Behind Peter Pan

The story in the Johnny Depp movie Neverland was all peaches and cream, but this review of a new biography of J. M. Barrie suggests that the cream was, to say the least, curdled. But then again, maybe it's just the biography itself that's suspect. Janet Maslin of the Times explains.

JM: In a book with chapter titles that include the words “secret,” “corruption,” “predator,” “victim” and “suicide,” not to mention the phrases “demon boy” and “slipping into madness,” Mr. Dudgeon might seem to be in danger of false advertising. But no: his story messily incorporates all of the above. More...