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zeltzamer's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Maugham has the annoying habit sometimes of apparently thinking that acknowledging the cliche matters when you’re still doing the cliche, and a few of the stories are sort of risible in a way that I’m not sure was intentional (Giula Lazzari, His Excellency.) I’d say more hits than misses overall though.
andgineer's review against another edition
5.0
Замечательное, на мой вкус, сочетание старой размеренной литерату и в тоже время некоего озорства автора в неожиданных поворотах несложных рассказов. Хорошая литература, где сюжет важен, удерживает интерес, но все равно вторичен.
beachy123's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed these stories.
nyne's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
poachedeggs's review against another edition
3.0
I love Maugham but his work can be a little uneven, and especially so when it's a short story collection (unless one is talking about Raymond Carver or Alice Munro, it's been difficult to find a short story collection that *completely* captivates me).
In this one, Ashenden the British spy - cynical, ostensibly colourless, a keen observer of those around him - hobnobs with ambassadors and royalty, and sends men to certain death. There are femme fatales as well as washed up spies, double agents and traps wrongly sprung. It is all rather exotic - perhaps a little too much so.
My favourite story is "The Traitor", which is set in the Swiss Alps and is an unexpectedly tragic love story.
In this one, Ashenden the British spy - cynical, ostensibly colourless, a keen observer of those around him - hobnobs with ambassadors and royalty, and sends men to certain death. There are femme fatales as well as washed up spies, double agents and traps wrongly sprung. It is all rather exotic - perhaps a little too much so.
My favourite story is "The Traitor", which is set in the Swiss Alps and is an unexpectedly tragic love story.
tolstoj4ever's review against another edition
5.0
ahhhh
so good
you should read it if you want your mind to be blown every time you sit down for a read
i don't know where maugham got his ideas
but i do know that we're very lucky he wrote them down and i'm lucky to have read them
so good
you should read it if you want your mind to be blown every time you sit down for a read
i don't know where maugham got his ideas
but i do know that we're very lucky he wrote them down and i'm lucky to have read them
rob_edmunds's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I really enjoyed this collection of short stories of quite variable lengths. Somerset Maugham has a great way of evoking both time and place and immersing you in wherever he imagines his characters to be. It was nice to be transported to tranquil, balmy evenings in the South Pacific as an example. In quite a few of the stories, he quite deliberately makes particular observations or points, almost in the style of a parable. He wants us to see the error of judgement or perception of a protagonist and he often makes that plain quite early on in a story. There were certainly a few revelatory moments when I found myself thinking "ah I know where you're going with this." It didn't diminish my enjoyment at all to be somewhat aware of the denouement of a few of the stories very far from the end. I did enjoy some more than others and I'm not sure over what span of time the stories were written. Some certainly gave the impression of a writer who has mastered his craft and voice whereas a few others felt more like he was in the process of developing it.
tolstoj4ever's review against another edition
5.0
ahhhh
so good
you should read it if you want your mind to be blown every time you sit down for a read
i don't know where maugham got his ideas
but i do know that we're very lucky he wrote them down and i'm lucky to have read them
so good
you should read it if you want your mind to be blown every time you sit down for a read
i don't know where maugham got his ideas
but i do know that we're very lucky he wrote them down and i'm lucky to have read them
krisz's review against another edition
5.0
Maugham is a great storyteller. I first read Moon and Sixpence from him and I had to stop reading and try and analyse why is it so bloody good - the story itself is not so fantastic, but the way he tells it is ingenious.
Since then I'm hooked and this book was a gift from my husband. As I read it I make memos of the stories for later and * my faves.
- Rain* - about a doctor and missionary who travel with their wives and have to stop on a rainy island because the captain gets ill. A surprising end!
- The Fall of Edward Barnard* - Bateman Hunter returns from Tahiti to tell the loved girl what had happened to her fiancée. In the beginning I'm so eager to know, I was pissed off when I had to book down without finishing the story first!
- Honolulu - a schooner captain got seriously ill when he told off his shipmate for wanting the captain's girl. Was a bit predictable.
- The Luncheon - how Maugham had to invite a lady for expensive lunch when he had little to spare. Wasn't an interesting one.
- The Ant and the Grasshopper - about two brothers who are like La Fontaine's heroes. Again, hardly interesting.
- Home - when an old man returns to his family home after 50 years in China. It was a sweet story.
- The Pool* - a Scotsman finds romance while he goes to bathe, but life isn't so easy when cultures are so different. A puzzling story that makes one think.
- Mackintosh - about the secretary of an island's administrator. I didn't like the end, I imagined something longer where the after-events take more time to unfold.
