period piece from born story-teller, 02 Nov 2008
At times brilliant, other times slow, often dated, the Painted Vale, is well worth reading.This is a tale set at the height of the British Empire. The beautiful heroine is having an affair with a charming assistant colonial secretary of Hong Kong. Her husband, a bacteriologist, discovers it and as penance makes her accompany him to the heart of a cholera epidemic in China. It transforms her in lots of ways.

To me, the real delight of the book is as a period piece told by a born story-teller. There is a contrast between the strangeness of the places and the vintage Englishness of the personailites. The characters travel in sampans (a chinese river boat with a roof of mats) and are carried in chairs by 'coolies'. Lunch is tiffin, The cleverest speak fluent Chinese. On the other hand, men talk of each other as 'thundering good chaps', pour whisky and sodas, play tennis and polo and wear black-tie for dinner even when dining at home.

An authentic but less admirable aspect to the book which, somehow makes it more interesting, is the unashamed racism. Some Chinese orphans were trying to give Kitty, the heroine, a hug. 'She shuddered a little. In their uniform dress, sallow skinned, stunted with their flat noses, they looked scarcely human. They were repulsive.' Maughan intends no irony here.

He is trying to make a point about 'white man's burden' - that in spite of the, to his mind, obvious inferiority of other races, the English are put on earth to rule them kindly and responsibly. It is not often I get an insight to an imperialist's mind set that is a mainstream expression of 'right-thinking' people of the time. Nowadays, they tend to be, at best joke characters. So Maughan's view fascinates me to read while he does not draw me in.

Equally interesting is the portrayal of family values in the twenties, in the colonies - and back in Blighty. Marriage was the only way for a man to acceptably sleep with a woman. Divorce was a crime and could break a promising career. Younger generation may struggle with understanding the impact of adultery and divorce without explanatory notes although I can remember the tale end of the attitud.

The dog it was who died ..., 01 Nov 2008
Somerset Maugham conceived this story when he was a young student travelling in Italy and reading Dante's Purgatorio; it stuck in his mind, the story of a gentlewoman of Siena whose husband suspected her of adultery and, rather than putting her to death, took her to his castle in an unhealthy region where he hoped the 'noxious vapours' would do the job for him. Maugham turned it over in his mind for many years but couldn't think of a modern setting for such a tale until eventually he made a journey in China.
Kitty is a vulgar, vacuous, modern young woman (but this is the 1920s and she has been raised with no other aim in life than to marry, and so, yes, it is a tragedy when she finds herself on the shelf at 25, her charms ever so slightly beginning to fade, and hurtles into marriage with the next man to propose.) But the most interesting characters are the men. Maugham paints a wonderful portrait of Kitty's charming, but ultimately worthless ex-pat lover (whose own wife understands him too well). The character who is really gripping, however, is Walter, Kitty's deceived husband; Walter is a flawed saint, passionate, clever, proud, unforgiving, and far too good for his silly young wife.
So, was Walter planning a murderous revenge when he insists that Kitty accompany him to the cholera zone? (She has no choice once she realises her lover will never marry her.) If the novel has a weakness, it is in Kitty's rather too rapid spiritual growth once they get there. (And the ending, unfortunately, is woman's magazine trite.)

...with a good sense of proportion ;-), 26 Oct 2008
The story is very gripping and original.
The writing is very tight but the main characters, Kitty and Walter, are interestingly and well fleshed out and you really can understand what they're feeling. The descriptions are very detailed but never redundant.
I liked the way Maugham humanizes characters by adding qualities and faults that are not visiblle at first look.
I also really loved the character of the Manchu Princess which symbolizes Kitty's awakening.

A good old-fashioned story, 07 Sep 2008
A delightful and well-constructed story of an unhappy marriage. Kitty Fane is shallow and vain while her husband is stiff and socially inept. They travel out to Hong Kong where Walter works as a bacteriologist. Here Kitty meets and is besotted with Charles Townsend. When Walter hears of her affair he gives her several alternatives and in the end she feels her only choice is to travel with him to the interior of China to work in a cholera-ravaged community. Kitty's honesty about her own feelings and weaknesses endear her to the reader - but we are equally drawn to sad cuckolded Walter.

At Mei-tan-fu Kitty begins to work in the Catholic convent and gradually comes to recognise good qualities in her husband while finding spiritual solace through hard work. Maugham introduces some great characters - Waddington the Customs Officer (living with a Manchu woman) and the wise Mother Superior.

Some of Kitty's shortcomings can be explained by her loveless family background. We do not get an insight into how Walter became the man he is.

The Painted Veil is a good old-fashioned story beautifully told.


Vintage Maugham, 18 Jun 2008
The Painted Veil pits amiable but unscrupulous fools against tormented souls, has a duly sarcastic starting-point, and is set in far-away, warlord-era China; in short, it has the ingredients for vintage Maugham.

The book begins in Hong Kong, with an adultery scene. Kitty Fane is beautiful, shallow, and calculating. She soon finds her match in Charles Townsend, a vain and cynical but popular colonial official - and in her own husband, the lover's very photo-negative, who drags her through plague-ridden country in revenge. The story is that of her spiritual transformation. It can even be read to show women's superior ability for moral elevation.

The Painted Veil is full of Maugham's innumerable human insights, and it is filled with danger, physical and psychological. This is an easy to read, absorbing novel. Readers expecting lush visions of warlord-era China to jump from the page, though, will need to look in another place. The "native" country is distant, dream-like and morbid, seen through the eyes of the heroine, whose preoccupations are elsewhere. It is only peered at from the height of a curtained palanquin. Indeed, the novel paints the superficial and self-centred expatriate community of Hong-Kong much more than it does labouring China; as such, it probably remained true to life until very recent times.

period piece from born story-teller, 02 Nov 2008
At times brilliant, other times slow, often dated, the Painted Vale, is well worth reading.This is a tale set at the height of the British Empire. The beautiful heroine is having an affair with a charming assistant colonial secretary of Hong Kong. Her husband, a bacteriologist, discovers it and as penance makes her accompany him to the heart of a cholera epidemic in China. It transforms her in lots of ways.

To me, the real delight of the book is as a period piece told by a born story-teller. There is a contrast between the strangeness of the places and the vintage Englishness of the personailites. The characters travel in sampans (a chinese river boat with a roof of mats) and are carried in chairs by 'coolies'. Lunch is tiffin, The cleverest speak fluent Chinese. On the other hand, men talk of each other as 'thundering good chaps', pour whisky and sodas, play tennis and polo and wear black-tie for dinner even when dining at home.

An authentic but less admirable aspect to the book which, somehow makes it more interesting, is the unashamed racism. Some Chinese orphans were trying to give Kitty, the heroine, a hug. 'She shuddered a little. In their uniform dress, sallow skinned, stunted with their flat noses, they looked scarcely human. They were repulsive.' Maughan intends no irony here.

He is trying to make a point about 'white man's burden' - that in spite of the, to his mind, obvious inferiority of other races, the English are put on earth to rule them kindly and responsibly. It is not often I get an insight to an imperialist's mind set that is a mainstream expression of 'right-thinking' people of the time. Nowadays, they tend to be, at best joke characters. So Maughan's view fascinates me to read while he does not draw me in.

Equally interesting is the portrayal of family values in the twenties, in the colonies - and back in Blighty. Marriage was the only way for a man to acceptably sleep with a woman. Divorce was a crime and could break a promising career. Younger generation may struggle with understanding the impact of adultery and divorce without explanatory notes although I can remember the tale end of the attitud.

The dog it was who died ..., 01 Nov 2008
Somerset Maugham conceived this story when he was a young student travelling in Italy and reading Dante's Purgatorio; it stuck in his mind, the story of a gentlewoman of Siena whose husband suspected her of adultery and, rather than putting her to death, took her to his castle in an unhealthy region where he hoped the 'noxious vapours' would do the job for him. Maugham turned it over in his mind for many years but couldn't think of a modern setting for such a tale until eventually he made a journey in China.
Kitty is a vulgar, vacuous, modern young woman (but this is the 1920s and she has been raised with no other aim in life than to marry, and so, yes, it is a tragedy when she finds herself on the shelf at 25, her charms ever so slightly beginning to fade, and hurtles into marriage with the next man to propose.) But the most interesting characters are the men. Maugham paints a wonderful portrait of Kitty's charming, but ultimately worthless ex-pat lover (whose own wife understands him too well). The character who is really gripping, however, is Walter, Kitty's deceived husband; Walter is a flawed saint, passionate, clever, proud, unforgiving, and far too good for his silly young wife.
So, was Walter planning a murderous revenge when he insists that Kitty accompany him to the cholera zone? (She has no choice once she realises her lover will never marry her.) If the novel has a weakness, it is in Kitty's rather too rapid spiritual growth once they get there. (And the ending, unfortunately, is woman's magazine trite.)

...with a good sense of proportion ;-), 26 Oct 2008
The story is very gripping and original.
The writing is very tight but the main characters, Kitty and Walter, are interestingly and well fleshed out and you really can understand what they're feeling. The descriptions are very detailed but never redundant.
I liked the way Maugham humanizes characters by adding qualities and faults that are not visiblle at first look.
I also really loved the character of the Manchu Princess which symbolizes Kitty's awakening.

A good old-fashioned story, 07 Sep 2008
A delightful and well-constructed story of an unhappy marriage. Kitty Fane is shallow and vain while her husband is stiff and socially inept. They travel out to Hong Kong where Walter works as a bacteriologist. Here Kitty meets and is besotted with Charles Townsend. When Walter hears of her affair he gives her several alternatives and in the end she feels her only choice is to travel with him to the interior of China to work in a cholera-ravaged community. Kitty's honesty about her own feelings and weaknesses endear her to the reader - but we are equally drawn to sad cuckolded Walter.

At Mei-tan-fu Kitty begins to work in the Catholic convent and gradually comes to recognise good qualities in her husband while finding spiritual solace through hard work. Maugham introduces some great characters - Waddington the Customs Officer (living with a Manchu woman) and the wise Mother Superior.

