Book One

Neverland J.M. Barrie, The Du Mauriers, and the Dark Side of Peter Pan
By Piers Dudgeon
Pages 333
ISBDN 978-1-60598-063-8
Rating 3.5 out of 5

I had seen Finding Neverland and recently read another fiction book clued me into the fact that the Llewelyn Davies boys of Peter Pan fame were related to the Du Mauier family. More than that that more than one of the brothers had unhappy lives.

It was a fascinating read with the author theorizing that Barrie was a Svengalli like figure not just with the Llewlyn Davies boys but Daphine and her father as well. The fact that George Dy Mauier wrote the book Trilby that seemed to become an obsession with Barrie, and the fact that George was a Svengali figure himself made it all the creepier.


The way Dudgeon described Barrie's work and actions after the death of George Du Mauier is alchemical. Dudgeon argues that Daphine in her early career also approached her writing in this way as a way of making the world fit the picture she wants.

While Dudgeon does seem to believe that Barrie himself is not the pedophile some have argued him to be. The Svengali portrait that he paints is just as disturbing.

I would definitely recommend this book to someone who likes speculative biographies. The only complaint that I had with the book was it seemed to short Dudgeon could have expanded it and easily kept my attention. That said I will be picking up more of Daphne's work because of this book and I plan to read Trilby.

1 / 150
(0.67%)

333 / 50000
(0.67%)