister or the crucial role she plays in his life. Holly has no one to turn to - her mother is the only other person in the world who knows that Peter is more than a story, but she refuses to accept that he is not the hero she's always imagined. Desperate, Holly enlists the help of Christopher Cooke, a notorious ex-soldier, in the hopes of rescuing Eden before it's too late... or she may just lose both her children.

DARLING GIRL brings all the magic of the classic Peter Pan story to the present, while also exploring the dark underpinnings of fairy tales, grief, aging, sacrifice, motherhood, and just how far we will go to protect those we love.

Liz Michalski is the author of Evenfall and a contributor to Writer Unboxed, dubbed a "best of the best" website for writers by Writer's Digest. She also contributed to Author in Progress, a manual for aspiring writers. A former reporter and editor, Michalski now crafts articles on human interest, living, and health as a freelance writer. She lives with her family in Massachusetts, where she loves reading fairy tales and sometimes, writing them. DARLING GIRL is her second novel.
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Book

Published 2022-04-19 by Dutton Hardcover

Comments

Life is looking up for Holly Darling, granddaughter of Wendyyes, that Wendy. She's running a successful skincare company; her son, Jack, is happy and healthy; and the tragedy of her past is well behind her. until she gets a call that her daughter, Eden, who has been in a coma for nearly a decade, has gone missing from the estate where she's been long tucked away... Read more...

Well, this was a fun retelling with some dark twists! ... This story was filled with so much action and secrets! I loved the magical elements and was drawn in by the characters! I would highly recommend this for readers that enjoy Peter Pan retellings, but even if that's not your thing, if you enjoy magical realism, you might like this! Read more...

Michalski's writing moves light as a specter between moments of pain and action, keeping readers breathless in an enchanted race. Read more...

A dark and dazzling tale. Liz Michalski has used her own magic wand to shed light on the lengths we go to in order to preserve the myth of beauty, the myth of youth, and even the myth of fairytales themselves.

A compelling and richly imagined twist on an old story, Liz Michalski's Darling Girl captured me on page one and hasn't released me yet. An emotionally gripping demonstration that a mother's love, when tested, can become a force of nature. I will never look at Neverland and its inhabitants the same way again.

A captivating question quivers at the center of the engrossing novel, Darling Girl: What if Peter Pan isn't just a story? While meeting the Peter Pan you never knew, reading Darling Girl is like falling under the enchanting spell of Liz Michalski prose. As with all true magic, there must be both the seductive darkness and the illuminating light: Michalski masterfully gives us both. Darling Girl introduces us to the Darling family decades away from Wendy and Peter, descendants who are grappling with secrets that protect a family mythology and a boy who will never grow up. With a young girl and her fiercely protective mother at the center of a spellbinding story, Darling Girl is powerful and captivating. Neverland and the reader will never be the same again.

Michalski's well-constructed second novel (after Evenfall) extends the world of Peter Pan into a fascinating contemporary drama which dives deeply into themes of aging, generational trauma, and the things parents are willing to do for - or to - their children. ... This dark, magical tale is sure to win fans. Read more...

We are thrilled to bring you an in-depth look at Writer Unboxed contributor Liz Michalski's second (and very high concept) novel today: DARLING GIRL! Read more...

Book of the Month announcement: "Revealing dreams as nightmares, this gripping Peter Pan rewrite reveals a complicated story of fate and fortune." Read more...

Darling Girl is a story that revolves around love, family and sacrifice. How they can surprise us, will rally around us and support us, and who we love even when they don't. Read more...

A dark and elegant look at a story we all know well. Liz Michalski takes Peter Pan where all the old stories go, where magic is never without a cost, and pixie dust might be more powerful than you imagine. Fantastic!

Book Included in Gizmodo's 52 New Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books for Your May Reading List: "This spin on the classic fairytale focuses on Wendy Darling's granddaughter, Holly, and her hunt for Peter Pan - in this telling, he's a dangerous villain - when her comatose daughter is kidnapped." Read more...

Author's piece: 5 Dark, Mysterious Retellings of Classic Books and Fairy Tales Read more...

This addictive tale about a mother's desperation and grief, ethical dilemmas, and the price of agelessness offers the emotional heft of Jodi Picoult's issue-driven fiction, sprinkled with a dash of pixie dust. Readers will be (dare we say it?) hooked.