Some of Kitty's shortcomings can be explained by her loveless family background. We do not get an insight into how Walter became the man he is.

The Painted Veil is a good old-fashioned story beautifully told.


Vintage Maugham, 18 Jun 2008
The Painted Veil pits amiable but unscrupulous fools against tormented souls, has a duly sarcastic starting-point, and is set in far-away, warlord-era China; in short, it has the ingredients for vintage Maugham.

The book begins in Hong Kong, with an adultery scene. Kitty Fane is beautiful, shallow, and calculating. She soon finds her match in Charles Townsend, a vain and cynical but popular colonial official - and in her own husband, the lover's very photo-negative, who drags her through plague-ridden country in revenge. The story is that of her spiritual transformation. It can even be read to show women's superior ability for moral elevation.

The Painted Veil is full of Maugham's innumerable human insights, and it is filled with danger, physical and psychological. This is an easy to read, absorbing novel. Readers expecting lush visions of warlord-era China to jump from the page, though, will need to look in another place. The "native" country is distant, dream-like and morbid, seen through the eyes of the heroine, whose preoccupations are elsewhere. It is only peered at from the height of a curtained palanquin. Indeed, the novel paints the superficial and self-centred expatriate community of Hong-Kong much more than it does labouring China; as such, it probably remained true to life until very recent times.


English literature at its best, 12 Aug 2008
An absolutely superb book. Having read and loved George Orwell and discovered he was a fan Maugham I decided to have a look at Of Human Bondage. Having finished it and given myself some time to reflect, I can say that it is the best book that I have read so far. I was so drawn in to the story of Philip Carey and his journey into adulthood that the 700+ pages flew by. I will also echo the sentiments of other reviewers that despite the fact that Philip could not by any means be described as a hero I still found myself caring for him and always hoping for a positive outcome even when the situation seemed so very bleak for him. This I think is one of the books strengths that despite the actions of the characters they are so well written that I still found myself wanting the best for them even Mildred.

I would highly recommend this book and consider it one of the classic pieces of literature which deserves to have been read by a much larger audience.

An eternal classic, 20 Apr 2008
An absolute wonder of a book. The story revolves around Philip, an orphan with a club foot who searches hard for his place in the world. We witness the isolation of his early youth and his battle with mediocrity as he struggles to become an artist in Paris. He finds a vocation of sorts in medicine and there we witness his battles with poverty and being the victim of falling in love with the most terrible of people. If the book has a flaw it is his all consuming love affair.

There are traces of Jude Obscure in this book; however this novel is far superior and there are some discourses of real beauty. As with all of Maugham's work the writing is superb and you're drawn in from the first chapter. An absolute must read.


A timeless classic, 04 Apr 2008
Of Human Bondage is quintessential Somerset Maugham and is, or should be, one of the classics of English literature. Don't be put off by its length; you will only wish it were longer by the time you finish it!

The book is set in the last decades of the nineteenth century and, apparently partly autobiographical, it tells of the growing up of a young orphan, his apprenticeship of art and then medicine and of course his painful tuition in love. Philip, the hero, is initially raised in an English country vicarage, the life of which is described with fetching authenticity. In fact, its realistic evocation of exotic settings, a typical feature of Maugham's writing, is one of the novel's undoubted attractions. Philip moves on to Heidelberg, then Paris among a community of artistic hopefuls and painting schools, and back to turn-of-the-century London, with its contrast of glitter and squalor, its top hats and workers' dorms, music halls and stockbrokers' clubs. There he becomes trapped in a tragic and sordid love affair that becomes so compulsive it threatens to enslave him.

If the hero's unrequited obsession is alluded to in the title, however, Of Human Bondage has a broader scope. Indeed it is - well - about life; but if that sounds pretentious, this is probably one of few works that can genuinely make that claim. The cast of characters is impressive in being both broad and convincing, and sufficient plot is granted each so that they can come alive. True, Maugham's sometimes acid, always witty and insightful style is at its best when portraying human faults. Purely positive archetypes are given briefer and just a little less compelling descriptions; but perhaps that is just reality. Few novels are able to bring forth such a variety of places, people and situations so convincingly and with such depth. Ultimately the test for this sweeping portrait is that one feels one has stood in it many more times than once, so strong is the association with its protagonists. And if you have occasionally fallen for an idiot who wasn't interested in you, then reading this may provide a cure.


Underrated epic, 21 Apr 2007
Although I relish a book like this, in that it is so well written and truly entertaining and there is a certain thrill and delight one receives when you know you are part of that small club of coming across a book of this brillance - a book not many other people have read or even know about, which on the other hand is unfortunate as I believe this book deserve a place on everyones bookshelf. The narrative rarely faulters if at all, this is truly a book of epic perportions full of passion, love, loss, hopes realised and hope dashed, a book about the strenght of the human spirit and how even when those around you drain all the goodness from you, you can still return love. Buy and read this book and you won't be disappointed.

Brilliant!, 31 Oct 2006
Of Human Bondage is a ridiculously good novel, one which receives nowhere near the amount of credit and acclaim it deserves. The accuracy and skill with which Maugham describes Philip Carey's idealism, his subsequent disenchantment and his relationship with Mildred inparticularly (a glorious femme fatale)is astonishining, touching and haunting.
Maugham has been criticised for the lack of poeticism in his prose, a "flaw" he acknowledged himself. However, his writing is precise, lively and insightful, without been overly embroidered or wordy, and this benefits the reader no end in Of Human Bondage. Central themes and important passages have more impact and are believable and human, inviting much consideration and empathy.
All in all, this is a most wonderful novel, undoubtedly one of my favourites and I can't reccomend it highly enough. Enjoy!

period piece from born story-teller, 02 Nov 2008
At times brilliant, other times slow, often dated, the Painted Vale, is well worth reading.This is a tale set at the height of the British Empire. The beautiful heroine is having an affair with a charming assistant colonial secretary of Hong Kong. Her husband, a bacteriologist, discovers it and as penance makes her accompany him to the heart of a cholera epidemic in China. It transforms her in lots of ways.

To me, the real delight of the book is as a period piece told by a born story-teller. There is a contrast between the strangeness of the places and the vintage Englishness of the personailites. The characters travel in sampans (a chinese river boat with a roof of mats) and are carried in chairs by 'coolies'. Lunch is tiffin, The cleverest speak fluent Chinese. On the other hand, men talk of each other as 'thundering good chaps', pour whisky and sodas, play tennis and polo and wear black-tie for dinner even when dining at home.

An authentic but less admirable aspect to the book which, somehow makes it more interesting, is the unashamed racism. Some Chinese orphans were trying to give Kitty, the heroine, a hug. 'She shuddered a little. In their uniform dress, sallow skinned, stunted with their flat noses, they looked scarcely human. They were repulsive.' Maughan intends no irony here.

He is trying to make a point about 'white man's burden' - that in spite of the, to his mind, obvious inferiority of other races, the English are put on earth to rule them kindly and responsibly. It is not often I get an insight to an imperialist's mind set that is a mainstream expression of 'right-thinking' people of the time. Nowadays, they tend to be, at best joke characters. So Maughan's view fascinates me to read while he does not draw me in.

Equally interesting is the portrayal of family values in the twenties, in the colonies - and back in Blighty. Marriage was the only way for a man to acceptably sleep with a woman. Divorce was a crime and could break a promising career. Younger generation may struggle with understanding the impact of adultery and divorce without explanatory notes although I can remember the tale end of the attitud.

The dog it was who died ..., 01 Nov 2008
Somerset Maugham conceived this story when he was a young student travelling in Italy and reading Dante's Purgatorio; it stuck in his mind, the story of a gentlewoman of Siena whose husband suspected her of adultery and, rather than putting her to death, took her to his castle in an unhealthy region where he hoped the 'noxious vapours' would do the job for him. Maugham turned it over in his mind for many years but couldn't think of a modern setting for such a tale until eventually he made a journey in China.
Kitty is a vulgar, vacuous, modern young woman (but this is the 1920s and she has been raised with no other aim in life than to marry, and so, yes, it is a tragedy when she finds herself on the shelf at 25, her charms ever so slightly beginning to fade, and hurtles into marriage with the next man to propose.) But the most interesting characters are the men. Maugham paints a wonderful portrait of Kitty's charming, but ultimately worthless ex-pat lover (whose own wife understands him too well). The character who is really gripping, however, is Walter, Kitty's deceived husband; Walter is a flawed saint, passionate, clever, proud, unforgiving, and far too good for his silly young wife.
So, was Walter planning a murderous revenge when he insists that Kitty accompany him to the cholera zone? (She has no choice once she realises her lover will never marry her.) If the novel has a weakness, it is in Kitty's rather too rapid spiritual growth once they get there. (And the ending, unfortunately, is woman's magazine trite.)

...with a good sense of proportion ;-), 26 Oct 2008
The story is very gripping and original.
The writing is very tight but the main characters, Kitty and Walter, are interestingly and well fleshed out and you really can understand what they're feeling. The descriptions are very detailed but never redundant.
I liked the way Maugham humanizes characters by adding qualities and faults that are not visiblle at first look.
I also really loved the character of the Manchu Princess which symbolizes Kitty's awakening.

A good old-fashioned story, 07 Sep 2008
A delightful and well-constructed story of an unhappy marriage. Kitty Fane is shallow and vain while her husband is stiff and socially inept. They travel out to Hong Kong where Walter works as a bacteriologist. Here Kitty meets and is besotted with Charles Townsend. When Walter hears of her affair he gives her several alternatives and in the end she feels her only choice is to travel with him to the interior of China to work in a cholera-ravaged community. Kitty's honesty about her own feelings and weaknesses endear her to the reader - but we are equally drawn to sad cuckolded Walter.

At Mei-tan-fu Kitty begins to work in the Catholic convent and gradually comes to recognise good qualities in her husband while finding spiritual solace through hard work. Maugham introduces some great characters - Waddington the Customs Officer (living with a Manchu woman) and the wise Mother Superior.

