The Razor's Edge
Maugham, you son of a bitch.You know, at one time I made quite a little reputation for myself as a humorist by the simple process of telling the truth. It came as such a surprise to most people that they thought I was being funny.There are the first thirty pages of a Somerset Maugham book, and then there are the next 200, or 300, or 400 pages that turn it on its head. Its a game now for me, to form as fast and as sure an opinion of the people he puts in those first thirty pages so the rest of
The way Maugham crafts this is to be applauded; it reads in just the way it should. Only a sentence or two in, I was instantly compelled to read more. Maugham is a character in the story, he even retains his own name. That he is an author, that he studied medicine, that he has travelled is spoken of and is clearly evident by the very details woven into the tale. He speaks of how this is a novel, but then we are told it isnt. It is about a person he knew. He tells us that what he doesnt know
In all big cities there are self-contained groups that exist without intercommunication, small worlds within a greater world that lead their lives, their members dependent upon one another for companionship, as though they inhabited islands separated from each other by an unnavigable strait. Of no city, in my experience, is this more true than of Paris. 4 ½ stars. I liked this book a lot. Much more than Maugham's Of Human Bondage, but not quite as much as The Painted Veil. The first person
So let me start with a few of the reasons why I shouldn't have liked this book.-I usually prefer contemporary fiction.-The Americans are, for the most part, sad, sad characters. Eliot is obsessed with society and culture to the detriment of love and emotion. Isabel wouldn't marry Larry because he would never be rich, and she was disappointed when she inherited some Picassos and Matisses because they wouldn't match her modern decor. Gray was somewhat single minded about work.-The level of detail
Chatty, erudite, engrossing and thoroughly entertaining.W. Somerset Maughams 1944 publication, called by many his most ambitious work, centers around a group of friends from Chicago whose lives are chronicled by the narrator over a period of more than twenty years from before the first World War, though the Great Depression and after World War II.The most stimulating character is Larry Darrell, whose journey towards enlightenment is almost Hessian in its eloquence and single-mindedness. Maugham
When I first read this, I was too overwhelmed to try to sum up my feelings about it with just a bit of text. (Plus, I wasn't on Goodreads at the time.) There is still no earthly way that I can convey how fantastic this book is, but I did want to mention what still strikes me years later. In the hands of most authors, this book would focus on Larry, the young man who abandons a life of privilege to seek enlightenment and meaning after terrible experiences in the Great War. His fiancee, who breaks
W. Somerset Maugham
Paperback | Pages: 314 pages Rating: 4.19 | 34798 Users | 2738 Reviews
Specify Books Conducive To The Razor's Edge
Original Title: | The Razor's Edge |
ISBN: | 1400034205 (ISBN13: 9781400034208) |
Edition Language: | English |
Characters: | Elliott Templeton, Larry Darrell, Louisa Bradley, Sophie Macdonald, Gray Maturin, Isabel Bradley, Dr. Bob Nelson, Somerset Maugham |
Setting: | Paris(France) Chicago, Illinois(United States) France …more French Riviera(France) …less |
Interpretation As Books The Razor's Edge
Larry Darrell is a young American in search of the absolute. The progress of this spiritual odyssey involves him with some of Maugham's most brillant characters - his fiancee Isabel, whose choice between love and wealth have lifelong repercussions, and Elliot Templeton, her uncle, a classic expatriate American snob. The most ambitious of Maugham's novels, this is also one in which Maugham himself plays a considerable part as he wanders in and out of the story, to observe his characters struggling with their fates.Declare Out Of Books The Razor's Edge
Title | : | The Razor's Edge |
Author | : | W. Somerset Maugham |
Book Format | : | Paperback |
Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 314 pages |
Published | : | September 9th 2003 by Vintage International (first published 1944) |
Categories | : | Fiction. Classics. Literature |
Rating Out Of Books The Razor's Edge
Ratings: 4.19 From 34798 Users | 2738 ReviewsArticle Out Of Books The Razor's Edge
What a keen observer of people Maugham is! This book is just a wonderful delight, amusing & serious at the same time, filled with Maugham's warm, wonderful observations of people. It's like visiting a bunch of old friends various times throughout the years, telling stories, catching up on gossip, pondering the meaning of life, etc.... Maugham writes beautifully. All the characters are great -- true people with many virtues, but flaws too; the flaws don't detract, though, just make them real.Maugham, you son of a bitch.You know, at one time I made quite a little reputation for myself as a humorist by the simple process of telling the truth. It came as such a surprise to most people that they thought I was being funny.There are the first thirty pages of a Somerset Maugham book, and then there are the next 200, or 300, or 400 pages that turn it on its head. Its a game now for me, to form as fast and as sure an opinion of the people he puts in those first thirty pages so the rest of
The way Maugham crafts this is to be applauded; it reads in just the way it should. Only a sentence or two in, I was instantly compelled to read more. Maugham is a character in the story, he even retains his own name. That he is an author, that he studied medicine, that he has travelled is spoken of and is clearly evident by the very details woven into the tale. He speaks of how this is a novel, but then we are told it isnt. It is about a person he knew. He tells us that what he doesnt know
In all big cities there are self-contained groups that exist without intercommunication, small worlds within a greater world that lead their lives, their members dependent upon one another for companionship, as though they inhabited islands separated from each other by an unnavigable strait. Of no city, in my experience, is this more true than of Paris. 4 ½ stars. I liked this book a lot. Much more than Maugham's Of Human Bondage, but not quite as much as The Painted Veil. The first person
So let me start with a few of the reasons why I shouldn't have liked this book.-I usually prefer contemporary fiction.-The Americans are, for the most part, sad, sad characters. Eliot is obsessed with society and culture to the detriment of love and emotion. Isabel wouldn't marry Larry because he would never be rich, and she was disappointed when she inherited some Picassos and Matisses because they wouldn't match her modern decor. Gray was somewhat single minded about work.-The level of detail
Chatty, erudite, engrossing and thoroughly entertaining.W. Somerset Maughams 1944 publication, called by many his most ambitious work, centers around a group of friends from Chicago whose lives are chronicled by the narrator over a period of more than twenty years from before the first World War, though the Great Depression and after World War II.The most stimulating character is Larry Darrell, whose journey towards enlightenment is almost Hessian in its eloquence and single-mindedness. Maugham
When I first read this, I was too overwhelmed to try to sum up my feelings about it with just a bit of text. (Plus, I wasn't on Goodreads at the time.) There is still no earthly way that I can convey how fantastic this book is, but I did want to mention what still strikes me years later. In the hands of most authors, this book would focus on Larry, the young man who abandons a life of privilege to seek enlightenment and meaning after terrible experiences in the Great War. His fiancee, who breaks
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