The Daydreamer

Not YA or childrens lit, more like 'sentimental grown ups lit'. But not a waste of time every now and than, just awkwardly written mostly.

I only recently discovered this gem of a book, and if you can find it with the Anthony Browne ilustrations, all the better. But it is a wonderful collection of short stories about an English boy named Peter and each chapter is a different one of his daydreams. One of my favorites is when he changes places with the family cat--the ending is bittersweet but so true to childhood and all adults will like the final story where Peter comes to terms with the possibilities and losses of "growing up". It's a grand book for daydreamers of all ages.

I loved losing myself in this little boy’s daydreams. I was cry laughing in the bad-doll chapter.

I am in love with this book. I remember checking it out at the school library when i was 7 and i used to go to the public library just to see if they had it so i could read it again. When i found it on amazon, i was so excited! I dont think i've put my kindle down since. This is a great book! I love it and i think everyone else does too <3

Entertaining stories about a kid with a good imagination but I wanted them to be longer, and to have more stories.

I read this book so much as a kid! I'm glad I was able to find it as an adult.

My son, 11, loves this book about a day dreaming boy who misses his cues because his mind wonders off. Soooooo recognizable! :)

This is an acclaimed author, so interested in reading this particular book, then sharing it with others.

This could be a collection of short stories but each story is called a chapter and tells about Peter. In the first half of the novel Peter is a ten-year-old schoolboy and in seven 'chapters' or 'stories' we follow him from his childhood to adulthood. The border between stories and novel is blurred away. It's meant to be read by adults and children alike.Peter is called a daydreamer. I'm not a psychologist but this sounds like an understatement. After the title page Ian McEwan gives a fragment of the Metamorphoses by Ovid: "My purpose is to tell of bodies which have been transformed into shapes of a different kind." The 'daydream' once it gets in Peter's mind begins to live a life of its own. Real life doesn't matter anymore or better, real life ceases to exist. This can lead to unpleasant surprises. For instance: he sits on the bus to school with his younger seven-year-old sister and his parents insisted that he watched her closely. But he forgets all about her during a daydream. When he wakes up his sister is nowhere to be seen...There are seven chapters and each chapter consists of a daydream that illustrates his coming of age from a schoolboy to an adult.When I said earlier that 'daydreamer' was an understatement I meant that the imaginary shifts into reality without you being aware of it at the beginning. A daydreamer knows it's a daydream, Peter thinks it's reality. His 'daydreams' are almost delusional. Gradually the 'daydream' becomes reality and the borderline between the two disappears. Peter doesn't want the daydream, the daydream wants Peter.To give an example: in the second chapter Peter comes home after school. He sits on the sofa and William the old cat jumps on his lap. Peter begins to tickle William. Purring, William turns on his back. He touches Peter's hand and leads it to his chin. When Peter starts tickling the cat under his chin he feels something strange in the fur of the cat. When he examines it, it turns out to be the beginning of a zipper to open not only the fur but also the skin of William. What follows will baffle you.As you're reading this you know it's a fantasy but when does it start? For all we know William the cat doesn't exist or Peter is still in school dreaming during a lesson.It's obvious that Ian McEwan writes about human imagination. Where are its limits? Are we able to see the borderline between reality and imagination? Does that borderline exists to begin with?"The Daydreamer" is an astonishing praise of human imagination and what it's capable of. Don't make the mistake to think that this book was written for children.

After being initially surprised and disappointed by this book, I wasn't aware of the subject or style before purchasing, I grew to like it, eventually thoroughly enjoyed reading it and in the end I was delighted by it. It was a brilliant view of the world through the eyes and mind of a daydreaming young boy, and was both innocent and ultimately profound. I was glad I didn't read about it before I purchased because I might never have read it.

This book is written on 2 levels, one is stories to read to children, but also great stories for adults. I loved it! The stories were short enough to fit in one each lunchtime and I will definitely read the book again and again. I wish I had this boy's imagination!

The idea of a daydream growing in the main character Peter's mind until it "begins to live a life of its own" is one which can catch both children and adults unaware and I have to confess that, as an avid daydreamer and an adult, I find this rooted in experience. Reality morphs into dream and dream to fantasy but of a kind refreshing in its departure from the so called Fantasy genre. Real life is put on the back burner as dreamlike events take their own course in Peter's experience of incidents - some wonderfully distorted - in this unique journey through from childhood to adult.

A beautifully written series of stories by Ian McEwan, told from the point of view of a young boy who daydreams he's transported into the bodies of other people and animals. Too good to keep to yourself - I had to share with several people!