Some of Kitty's shortcomings can be explained by her loveless family background. We do not get an insight into how Walter became the man he is.

The Painted Veil is a good old-fashioned story beautifully told.


Vintage Maugham, 18 Jun 2008
The Painted Veil pits amiable but unscrupulous fools against tormented souls, has a duly sarcastic starting-point, and is set in far-away, warlord-era China; in short, it has the ingredients for vintage Maugham.

The book begins in Hong Kong, with an adultery scene. Kitty Fane is beautiful, shallow, and calculating. She soon finds her match in Charles Townsend, a vain and cynical but popular colonial official - and in her own husband, the lover's very photo-negative, who drags her through plague-ridden country in revenge. The story is that of her spiritual transformation. It can even be read to show women's superior ability for moral elevation.

The Painted Veil is full of Maugham's innumerable human insights, and it is filled with danger, physical and psychological. This is an easy to read, absorbing novel. Readers expecting lush visions of warlord-era China to jump from the page, though, will need to look in another place. The "native" country is distant, dream-like and morbid, seen through the eyes of the heroine, whose preoccupations are elsewhere. It is only peered at from the height of a curtained palanquin. Indeed, the novel paints the superficial and self-centred expatriate community of Hong-Kong much more than it does labouring China; as such, it probably remained true to life until very recent times.


English literature at its best, 12 Aug 2008
An absolutely superb book. Having read and loved George Orwell and discovered he was a fan Maugham I decided to have a look at Of Human Bondage. Having finished it and given myself some time to reflect, I can say that it is the best book that I have read so far. I was so drawn in to the story of Philip Carey and his journey into adulthood that the 700+ pages flew by. I will also echo the sentiments of other reviewers that despite the fact that Philip could not by any means be described as a hero I still found myself caring for him and always hoping for a positive outcome even when the situation seemed so very bleak for him. This I think is one of the books strengths that despite the actions of the characters they are so well written that I still found myself wanting the best for them even Mildred.

I would highly recommend this book and consider it one of the classic pieces of literature which deserves to have been read by a much larger audience.

An eternal classic, 20 Apr 2008
An absolute wonder of a book. The story revolves around Philip, an orphan with a club foot who searches hard for his place in the world. We witness the isolation of his early youth and his battle with mediocrity as he struggles to become an artist in Paris. He finds a vocation of sorts in medicine and there we witness his battles with poverty and being the victim of falling in love with the most terrible of people. If the book has a flaw it is his all consuming love affair.

There are traces of Jude Obscure in this book; however this novel is far superior and there are some discourses of real beauty. As with all of Maugham's work the writing is superb and you're drawn in from the first chapter. An absolute must read.


A timeless classic, 04 Apr 2008
Of Human Bondage is quintessential Somerset Maugham and is, or should be, one of the classics of English literature. Don't be put off by its length; you will only wish it were longer by the time you finish it!

The book is set in the last decades of the nineteenth century and, apparently partly autobiographical, it tells of the growing up of a young orphan, his apprenticeship of art and then medicine and of course his painful tuition in love. Philip, the hero, is initially raised in an English country vicarage, the life of which is described with fetching authenticity. In fact, its realistic evocation of exotic settings, a typical feature of Maugham's writing, is one of the novel's undoubted attractions. Philip moves on to Heidelberg, then Paris among a community of artistic hopefuls and painting schools, and back to turn-of-the-century London, with its contrast of glitter and squalor, its top hats and workers' dorms, music halls and stockbrokers' clubs. There he becomes trapped in a tragic and sordid love affair that becomes so compulsive it threatens to enslave him.

If the hero's unrequited obsession is alluded to in the title, however, Of Human Bondage has a broader scope. Indeed it is - well - about life; but if that sounds pretentious, this is probably one of few works that can genuinely make that claim. The cast of characters is impressive in being both broad and convincing, and sufficient plot is granted each so that they can come alive. True, Maugham's sometimes acid, always witty and insightful style is at its best when portraying human faults. Purely positive archetypes are given briefer and just a little less compelling descriptions; but perhaps that is just reality. Few novels are able to bring forth such a variety of places, people and situations so convincingly and with such depth. Ultimately the test for this sweeping portrait is that one feels one has stood in it many more times than once, so strong is the association with its protagonists. And if you have occasionally fallen for an idiot who wasn't interested in you, then reading this may provide a cure.


Underrated epic, 21 Apr 2007
Although I relish a book like this, in that it is so well written and truly entertaining and there is a certain thrill and delight one receives when you know you are part of that small club of coming across a book of this brillance - a book not many other people have read or even know about, which on the other hand is unfortunate as I believe this book deserve a place on everyones bookshelf. The narrative rarely faulters if at all, this is truly a book of epic perportions full of passion, love, loss, hopes realised and hope dashed, a book about the strenght of the human spirit and how even when those around you drain all the goodness from you, you can still return love. Buy and read this book and you won't be disappointed.

Brilliant!, 31 Oct 2006
Of Human Bondage is a ridiculously good novel, one which receives nowhere near the amount of credit and acclaim it deserves. The accuracy and skill with which Maugham describes Philip Carey's idealism, his subsequent disenchantment and his relationship with Mildred inparticularly (a glorious femme fatale)is astonishining, touching and haunting.
Maugham has been criticised for the lack of poeticism in his prose, a "flaw" he acknowledged himself. However, his writing is precise, lively and insightful, without been overly embroidered or wordy, and this benefits the reader no end in Of Human Bondage. Central themes and important passages have more impact and are believable and human, inviting much consideration and empathy.
All in all, this is a most wonderful novel, undoubtedly one of my favourites and I can't reccomend it highly enough. Enjoy!


Light reading, 15 Mar 2008
A wonderful collection of stories, though unfortunately I found the ones he wrote on Western Europe (mainly Spain) to be lacking of the passion and insight that we saw in his tales of the far east. Nevertheless in a book this big and with this many stories skipping the Spanish stories barely mars the enjoyment. Whilst perhaps these aren't as powerful as his longer works they often portray insightful glimpses into human character and his wonderful writing style still make these a worthwhile read.

Expatriates indiscretions in Malaya (pre Second World War), 18 Aug 2006
My initial interest in this book was somewhat narrow. I obtained it specifically to read the short story "The Letter" by W. Somerset Maugham. This particular offering by the prolific Maugham was made into a marvellous film starring Bette Davis. I was interested to see if the film stayed true to the plot portrayed in the original story. Having now read "The Letter" I am pleased to report that the film did basically reflect the original story. The film however was a "stretched" version of the story, with additional scenes at the beginning and the end.
The stories in "Volume 4" portray the lives of expatriates living in Malaya in the period prior to the Second World War. Their desires, shortcomings, and many indiscretions are masterfully described by Maugham. It is obvious that the local knowledge he absorbed while living in the Far East stands him in good stead when describing life in Malaya.
Short stories are not everyone's cup of tea but I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys interesting stories well told.
I am now tempted to have a look at Volumes 1, 2 & 3 of W. Somerset Maugham's Short Stories.

Brilliant, 11 Jul 2006
Although the language in this is somewhat archaic, this is, or will become, a timeless classic, along with Maugham's other short stories. I, a 16 year old, was given this by my mum to read, and the book was really accessible. Every story is an original gem, which although short, lingers in your mind long after you have read it.

Maugham portrays the upper middle class wonderfully (although not all stories are about this group of people), with superb characterisation. I found it hard to relate with the characters within the collection as I had never met anyone like them, but that isn't to say I won't and it didn't make the book any less enjoyable.

To start off with, I read the shortest stories (a few pages long), and gradually built up to the longest ones, such as 'The Vessel of Wrath'. My favourites are 'The Bum', 'Jane', 'The Creative Impulse' and 'Lord Mountdrago'. I had never heard of Somerset Maugham before but am very glad I have read some of his stories.

Like an old friend telling you the best stories., 08 Dec 2000
You turn the pages and enter a magical world of fabulous characters. You feel as if you are curled up listening to the delicious, risque, tales of an old, dear and rather wicked friend.

You are transported to the very place, the villa, the street, the bar,the smells and tastes are almost tangible. You can feel the sun, hear the crickets and are lost in his world.

Somerset Maugham is one of the worlds great story tellers. This is what sets him apart from other short story writers. he is not pretentious in his writng.

He would be a divine dinner companion, amusing every one with his stories.

If you have not enjoyed this master before curl up over Christmas, you are in for a treat.

period piece from born story-teller, 02 Nov 2008
At times brilliant, other times slow, often dated, the Painted Vale, is well worth reading.This is a tale set at the height of the British Empire. The beautiful heroine is having an affair with a charming assistant colonial secretary of Hong Kong. Her husband, a bacteriologist, discovers it and as penance makes her accompany him to the heart of a cholera epidemic in China. It transforms her in lots of ways.

To me, the real delight of the book is as a period piece told by a born story-teller. There is a contrast between the strangeness of the places and the vintage Englishness of the personailites. The characters travel in sampans (a chinese river boat with a roof of mats) and are carried in chairs by 'coolies'. Lunch is tiffin, The cleverest speak fluent Chinese. On the other hand, men talk of each other as 'thundering good chaps', pour whisky and sodas, play tennis and polo and wear black-tie for dinner even when dining at home.

An authentic but less admirable aspect to the book which, somehow makes it more interesting, is the unashamed racism. Some Chinese orphans were trying to give Kitty, the heroine, a hug. 'She shuddered a little. In their uniform dress, sallow skinned, stunted with their flat noses, they looked scarcely human. They were repulsive.' Maughan intends no irony here.

He is trying to make a point about 'white man's burden' - that in spite of the, to his mind, obvious inferiority of other races, the English are put on earth to rule them kindly and responsibly. It is not often I get an insight to an imperialist's mind set that is a mainstream expression of 'right-thinking' people of the time. Nowadays, they tend to be, at best joke characters. So Maughan's view fascinates me to read while he does not draw me in.

