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J. M. Barrie has long been a controversial figure; as D. H. Lawrence observed in 1921, 'Barrie has a fatal touch for those he loves. They die'. The five nervous breakdowns, two suicides, one attempted suicide and numerous deaths that are associated with him blacken the reputation of a man adored by generations of children.

However, what is less well known is that Barrie's malign influence grew out of his infatuation with the du Maurier family, particularly with the hypnotist, George du Maurier, creator of Svengali; with George's daughter and grandsons (models for the Darlings in Peter Pan); and with his enigmatic granddaughter, Daphne du Maurier, author of Rebecca and Barrie's final victim, whose life and work can never again be considered without reference to 'Unlce Jim'. Wonderfully batty...a rattling grisly read...I defy you not to be captivated * Sunday Times * The pathology of the artist - the motivations, temperament, clashes between public and private behaviour - is the real subject of Dudgeon's meticulous and highly provocative study of three writers... Dudgeon knows what he's doing and builds his case with precision and coolness... A gripping read * Scotsman * Dudgeon characterises [Barrie's] association with the Llewellyn Davies family... and with Daphne du Maurier, and her father, the actor Gerald, as the Kiss of Death and the embrace of mental illness. Barrie's shadow side, as a manipulative monster without conscience, is linked to the darker aspects of Rebecca, Peter Pan and Svengali, the hypnotic character created by Gerald * The Times * He has written his literary biography, Captivated, from the heart...The subject matter is absorbing, disturbing and baffling in equal measure...offers a vivid picture of Barrie's and George Du Maurier's murky psychological environment, and in so doing proves a valuable addition to literary history * Glasgow Herald * A fascinating account of the psychological web in which Barrie trapped the tragic du Maurier family -- David Lodge

Captivated