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sportula's review against another edition
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
kelly_may's review against another edition
challenging
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
4.5
gurofl's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
jess_mango's review against another edition
4.0
I quite enjoyed reading "The Painted Veil". I liked it more than I liked Maugham's "Razor's Edge" which I read earlier this year.
picklemetimbers's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
book_concierge's review against another edition
5.0
Audio book performed by Kate Reading
Kitty Fane has come with her husband, bacteriologist Walter Fane, to Hong Kong circa 1920, where he runs a laboratory for the British government. Bored and feeling she married too hastily, she falls into a passionate affair with Charlie Townsend, an up-and-coming official who is certain he’ll one day be Colonial Governor. When Walter discovers the affair, he gives Kitty a choice – accompany him to the interior of China where she’ll likely contract cholera, or suffer the scandal of a public divorce naming the married Townsend as her lover.
Oh, my … What can I say? Maugham gives us a “heroine” who is so flawed, so unlikeable, so self-centered, shallow and obtuse … and yet … Kitty does grow throughout the novel. Raised by a socially ambitious mother to make “an advantageous marriage,” in an era when women were mostly defined by the men they married, Kitty chooses Walter in a last-minute desperate attempt to beat her younger sister to the altar. She remains intoxicated by her own beauty and the power it wields over the men in her circle, and so falls “madly in love” with Charlie. But she’s so immature that she fails to recognize how he is using her, how disinterested he is in her or what she needs/wants. When she is forced to accompany Walter to the interior, she begins finally to recognize what a mess she has made of her life, and what a different path she might have chosen.
Does this mean that suddenly all is forgiven and she and Walter will live happily ever after? Of course not. There is tragedy ahead, but despite some setbacks and reverting to past behavior, Kitty does gain insight into her own (and other’s) behavior. She learns about compassion and selflessness. While she is far from fully realized at the end, she proves herself much more than the vapid, selfish young woman we see at the beginning of the novel.
I do wish that Maugham had spent a little more time developing the men in this novel. Don’t misunderstand me. I was happy to explore Kitty’s character (just as I was to explore Wharton’s Lily Bart), but I would have liked to have more insight into Walter’s thoughts and feelings. To me, he really came across as a cardboard cutout – I sympathized with his plight, but had a hard time empathizing.
Kate Reading did a superb job of the narration on the audio version. Her pacing was good and she voiced the characters with sufficiently unique voices to make it easy to follow. When I came to the end I wanted to immediately start over, and that makes it a 5-star read for me.
Kitty Fane has come with her husband, bacteriologist Walter Fane, to Hong Kong circa 1920, where he runs a laboratory for the British government. Bored and feeling she married too hastily, she falls into a passionate affair with Charlie Townsend, an up-and-coming official who is certain he’ll one day be Colonial Governor. When Walter discovers the affair, he gives Kitty a choice – accompany him to the interior of China where she’ll likely contract cholera, or suffer the scandal of a public divorce naming the married Townsend as her lover.
Oh, my … What can I say? Maugham gives us a “heroine” who is so flawed, so unlikeable, so self-centered, shallow and obtuse … and yet … Kitty does grow throughout the novel. Raised by a socially ambitious mother to make “an advantageous marriage,” in an era when women were mostly defined by the men they married, Kitty chooses Walter in a last-minute desperate attempt to beat her younger sister to the altar. She remains intoxicated by her own beauty and the power it wields over the men in her circle, and so falls “madly in love” with Charlie. But she’s so immature that she fails to recognize how he is using her, how disinterested he is in her or what she needs/wants. When she is forced to accompany Walter to the interior, she begins finally to recognize what a mess she has made of her life, and what a different path she might have chosen.
Does this mean that suddenly all is forgiven and she and Walter will live happily ever after? Of course not. There is tragedy ahead, but despite some setbacks and reverting to past behavior, Kitty does gain insight into her own (and other’s) behavior. She learns about compassion and selflessness. While she is far from fully realized at the end, she proves herself much more than the vapid, selfish young woman we see at the beginning of the novel.
I do wish that Maugham had spent a little more time developing the men in this novel. Don’t misunderstand me. I was happy to explore Kitty’s character (just as I was to explore Wharton’s Lily Bart), but I would have liked to have more insight into Walter’s thoughts and feelings. To me, he really came across as a cardboard cutout – I sympathized with his plight, but had a hard time empathizing.
Kate Reading did a superb job of the narration on the audio version. Her pacing was good and she voiced the characters with sufficiently unique voices to make it easy to follow. When I came to the end I wanted to immediately start over, and that makes it a 5-star read for me.
rosie505's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kaka66's review against another edition
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75