Equally interesting is the portrayal of family values in the twenties, in the colonies - and back in Blighty. Marriage was the only way for a man to acceptably sleep with a woman. Divorce was a crime and could break a promising career. Younger generation may struggle with understanding the impact of adultery and divorce without explanatory notes although I can remember the tale end of the attitud.

The dog it was who died ..., 01 Nov 2008
Somerset Maugham conceived this story when he was a young student travelling in Italy and reading Dante's Purgatorio; it stuck in his mind, the story of a gentlewoman of Siena whose husband suspected her of adultery and, rather than putting her to death, took her to his castle in an unhealthy region where he hoped the 'noxious vapours' would do the job for him. Maugham turned it over in his mind for many years but couldn't think of a modern setting for such a tale until eventually he made a journey in China.
Kitty is a vulgar, vacuous, modern young woman (but this is the 1920s and she has been raised with no other aim in life than to marry, and so, yes, it is a tragedy when she finds herself on the shelf at 25, her charms ever so slightly beginning to fade, and hurtles into marriage with the next man to propose.) But the most interesting characters are the men. Maugham paints a wonderful portrait of Kitty's charming, but ultimately worthless ex-pat lover (whose own wife understands him too well). The character who is really gripping, however, is Walter, Kitty's deceived husband; Walter is a flawed saint, passionate, clever, proud, unforgiving, and far too good for his silly young wife.
So, was Walter planning a murderous revenge when he insists that Kitty accompany him to the cholera zone? (She has no choice once she realises her lover will never marry her.) If the novel has a weakness, it is in Kitty's rather too rapid spiritual growth once they get there. (And the ending, unfortunately, is woman's magazine trite.)

...with a good sense of proportion ;-), 26 Oct 2008
The story is very gripping and original.
The writing is very tight but the main characters, Kitty and Walter, are interestingly and well fleshed out and you really can understand what they're feeling. The descriptions are very detailed but never redundant.
I liked the way Maugham humanizes characters by adding qualities and faults that are not visiblle at first look.
I also really loved the character of the Manchu Princess which symbolizes Kitty's awakening.

A good old-fashioned story, 07 Sep 2008
A delightful and well-constructed story of an unhappy marriage. Kitty Fane is shallow and vain while her husband is stiff and socially inept. They travel out to Hong Kong where Walter works as a bacteriologist. Here Kitty meets and is besotted with Charles Townsend. When Walter hears of her affair he gives her several alternatives and in the end she feels her only choice is to travel with him to the interior of China to work in a cholera-ravaged community. Kitty's honesty about her own feelings and weaknesses endear her to the reader - but we are equally drawn to sad cuckolded Walter.

At Mei-tan-fu Kitty begins to work in the Catholic convent and gradually comes to recognise good qualities in her husband while finding spiritual solace through hard work. Maugham introduces some great characters - Waddington the Customs Officer (living with a Manchu woman) and the wise Mother Superior.

Some of Kitty's shortcomings can be explained by her loveless family background. We do not get an insight into how Walter became the man he is.

The Painted Veil is a good old-fashioned story beautifully told.


Vintage Maugham, 18 Jun 2008
The Painted Veil pits amiable but unscrupulous fools against tormented souls, has a duly sarcastic starting-point, and is set in far-away, warlord-era China; in short, it has the ingredients for vintage Maugham.

The book begins in Hong Kong, with an adultery scene. Kitty Fane is beautiful, shallow, and calculating. She soon finds her match in Charles Townsend, a vain and cynical but popular colonial official - and in her own husband, the lover's very photo-negative, who drags her through plague-ridden country in revenge. The story is that of her spiritual transformation. It can even be read to show women's superior ability for moral elevation.

The Painted Veil is full of Maugham's innumerable human insights, and it is filled with danger, physical and psychological. This is an easy to read, absorbing novel. Readers expecting lush visions of warlord-era China to jump from the page, though, will need to look in another place. The "native" country is distant, dream-like and morbid, seen through the eyes of the heroine, whose preoccupations are elsewhere. It is only peered at from the height of a curtained palanquin. Indeed, the novel paints the superficial and self-centred expatriate community of Hong-Kong much more than it does labouring China; as such, it probably remained true to life until very recent times.


English literature at its best, 12 Aug 2008
An absolutely superb book. Having read and loved George Orwell and discovered he was a fan Maugham I decided to have a look at Of Human Bondage. Having finished it and given myself some time to reflect, I can say that it is the best book that I have read so far. I was so drawn in to the story of Philip Carey and his journey into adulthood that the 700+ pages flew by. I will also echo the sentiments of other reviewers that despite the fact that Philip could not by any means be described as a hero I still found myself caring for him and always hoping for a positive outcome even when the situation seemed so very bleak for him. This I think is one of the books strengths that despite the actions of the characters they are so well written that I still found myself wanting the best for them even Mildred.

I would highly recommend this book and consider it one of the classic pieces of literature which deserves to have been read by a much larger audience.

An eternal classic, 20 Apr 2008
An absolute wonder of a book. The story revolves around Philip, an orphan with a club foot who searches hard for his place in the world. We witness the isolation of his early youth and his battle with mediocrity as he struggles to become an artist in Paris. He finds a vocation of sorts in medicine and there we witness his battles with poverty and being the victim of falling in love with the most terrible of people. If the book has a flaw it is his all consuming love affair.

There are traces of Jude Obscure in this book; however this novel is far superior and there are some discourses of real beauty. As with all of Maugham's work the writing is superb and you're drawn in from the first chapter. An absolute must read.


A timeless classic, 04 Apr 2008
Of Human Bondage is quintessential Somerset Maugham and is, or should be, one of the classics of English literature. Don't be put off by its length; you will only wish it were longer by the time you finish it!

The book is set in the last decades of the nineteenth century and, apparently partly autobiographical, it tells of the growing up of a young orphan, his apprenticeship of art and then medicine and of course his painful tuition in love. Philip, the hero, is initially raised in an English country vicarage, the life of which is described with fetching authenticity. In fact, its realistic evocation of exotic settings, a typical feature of Maugham's writing, is one of the novel's undoubted attractions. Philip moves on to Heidelberg, then Paris among a community of artistic hopefuls and painting schools, and back to turn-of-the-century London, with its contrast of glitter and squalor, its top hats and workers' dorms, music halls and stockbrokers' clubs. There he becomes trapped in a tragic and sordid love affair that becomes so compulsive it threatens to enslave him.

If the hero's unrequited obsession is alluded to in the title, however, Of Human Bondage has a broader scope. Indeed it is - well - about life; but if that sounds pretentious, this is probably one of few works that can genuinely make that claim. The cast of characters is impressive in being both broad and convincing, and sufficient plot is granted each so that they can come alive. True, Maugham's sometimes acid, always witty and insightful style is at its best when portraying human faults. Purely positive archetypes are given briefer and just a little less compelling descriptions; but perhaps that is just reality. Few novels are able to bring forth such a variety of places, people and situations so convincingly and with such depth. Ultimately the test for this sweeping portrait is that one feels one has stood in it many more times than once, so strong is the association with its protagonists. And if you have occasionally fallen for an idiot who wasn't interested in you, then reading this may provide a cure.


Underrated epic, 21 Apr 2007
Although I relish a book like this, in that it is so well written and truly entertaining and there is a certain thrill and delight one receives when you know you are part of that small club of coming across a book of this brillance - a book not many other people have read or even know about, which on the other hand is unfortunate as I believe this book deserve a place on everyones bookshelf. The narrative rarely faulters if at all, this is truly a book of epic perportions full of passion, love, loss, hopes realised and hope dashed, a book about the strenght of the human spirit and how even when those around you drain all the goodness from you, you can still return love. Buy and read this book and you won't be disappointed.

Brilliant!, 31 Oct 2006
Of Human Bondage is a ridiculously good novel, one which receives nowhere near the amount of credit and acclaim it deserves. The accuracy and skill with which Maugham describes Philip Carey's idealism, his subsequent disenchantment and his relationship with Mildred inparticularly (a glorious femme fatale)is astonishining, touching and haunting.
Maugham has been criticised for the lack of poeticism in his prose, a "flaw" he acknowledged himself. However, his writing is precise, lively and insightful, without been overly embroidered or wordy, and this benefits the reader no end in Of Human Bondage. Central themes and important passages have more impact and are believable and human, inviting much consideration and empathy.
All in all, this is a most wonderful novel, undoubtedly one of my favourites and I can't reccomend it highly enough. Enjoy!


Light reading, 15 Mar 2008
A wonderful collection of stories, though unfortunately I found the ones he wrote on Western Europe (mainly Spain) to be lacking of the passion and insight that we saw in his tales of the far east. Nevertheless in a book this big and with this many stories skipping the Spanish stories barely mars the enjoyment. Whilst perhaps these aren't as powerful as his longer works they often portray insightful glimpses into human character and his wonderful writing style still make these a worthwhile read.

Expatriates indiscretions in Malaya (pre Second World War), 18 Aug 2006
My initial interest in this book was somewhat narrow. I obtained it specifically to read the short story "The Letter" by W. Somerset Maugham. This particular offering by the prolific Maugham was made into a marvellous film starring Bette Davis. I was interested to see if the film stayed true to the plot portrayed in the original story. Having now read "The Letter" I am pleased to report that the film did basically reflect the original story. The film however was a "stretched" version of the story, with additional scenes at the beginning and the end.
The stories in "Volume 4" portray the lives of expatriates living in Malaya in the period prior to the Second World War. Their desires, shortcomings, and many indiscretions are masterfully described by Maugham. It is obvious that the local knowledge he absorbed while living in the Far East stands him in good stead when describing life in Malaya.
Short stories are not everyone's cup of tea but I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys interesting stories well told.
I am now tempted to have a look at Volumes 1, 2 & 3 of W. Somerset Maugham's Short Stories.

Brilliant, 11 Jul 2006
Although the language in this is somewhat archaic, this is, or will become, a timeless classic, along with Maugham's other short stories. I, a 16 year old, was given this by my mum to read, and the book was really accessible. Every story is an original gem, which although short, lingers in your mind long after you have read it.

Maugham portrays the upper middle class wonderfully (although not all stories are about this group of people), with superb characterisation. I found it hard to relate with the characters within the collection as I had never met anyone like them, but that isn't to say I won't and it didn't make the book any less enjoyable.

To start off with, I read the shortest stories (a few pages long), and gradually built up to the longest ones, such as 'The Vessel of Wrath'. My favourites are 'The Bum', 'Jane', 'The Creative Impulse' and 'Lord Mountdrago'. I had never heard of Somerset Maugham before but am very glad I have read some of his stories.

Like an old friend telling you the best stories., 08 Dec 2000
You turn the pages and enter a magical world of fabulous characters. You feel as if you are curled up listening to the delicious, risque, tales of an old, dear and rather wicked friend.

You are transported to the very place, the villa, the street, the bar,the smells and tastes are almost tangible. You can feel the sun, hear the crickets and are lost in his world.

Somerset Maugham is one of the worlds great story tellers. This is what sets him apart from other short story writers. he is not pretentious in his writng.

He would be a divine dinner companion, amusing every one with his stories.

If you have not enjoyed this master before curl up over Christmas, you are in for a treat.

Obsessive, 04 Jul 2008
Painting, even if it uses codes, is the art of showing, whereas the writer, limited to words, can only proceed by allusion, by tickling images from the minds of his public. This was the challenge in Maugham's novel-length portrait of the cursed painter, loosely based on Gauguin's life. The result is a powerful and haunting depiction, as directly powerful as any painting.

The story follows the downward spiral of Charles Strickland from the moment he decides to leave his stockbroking job and conventional English family, or rather his upward spiral, towards artistic zenith. The victims fall one after the other around him as he sacrifices everything to painting, not just wealth and security, but all regard for fellow humans and decency physical and moral. Yet this is no stereotype of the crazed genius. Strickland is coldly conscious of his choices, pragmatic in his idolatry, clear-eyed in his determination on a ride to hell; this is what makes The Moon and Sixpence so convincing and so creepily fascinating.

Maugham avoids delving into the unknowable reasons for his protagonist's change of life. Neither does he waste time in ponderous commentary on painting or the nature of genius. At the same time, the narrator's tale, with its inevitable hearsay and conjecture, contrasts the ambiguity of storytelling with the absolutes of pictorial art. But this is essentially a white-knuckle ride from London to Paris, on to the dodgier suburbs of Marseille, and destruction in the Tahitian jungle. Almost as obsessive as Strickland's own passion.

A Fascinating Portrayal of a man., 21 Mar 2008
told from the third person view point; the life of an interesting man, thats about all their is to say.

A Masterpiece., 27 Jul 2005
I feel I don't have to divulge the synopsis of The Moon and Sixpence, as many other readers have given their own detailed accounts of the storyline, setting the scene quite clearly.
However I felt I had to express the feelings I went through while reading this book and the way in which it changed my outlook upon life.
I think we can all, at some point relate to the way in which Charles Strickland abandoned all that he had ever known. Some would say he took a gamble with life and in a sense, he did just that. Charles Strickland changed his life in such a dramatic way, a way in which the vast majority only ever dream of doing. His overpowering need to express something so great from within himself, coupled with his obstinate personality, lead him to that place of paradise which he had only ever seen in his minds eye. For him it was the place where he knew his soul would at last be able to rest in peace.
Having personally studied the life and works of the genius Paul Gauguin, I feel W. Somerset Maugham captured something so deep and personal and skillfully adapted his findings so that the reader could learn to look beyond his horizons with great hope.
I feel we all need time to look at what the future holds for us, it takes great courage to be who we want to be, but here is a beautiful story to uplift and enlighten our senses.
Thank you for reading my opinions.

"You are an unmitigated cad!", 25 Apr 2005
When he first meets Charles Strickland, a London stockbroker, the young narrator of this novel thinks of him as "good, honest, dull, and plain." When Strickland suddenly abandons his wife and children and takes off for Paris, the narrator, on seeing him again, decides he is a cad. Though he has had no training, Strickland has decided to become an artist, a drive so strong that he is willing to sacrifice everything toward that end. Anti-social and feeling no obligation to observe even the smallest social decencies, Strickland becomes increasingly boorish as he practices his art. Eventually, he makes his way to Tahiti, where he "marries," moves to a remote cottage, and spends the rest of his life devoted to his art.

Basing the novel loosely on the life of Paul Gauguin, Somerset Maugham creates an involving and often exciting story. His narrator is a writer who, after Strickland's death and his posthumous artistic success, feels impelled to set down his memories of their early interactions in London and Paris, in the interest of "history." Because the "real" narrator never saw Strickland after he left Paris, the narrator depends on his meetings with a ship captain and a woman in Papeete for information about Strickland after Strickland arrived in Tahiti. The ship captain is described as a story-teller who may be spinning tall tales, a constant reminder to the reader that this is fiction, and not a biography of Gauguin.

By depicting Strickland as a "dull, plain" man suddenly gripped by an obsession so overwhelming that nothing else matters to him, Maugham involves the reader in his actions, which even the narrator claims not to understand. The least convincing aspect of Strickland's characterization is the narrator's observation that Strickland is completely indifferent to his wife of seventeen years and his children. No confrontation between Strickland and his wife appear, and one wonders if perhaps Maugham found himself unable to depict Strickland's abandonment realistically. The story moves quickly, however, and whatever is sacrificed in the characterization is more than recouped in the plot and its development.

Straightforward in its story line, the novel is romantic in its depiction of the artist in the grip of an obsession, his subsequent abandonment of civilization and return to nature, his suffering of a long terminal illness (during which he paints his masterpiece), and the fate of this creation further develop the romantic themes. Good, old-fashioned story-telling at its best, this uncomplicated story, written in 1919, still has broad appeal. Mary Whipple

flawed greatness., 14 Sep 2003
I think this book deserves it's great reputation, not only because it is beautifully written, but Maugham gives some startlingly perceptive and powerful insights into the nature of creativity and genius. He never for one moment recommends Strickland to us as a nice man, or even a decent human being. He never makes any apologies for his behaviour, and the narrator is frequently driven to exasperation by his callousness towards the people he hurts. That said though I actually found it hard to have sympathy for the people in Strickland's life, with the possible exception of Shroeve, the buffoonish little Dutch painter who is far too kind for his own good, and who Strickland tramples all over sadistically. The women in Strickland's life come across as a vacuous lot, none of them with the nerve to get what they want out of him and then tell him to go to hell. I also found some of the Tahiti scenes quite tedious, that sort of thing has been done so many times now and it's not that interesting. By contrast the Parisian scenes are absolutely marvellous, very akin to Zola. This must have been a brave novel for Maugham to write at the time, with its lack of sympathetic characters (it's hard to even feel sorry for Strickland's abandoned wife or his suicidal mistress, as neither are very warm or pleasent) and an even remotely likeable central character, but it works ... well until we get to Tahiti anyway!

period piece from born story-teller, 02 Nov 2008
At times brilliant, other times slow, often dated, the Painted Vale, is well worth reading.This is a tale set at the height of the British Empire. The beautiful heroine is having an affair with a charming assistant colonial secretary of Hong Kong. Her husband, a bacteriologist, discovers it and as penance makes her accompany him to the heart of a cholera epidemic in China. It transforms her in lots of ways.

To me, the real delight of the book is as a period piece told by a born story-teller. There is a contrast between the strangeness of the places and the vintage Englishness of the personailites. The characters travel in sampans (a chinese river boat with a roof of mats) and are carried in chairs by 'coolies'. Lunch is tiffin, The cleverest speak fluent Chinese. On the other hand, men talk of each other as 'thundering good chaps', pour whisky and sodas, play tennis and polo and wear black-tie for dinner even when dining at home.

An authentic but less admirable aspect to the book which, somehow makes it more interesting, is the unashamed racism. Some Chinese orphans were trying to give Kitty, the heroine, a hug. 'She shuddered a little. In their uniform dress, sallow skinned, stunted with their flat noses, they looked scarcely human. They were repulsive.' Maughan intends no irony here.

He is trying to make a point about 'white man's burden' - that in spite of the, to his mind, obvious inferiority of other races, the English are put on earth to rule them kindly and responsibly. It is not often I get an insight to an imperialist's mind set that is a mainstream expression of 'right-thinking' people of the time. Nowadays, they tend to be, at best joke characters. So Maughan's view fascinates me to read while he does not draw me in.

Equally interesting is the portrayal of family values in the twenties, in the colonies - and back in Blighty. Marriage was the only way for a man to acceptably sleep with a woman. Divorce was a crime and could break a promising career. Younger generation may struggle with understanding the impact of adultery and divorce without explanatory notes although I can remember the tale end of the attitud.

The dog it was who died ..., 01 Nov 2008
Somerset Maugham conceived this story when he was a young student travelling in Italy and reading Dante's Purgatorio; it stuck in his mind, the story of a gentlewoman of Siena whose husband suspected her of adultery and, rather than putting her to death, took her to his castle in an unhealthy region where he hoped the 'noxious vapours' would do the job for him. Maugham turned it over in his mind for many years but couldn't think of a modern setting for such a tale until eventually he made a journey in China.
Kitty is a vulgar, vacuous, modern young woman (but this is the 1920s and she has been raised with no other aim in life than to marry, and so, yes, it is a tragedy when she finds herself on the shelf at 25, her charms ever so slightly beginning to fade, and hurtles into marriage with the next man to propose.) But the most interesting characters are the men. Maugham paints a wonderful portrait of Kitty's charming, but ultimately worthless ex-pat lover (whose own wife understands him too well). The character who is really gripping, however, is Walter, Kitty's deceived husband; Walter is a flawed saint, passionate, clever, proud, unforgiving, and far too good for his silly young wife.
So, was Walter planning a murderous revenge when he insists that Kitty accompany him to the cholera zone? (She has no choice once she realises her lover will never marry her.) If the novel has a weakness, it is in Kitty's rather too rapid spiritual growth once they get there. (And the ending, unfortunately, is woman's magazine trite.)

...with a good sense of proportion ;-), 26 Oct 2008
The story is very gripping and original.
The writing is very tight but the main characters, Kitty and Walter, are interestingly and well fleshed out and you really can understand what they're feeling. The descriptions are very detailed but never redundant.
I liked the way Maugham humanizes characters by adding qualities and faults that are not visiblle at first look.
I also really loved the character of the Manchu Princess which symbolizes Kitty's awakening.

A good old-fashioned story, 07 Sep 2008
A delightful and well-constructed story of an unhappy marriage. Kitty Fane is shallow and vain while her husband is stiff and socially inept. They travel out to Hong Kong where Walter works as a bacteriologist. Here Kitty meets and is besotted with Charles Townsend. When Walter hears of her affair he gives her several alternatives and in the end she feels her only choice is to travel with him to the interior of China to work in a cholera-ravaged community. Kitty's honesty about her own feelings and weaknesses endear her to the reader - but we are equally drawn to sad cuckolded Walter.

At Mei-tan-fu Kitty begins to work in the Catholic convent and gradually comes to recognise good qualities in her husband while finding spiritual solace through hard work. Maugham introduces some great characters - Waddington the Customs Officer (living with a Manchu woman) and the wise Mother Superior.

Some of Kitty's shortcomings can be explained by her loveless family background. We do not get an insight into how Walter became the man he is.

The Painted Veil is a good old-fashioned story beautifully told.


Vintage Maugham, 18 Jun 2008
The Painted Veil pits amiable but unscrupulous fools against tormented souls, has a duly sarcastic starting-point, and is set in far-away, warlord-era China; in short, it has the ingredients for vintage Maugham.

The book begins in Hong Kong, with an adultery scene. Kitty Fane is beautiful, shallow, and calculating. She soon finds her match in Charles Townsend, a vain and cynical but popular colonial official - and in her own husband, the lover's very photo-negative, who drags her through plague-ridden country in revenge. The story is that of her spiritual transformation. It can even be read to show women's superior ability for moral elevation.

The Painted Veil is full of Maugham's innumerable human insights, and it is filled with danger, physical and psychological. This is an easy to read, absorbing novel. Readers expecting lush visions of warlord-era China to jump from the page, though, will need to look in another place. The "native" country is distant, dream-like and morbid, seen through the eyes of the heroine, whose preoccupations are elsewhere. It is only peered at from the height of a curtained palanquin. Indeed, the novel paints the superficial and self-centred expatriate community of Hong-Kong much more than it does labouring China; as such, it probably remained true to life until very recent times.


English literature at its best, 12 Aug 2008
An absolutely superb book. Having read and loved George Orwell and discovered he was a fan Maugham I decided to have a look at Of Human Bondage. Having finished it and given myself some time to reflect, I can say that it is the best book that I have read so far. I was so drawn in to the story of Philip Carey and his journey into adulthood that the 700+ pages flew by. I will also echo the sentiments of other reviewers that despite the fact that Philip could not by any means be described as a hero I still found myself caring for him and always hoping for a positive outcome even when the situation seemed so very bleak for him. This I think is one of the books strengths that despite the actions of the characters they are so well written that I still found myself wanting the best for them even Mildred.

I would highly recommend this book and consider it one of the classic pieces of literature which deserves to have been read by a much larger audience.

An eternal classic, 20 Apr 2008
An absolute wonder of a book. The story revolves around Philip, an orphan with a club foot who searches hard for his place in the world. We witness the isolation of his early youth and his battle with mediocrity as he struggles to become an artist in Paris. He finds a vocation of sorts in medicine and there we witness his battles with poverty and being the victim of falling in love with the most terrible of people. If the book has a flaw it is his all consuming love affair.

There are traces of Jude Obscure in this book; however this novel is far superior and there are some discourses of real beauty. As with all of Maugham's work the writing is superb and you're drawn in from the first chapter. An absolute must read.


A timeless classic, 04 Apr 2008
Of Human Bondage is quintessential Somerset Maugham and is, or should be, one of the classics of English literature. Don't be put off by its length; you will only wish it were longer by the time you finish it!

The book is set in the last decades of the nineteenth century and, apparently partly autobiographical, it tells of the growing up of a young orphan, his apprenticeship of art and then medicine and of course his painful tuition in love. Philip, the hero, is initially raised in an English country vicarage, the life of which is described with fetching authenticity. In fact, its realistic evocation of exotic settings, a typical feature of Maugham's writing, is one of the novel's undoubted attractions. Philip moves on to Heidelberg, then Paris among a community of artistic hopefuls and painting schools, and back to turn-of-the-century London, with its contrast of glitter and squalor, its top hats and workers' dorms, music halls and stockbrokers' clubs. There he becomes trapped in a tragic and sordid love affair that becomes so compulsive it threatens to enslave him.

If the hero's unrequited obsession is alluded to in the title, however, Of Human Bondage has a broader scope. Indeed it is - well - about life; but if that sounds pretentious, this is probably one of few works that can genuinely make that claim. The cast of characters is impressive in being both broad and convincing, and sufficient plot is granted each so that they can come alive. True, Maugham's sometimes acid, always witty and insightful style is at its best when portraying human faults. Purely positive archetypes are given briefer and just a little less compelling descriptions; but perhaps that is just reality. Few novels are able to bring forth such a variety of places, people and situations so convincingly and with such depth. Ultimately the test for this sweeping portrait is that one feels one has stood in it many more times than once, so strong is the association with its protagonists. And if you have occasionally fallen for an idiot who wasn't interested in you, then reading this may provide a cure.


Underrated epic, 21 Apr 2007
Although I relish a book like this, in that it is so well written and truly entertaining and there is a certain thrill and delight one receives when you know you are part of that small club of coming across a book of this brillance - a book not many other people have read or even know about, which on the other hand is unfortunate as I believe this book deserve a place on everyones bookshelf. The narrative rarely faulters if at all, this is truly a book of epic perportions full of passion, love, loss, hopes realised and hope dashed, a book about the strenght of the human spirit and how even when those around you drain all the goodness from you, you can still return love. Buy and read this book and you won't be disappointed.

Brilliant!, 31 Oct 2006
Of Human Bondage is a ridiculously good novel, one which receives nowhere near the amount of credit and acclaim it deserves. The accuracy and skill with which Maugham describes Philip Carey's idealism, his subsequent disenchantment and his relationship with Mildred inparticularly (a glorious femme fatale)is astonishining, touching and haunting.
Maugham has been criticised for the lack of poeticism in his prose, a "flaw" he acknowledged himself. However, his writing is precise, lively and insightful, without been overly embroidered or wordy, and this benefits the reader no end in Of Human Bondage. Central themes and important passages have more impact and are believable and human, inviting much consideration and empathy.
All in all, this is a most wonderful novel, undoubtedly one of my favourites and I can't reccomend it highly enough. Enjoy!


Light reading, 15 Mar 2008
A wonderful collection of stories, though unfortunately I found the ones he wrote on Western Europe (mainly Spain) to be lacking of the passion and insight that we saw in his tales of the far east. Nevertheless in a book this big and with this many stories skipping the Spanish stories barely mars the enjoyment. Whilst perhaps these aren't as powerful as his longer works they often portray insightful glimpses into human character and his wonderful writing style still make these a worthwhile read.

Expatriates indiscretions in Malaya (pre Second World War), 18 Aug 2006
My initial interest in this book was somewhat narrow. I obtained it specifically to read the short story "The Letter" by W. Somerset Maugham. This particular offering by the prolific Maugham was made into a marvellous film starring Bette Davis. I was interested to see if the film stayed true to the plot portrayed in the original story. Having now read "The Letter" I am pleased to report that the film did basically reflect the original story. The film however was a "stretched" version of the story, with additional scenes at the beginning and the end.
The stories in "Volume 4" portray the lives of expatriates living in Malaya in the period prior to the Second World War. Their desires, shortcomings, and many indiscretions are masterfully described by Maugham. It is obvious that the local knowledge he absorbed while living in the Far East stands him in good stead when describing life in Malaya.
Short stories are not everyone's cup of tea but I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys interesting stories well told.
I am now tempted to have a look at Volumes 1, 2 & 3 of W. Somerset Maugham's Short Stories.

Brilliant, 11 Jul 2006
Although the language in this is somewhat archaic, this is, or will become, a timeless classic, along with Maugham's other short stories. I, a 16 year old, was given this by my mum to read, and the book was really accessible. Every story is an original gem, which although short, lingers in your mind long after you have read it.

Maugham portrays the upper middle class wonderfully (although not all stories are about this group of people), with superb characterisation. I found it hard to relate with the characters within the collection as I had never met anyone like them, but that isn't to say I won't and it didn't make the book any less enjoyable.

To start off with, I read the shortest stories (a few pages long), and gradually built up to the longest ones, such as 'The Vessel of Wrath'. My favourites are 'The Bum', 'Jane', 'The Creative Impulse' and 'Lord Mountdrago'. I had never heard of Somerset Maugham before but am very glad I have read some of his stories.

Like an old friend telling you the best stories., 08 Dec 2000
You turn the pages and enter a magical world of fabulous characters. You feel as if you are curled up listening to the delicious, risque, tales of an old, dear and rather wicked friend.

You are transported to the very place, the villa, the street, the bar,the smells and tastes are almost tangible. You can feel the sun, hear the crickets and are lost in his world.

Somerset Maugham is one of the worlds great story tellers. This is what sets him apart from other short story writers. he is not pretentious in his writng.

He would be a divine dinner companion, amusing every one with his stories.

If you have not enjoyed this master before curl up over Christmas, you are in for a treat.

Obsessive, 04 Jul 2008
Painting, even if it uses codes, is the art of showing, whereas the writer, limited to words, can only proceed by allusion, by tickling images from the minds of his public. This was the challenge in Maugham's novel-length portrait of the cursed painter, loosely based on Gauguin's life. The result is a powerful and haunting depiction, as directly powerful as any painting.

The story follows the downward spiral of Charles Strickland from the moment he decides to leave his stockbroking job and conventional English family, or rather his upward spiral, towards artistic zenith. The victims fall one after the other around him as he sacrifices everything to painting, not just wealth and security, but all regard for fellow humans and decency physical and moral. Yet this is no stereotype of the crazed genius. Strickland is coldly conscious of his choices, pragmatic in his idolatry, clear-eyed in his determination on a ride to hell; this is what makes The Moon and Sixpence so convincing and so creepily fascinating.

Maugham avoids delving into the unknowable reasons for his protagonist's change of life. Neither does he waste time in ponderous commentary on painting or the nature of genius. At the same time, the narrator's tale, with its inevitable hearsay and conjecture, contrasts the ambiguity of storytelling with the absolutes of pictorial art. But this is essentially a white-knuckle ride from London to Paris, on to the dodgier suburbs of Marseille, and destruction in the Tahitian jungle. Almost as obsessive as Strickland's own passion.

A Fascinating Portrayal of a man., 21 Mar 2008
told from the third person view point; the life of an interesting man, thats about all their is to say.

A Masterpiece., 27 Jul 2005
I feel I don't have to divulge the synopsis of The Moon and Sixpence, as many other readers have given their own detailed accounts of the storyline, setting the scene quite clearly.
However I felt I had to express the feelings I went through while reading this book and the way in which it changed my outlook upon life.
I think we can all, at some point relate to the way in which Charles Strickland abandoned all that he had ever known. Some would say he took a gamble with life and in a sense, he did just that. Charles Strickland changed his life in such a dramatic way, a way in which the vast majority only ever dream of doing. His overpowering need to express something so great from within himself, coupled with his obstinate personality, lead him to that place of paradise which he had only ever seen in his minds eye. For him it was the place where he knew his soul would at last be able to rest in peace.
Having personally studied the life and works of the genius Paul Gauguin, I feel W. Somerset Maugham captured something so deep and personal and skillfully adapted his findings so that the reader could learn to look beyond his horizons with great hope.
I feel we all need time to look at what the future holds for us, it takes great courage to be who we want to be, but here is a beautiful story to uplift and enlighten our senses.
Thank you for reading my opinions.

"You are an unmitigated cad!", 25 Apr 2005
When he first meets Charles Strickland, a London stockbroker, the young narrator of this novel thinks of him as "good, honest, dull, and plain." When Strickland suddenly abandons his wife and children and takes off for Paris, the narrator, on seeing him again, decides he is a cad. Though he has had no training, Strickland has decided to become an artist, a drive so strong that he is willing to sacrifice everything toward that end. Anti-social and feeling no obligation to observe even the smallest social decencies, Strickland becomes increasingly boorish as he practices his art. Eventually, he makes his way to Tahiti, where he "marries," moves to a remote cottage, and spends the rest of his life devoted to his art.

Basing the novel loosely on the life of Paul Gauguin, Somerset Maugham creates an involving and often exciting story. His narrator is a writer who, after Strickland's death and his posthumous artistic success, feels impelled to set down his memories of their early interactions in London and Paris, in the interest of "history." Because the "real" narrator never saw Strickland after he left Paris, the narrator depends on his meetings with a ship captain and a woman in Papeete for information about Strickland after Strickland arrived in Tahiti. The ship captain is described as a story-teller who may be spinning tall tales, a constant reminder to the reader that this is fiction, and not a biography of Gauguin.

By depicting Strickland as a "dull, plain" man suddenly gripped by an obsession so overwhelming that nothing else matters to him, Maugham involves the reader in his actions, which even the narrator claims not to understand. The least convincing aspect of Strickland's characterization is the narrator's observation that Strickland is completely indifferent to his wife of seventeen years and his children. No confrontation between Strickland and his wife appear, and one wonders if perhaps Maugham found himself unable to depict Strickland's abandonment realistically. The story moves quickly, however, and whatever is sacrificed in the characterization is more than recouped in the plot and its development.

Straightforward in its story line, the novel is romantic in its depiction of the artist in the grip of an obsession, his subsequent abandonment of civilization and return to nature, his suffering of a long terminal illness (during which he paints his masterpiece), and the fate of this creation further develop the romantic themes. Good, old-fashioned story-telling at its best, this uncomplicated story, written in 1919, still has broad appeal. Mary Whipple

flawed greatness., 14 Sep 2003
I think this book deserves it's great reputation, not only because it is beautifully written, but Maugham gives some startlingly perceptive and powerful insights into the nature of creativity and genius. He never for one moment recommends Strickland to us as a nice man, or even a decent human being. He never makes any apologies for his behaviour, and the narrator is frequently driven to exasperation by his callousness towards the people he hurts. That said though I actually found it hard to have sympathy for the people in Strickland's life, with the possible exception of Shroeve, the buffoonish little Dutch painter who is far too kind for his own good, and who Strickland tramples all over sadistically. The women in Strickland's life come across as a vacuous lot, none of them with the nerve to get what they want out of him and then tell him to go to hell. I also found some of the Tahiti scenes quite tedious, that sort of thing has been done so many times now and it's not that interesting. By contrast the Parisian scenes are absolutely marvellous, very akin to Zola. This must have been a brave novel for Maugham to write at the time, with its lack of sympathetic characters (it's hard to even feel sorry for Strickland's abandoned wife or his suicidal mistress, as neither are very warm or pleasent) and an even remotely likeable central character, but it works ... well until we get to Tahiti anyway!

A look into another world in another time, 26 Jun 2007
Yet the writing is so full that we can feel part of this other world.

I came to this story by the back door. My first introduction to Somerset Maugham was through the movie "The Razor's Edge" (1946) staring Tyrone Power as Larry Darrell. I have no idea as to how much it was adapted from the book. Then in 1984 we watched Bill Murray as Larry Darrell. This film lost what magic the 1946 film had. So it was time to read the book. Yes I know very few films can do more than present the essence of a book. Turns out that even the older film wrote Summerset out of some of the scenes.

Larry is back from the war (WWI). As with many of us he is left with nagging questions about why one person lives and another must die. This problem leads Larry to search for the answers. He turns down opportunities and takes up a lifestyle to help him find answers. This story is told or narrated by Somerset Maugham himself. In the book Somerset takes more of an active part in the story. Larry come as close as any of us to the answer he seeks and we leave him much the same way one enters and leaves your life.



Larry the lama, 07 Nov 2002
The Razor's Edge is a curious book. Maugham inserts himself into the text as a narrator, ostensibly because he wants us to believe that the story really happened and that any gaps in the accounts he has assembled are a reflection of the partial view we might obtain of events in real life. I actually think he adopts this approach because he is uneasily aware that his novelistic gifts do not suit a tale about mysticism and the search for spiritual meaning. Indeed, stripped of the authority lent by his cosmopolitan pose and familiarity with far-flung corners of the world, Maugham's treatment of Eastern religion would be much more obviously unconvincing.

I found Larry an unpersuasive character and the sections of the book concerned with his quest only dutifully assembled and rather dull. The author's real strengths lie in the social world, the world of snobs and gossips and money-making: his portrayal of Elliott Templeton is witty and knowing, and on a par with anything in Cakes and Ale.

One of the best books I have read, 04 Apr 2002
The Razor's Edge is a very unusual book, and won't be to everyone's taste. However, the rewards it offers to he diligent, truth-seeking reader are tremendous. Just to address a few issues that might put you off:

1) It is to do with mysticism, but I promise not in a bad way. Really you have to read the book to understand the treatment of mysticism, but it's not a load of new-age babble, honestly.

2) If you've seen the film (starring Bill Murray of all people) don't be put off. The book is very different and much, much better.

3) The narrative style is highly unusual with Maugham himself the narrator and main character and Larry Darrell, the character the book is all about, appearing only at intervals. The book purports to be a true story which Maugham relates as a novel only because he foesn't know how else to do it. If this all sounds very postmodern don't be worried. It's always clear what's happening and the device works extremely well, offering us just glimpses of larry's quest, but therefore making it all the more believable, and contrasting it powerfully with the world Maugham inhabits.

That's about all I can say. The stranghts of this book are so unique that they really defy description. It's unlike anything else I've ever read. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Maugham's search for the Absolute., 12 Feb 2001
Have you ever opened a book and hadn't closed it until you've read it cover to cover ? This is one of those rare books for several reasons. First of all, here Maugham doesn't try to obscure himself under a fictional or an anonymous narrator as in previous Novels. ( You never quite know who he is in "The Moon.." or "The Painted ..."; and in "Cakes and Ale" the narrator is a fictional character). This adds realism to the plot and makes Maughams thoughts seem more personal and therefore more genuine. The story of the young American in search of the truth is fascinating, not only because his romantic journies are accompanied by beautiful scenery, but also because his character seems to represent what people want to do with their lives in stead of living by the conventions of our society while regreting the choices they made in their youth. The main character dares to persue his dream which is basically finding an answer to the question "Why is the world so beautiful and yet so cruel?". A question that is very appealing to a person with his good-natured soul. He looks for the answer all over the world leaving prospects of wealth and stability behind. Therefore I highly recommend that you read this novel, in which the main character invites you on an unforgettable journey that may open your eyes and answer not just one, but quite a few questions. So enjoy and don't forget that Maugham is great at telling stories that are relevant even today.

mysteriously enthralling work of literature, 05 May 1999
The Razor's Edge was intriguing in that the main idea was walked around, yet the reader is still fascinated by this seemingly nonexistent storyline. Yet, once involved, the reader gets caught up in all of the small stories which have nothing to do with the book--when in the end, it is discovered that they are the book. The alleged story of the book concerns an interesting subject, but what it claims to be is far from what it is. The actual book is a bad story which was well written.

period piece from born story-teller, 02 Nov 2008
At times brilliant, other times slow, often dated, the Painted Vale, is well worth reading.This is a tale set at the height of the British Empire. The beautiful heroine is having an affair with a charming assistant colonial secretary of Hong Kong. Her husband, a bacteriologist, discovers it and as penance makes her accompany him to the heart of a cholera epidemic in China. It transforms her in lots of ways.

To me, the real delight of the book is as a period piece told by a born story-teller. There is a contrast between the strangeness of the places and the vintage Englishness of the personailites. The characters travel in sampans (a chinese river boat with a roof of mats) and are carried in chairs by 'coolies'. Lunch is tiffin, The cleverest speak fluent Chinese. On the other hand, men talk of each other as 'thundering good chaps', pour whisky and sodas, play tennis and polo and wear black-tie for dinner even when dining at home.

An authentic but less admirable aspect to the book which, somehow makes it more interesting, is the unashamed racism. Some Chinese orphans were trying to give Kitty, the heroine, a hug. 'She shuddered a little. In their uniform dress, sallow skinned, stunted with their flat noses, they looked scarcely human. They were repulsive.' Maughan intends no irony here.

He is trying to make a point about 'white man's burden' - that in spite of the, to his mind, obvious inferiority of other races, the English are put on earth to rule them kindly and responsibly. It is not often I get an insight to an imperialist's mind set that is a mainstream expression of 'right-thinking' people of the time. Nowadays, they tend to be, at best joke characters. So Maughan's view fascinates me to read while he does not draw me in.

Equally interesting is the portrayal of family values in the twenties, in the colonies - and back in Blighty. Marriage was the only way for a man to acceptably sleep with a woman. Divorce was a crime and could break a promising career. Younger generation may struggle with understanding the impact of adultery and divorce without explanatory notes although I can remember the tale end of the attitud.

The dog it was who died ..., 01 Nov 2008
Somerset Maugham conceived this story when he was a young student travelling in Italy and reading Dante's Purgatorio; it stuck in his mind, the story of a gentlewoman of Siena whose husband suspected her of adultery and, rather than putting her to death, took her to his castle in an unhealthy region where he hoped the 'noxious vapours' would do the job for him. Maugham turned it over in his mind for many years but couldn't think of a modern setting for such a tale until eventually he made a journey in China.
Kitty is a vulgar, vacuous, modern young woman (but this is the 1920s and she has been raised with no other aim in life than to marry, and so, yes, it is a tragedy when she finds herself on the shelf at 25, her charms ever so slightly beginning to fade, and hurtles into marriage with the next man to propose.) But the most interesting characters are the men. Maugham paints a wonderful portrait of Kitty's charming, but ultimately worthless ex-pat lover (whose own wife understands him too well). The character who is really gripping, however, is Walter, Kitty's deceived husband; Walter is a flawed saint, passionate, clever, proud, unforgiving, and far too good for his silly young wife.
So, was Walter planning a murderous revenge when he insists that Kitty accompany him to the cholera zone? (She has no choice once she realises her lover will never marry her.) If the novel has a weakness, it is in Kitty's rather too rapid spiritual growth once they get there. (And the ending, unfortunately, is woman's magazine trite.)

...with a good sense of proportion ;-), 26 Oct 2008
The story is very gripping and original.
The writing is very tight but the main characters, Kitty and Walter, are interestingly and well fleshed out and you really can understand what they're feeling. The descriptions are very detailed but never redundant.
I liked the way Maugham humanizes characters by adding qualities and faults that are not visiblle at first look.
I also really loved the character of the Manchu Princess which symbolizes Kitty's awakening.

A good old-fashioned story, 07 Sep 2008
A delightful and well-constructed story of an unhappy marriage. Kitty Fane is shallow and vain while her husband is stiff and socially inept. They travel out to Hong Kong where Walter works as a bacteriologist. Here Kitty meets and is besotted with Charles Townsend. When Walter hears of her affair he gives her several alternatives and in the end she feels her only choice is to travel with him to the interior of China to work in a cholera-ravaged community. Kitty's honesty about her own feelings and weaknesses endear her to the reader - but we are equally drawn to sad cuckolded Walter.

At Mei-tan-fu Kitty begins to work in the Catholic convent and gradually comes to recognise good qualities in her husband while finding spiritual solace through hard work. Maugham introduces some great characters - Waddington the Customs Officer (living with a Manchu woman) and the wise Mother Superior.

Some of Kitty's shortcomings can be explained by her loveless family background. We do not get an insight into how Walter became the man he is.

The Painted Veil is a good old-fashioned story beautifully told.


Vintage Maugham, 18 Jun 2008
The Painted Veil pits amiable but unscrupulous fools against tormented souls, has a duly sarcastic starting-point, and is set in far-away, warlord-era China; in short, it has the ingredients for vintage Maugham.

The book begins in Hong Kong, with an adultery scene. Kitty Fane is beautiful, shallow, and calculating. She soon finds her match in Charles Townsend, a vain and cynical but popular colonial official - and in her own husband, the lover's very photo-negative, who drags her through plague-ridden country in revenge. The story is that of her spiritual transformation. It can even be read to show women's superior ability for moral elevation.

The Painted Veil is full of Maugham's innumerable human insights, and it is filled with danger, physical and psychological. This is an easy to read, absorbing novel. Readers expecting lush visions of warlord-era China to jump from the page, though, will need to look in another place. The "native" country is distant, dream-like and morbid, seen through the eyes of the heroine, whose preoccupations are elsewhere. It is only peered at from the height of a curtained palanquin. Indeed, the novel paints the superficial and self-centred expatriate community of Hong-Kong much more than it does labouring China; as such, it probably remained true to life until very recent times.


English literature at its best, 12 Aug 2008
An absolutely superb book. Having read and loved George Orwell and discovered he was a fan Maugham I decided to have a look at Of Human Bondage. Having finished it and given myself some time to reflect, I can say that it is the best book that I have read so far. I was so drawn in to the story of Philip Carey and his journey into adulthood that the 700+ pages flew by. I will also echo the sentiments of other reviewers that despite the fact that Philip could not by any means be described as a hero I still found myself caring for him and always hoping for a positive outcome even when the situation seemed so very bleak for him. This I think is one of the books strengths that despite the actions of the characters they are so well written that I still found myself wanting the best for them even Mildred.

I would highly recommend this book and consider it one of the classic pieces of literature which deserves to have been read by a much larger audience.

An eternal classic, 20 Apr 2008
An absolute wonder of a book. The story revolves around Philip, an orphan with a club foot who searches hard for his place in the world. We witness the isolation of his early youth and his battle with mediocrity as he struggles to become an artist in Paris. He finds a vocation of sorts in medicine and there we witness his battles with poverty and being the victim of falling in love with the most terrible of people. If the book has a flaw it is his all consuming love affair.

There are traces of Jude Obscure in this book; however this novel is far superior and there are some discourses of real beauty. As with all of Maugham's work the writing is superb and you're drawn in from the first chapter. An absolute must read.


A timeless classic, 04 Apr 2008
Of Human Bondage is quintessential Somerset Maugham and is, or should be, one of the classics of English literature. Don't be put off by its length; you will only wish it were longer by the time you finish it!

The book is set in the last decades of the nineteenth century and, apparently partly autobiographical, it tells of the growing up of a young orphan, his apprenticeship of art and then medicine and of course his painful tuition in love. Philip, the hero, is initially raised in an English country vicarage, the life of which is described with fetching authenticity. In fact, its realistic evocation of exotic settings, a typical feature of Maugham's writing, is one of the novel's undoubted attractions. Philip moves on to Heidelberg, then Paris among a community of artistic hopefuls and painting schools, and back to turn-of-the-century London, with its contrast of glitter and squalor, its top hats and workers' dorms, music halls and stockbrokers' clubs. There he becomes trapped in a tragic and sordid love affair that becomes so compulsive it threatens to enslave him.

If the hero's unrequited obsession is alluded to in the title, however, Of Human Bondage has a broader scope. Indeed it is - well - about life; but if that sounds pretentious, this is probably one of few works that can genuinely make that claim. The cast of characters is impressive in being both broad and convincing, and sufficient plot is granted each so that they can come alive. True, Maugham's sometimes acid, always witty and insightful style is at its best when portraying human faults. Purely positive archetypes are given briefer and just a little less compelling descriptions; but perhaps that is just reality. Few novels are able to bring forth such a variety of places, people and situations so convincingly and with such depth. Ultimately the test for this sweeping portrait is that one feels one has stood in it many more times than once, so strong is the association with its protagonists. And if you have occasionally fallen for an idiot who wasn't interested in you, then reading this may provide a cure.


Underrated epic, 21 Apr 2007
Although I relish a book like this, in that it is so well written and truly entertaining and there is a certain thrill and delight one receives when you know you are part of that small club of coming across a book of this brillance - a book not many other people have read or even know about, which on the other hand is unfortunate as I believe this book deserve a place on everyones bookshelf. The narrative rarely faulters if at all, this is truly a book of epic perportions full of passion, love, loss, hopes realised and hope dashed, a book about the strenght of the human spirit and how even when those around you drain all the goodness from you, you can still return love. Buy and read this book and you won't be disappointed.

Brilliant!, 31 Oct 2006
Of Human Bondage is a ridiculously good novel, one which receives nowhere near the amount of credit and acclaim it deserves. The accuracy and skill with which Maugham describes Philip Carey's idealism, his subsequent disenchantment and his relationship with Mildred inparticularly (a glorious femme fatale)is astonishining, touching and haunting.
Maugham has been criticised for the lack of poeticism in his prose, a "flaw" he acknowledged himself. However, his writing is precise, lively and insightful, without been overly embroidered or wordy, and this benefits the reader no end in Of Human Bondage. Central themes and important passages have more impact and are believable and human, inviting much consideration and empathy.
All in all, this is a most wonderful novel, undoubtedly one of my favourites and I can't reccomend it highly enough. Enjoy!


Light reading, 15 Mar 2008
A wonderful collection of stories, tho