- Appearance and Reality - how a prestigious man finds a girlfriend. I truly disliked the story, the characters were so lowly.
- The Three Fat Women of Antibes* - three fat women do all they can to lose weight, but it becomes tiring when a niece visits them who eats all the calorie-full stuff. A funny little story.
- The Facts of Life* - about a good-natured son who decides to be judgemental on his father's view and learns a lot. Funny, interesting.
- Gigolo and Gigolette - a bit uninteresting snapshot of a couple who earn their money with a circus-like performance.
- The Happy Couple - about the neighbours of a friend of Maugham, who probably killed for their love.
- The Voice of the Turtle - a writer who wants to write about a prima donna meets one. Had no twist.
- The Lion's Skin* - a love story with a secret/twist that makes the whole thing sweet.
- The Unconquered** - a German soldier rapes a French girl, then regrets the deed, and cannot leave the family alone. An absolute favourite story of mine! Larger than life, Maugham at his best.
- The Escape - a funny anecdote how a man escaped marriage in a cunning way when he fell out of love but didn't want to jilt the woman.
- The Judgement Seat - a very true story about lives lived in vain.
- Mr. Know-All* - there is a man in the ship everybody hates as he boasts his knowledge on every topic on Earth. Then he proves to be such human that is surprisingly heart-warming. I loved the twist at the end.
- The Happy Man - again a nice story about a man who made a good decision.
- The Romantic Young Lady - how great love can abruptly end. It was disgraceful and I didn't like it.
- The Point of Honour* - sad but very human story about a couple and how the husband was to keep the honour of their name.
- The Poet** - again a story with a surprising and outrageously funny end, about meeting a famous poet.
- The Mother - about a man whose mother is a murderer and she murdered out of love for her son. Made me feel uncomfortable, and not in a nice way.
- A Man from Glasgow - a Scotsman moves to Seville, to a house next to a madman's; a story with a predictable end.
- Before the Party* - a family is about to leave house when a terrible story unfolds. True Maughamian story!
- Louise* - a gentle story of a frail woman who was strong when she wanted to but revenged Maugham when he hinted at it. A good story, bit others I liked more.
- The Promise - the sad story of a lady who always dumped her boyfriends and now finds herself in a funny situation. An okay read.
- A String of Beads* - funny one about a necklace and how its clip being broken changes the life of the governess. Could have been made longer, and with more detail to be really very good.
- The Yellow Streak - about a bora in Borneo. I couldn't get the ending :( (Did Campion refer to Izzart's yellow streak? If so, then anyone with a yellow streak would talk ill of a Caucasian? Or was Campion a half-caste? Or...?)
Since then I'm hooked and this book was a gift from my husband. As I read it I make memos of the stories for later and * my faves.
- Rain* - about a doctor and missionary who travel with their wives and have to stop on a rainy island because the captain gets ill. A surprising end!
- The Fall of Edward Barnard* - Bateman Hunter returns from Tahiti to tell the loved girl what had happened to her fiancée. In the beginning I'm so eager to know, I was pissed off when I had to book down without finishing the story first!
- Honolulu - a schooner captain got seriously ill when he told off his shipmate for wanting the captain's girl. Was a bit predictable.
- The Luncheon - how Maugham had to invite a lady for expensive lunch when he had little to spare. Wasn't an interesting one.
- The Ant and the Grasshopper - about two brothers who are like La Fontaine's heroes. Again, hardly interesting.
- Home - when an old man returns to his family home after 50 years in China. It was a sweet story.
- The Pool* - a Scotsman finds romance while he goes to bathe, but life isn't so easy when cultures are so different. A puzzling story that makes one think.
- Mackintosh - about the secretary of an island's administrator. I didn't like the end, I imagined something longer where the after-events take more time to unfold.
- Appearance and Reality - how a prestigious man finds a girlfriend. I truly disliked the story, the characters were so lowly.
- The Three Fat Women of Antibes* - three fat women do all they can to lose weight, but it becomes tiring when a niece visits them who eats all the calorie-full stuff. A funny little story.
- The Facts of Life* - about a good-natured son who decides to be judgemental on his father's view and learns a lot. Funny, interesting.
- Gigolo and Gigolette - a bit uninteresting snapshot of a couple who earn their money with a circus-like performance.
- The Happy Couple - about the neighbours of a friend of Maugham, who probably killed for their love.
- The Voice of the Turtle - a writer who wants to write about a prima donna meets one. Had no twist.
- The Lion's Skin* - a love story with a secret/twist that makes the whole thing sweet.
- The Unconquered** - a German soldier rapes a French girl, then regrets the deed, and cannot leave the family alone. An absolute favourite story of mine! Larger than life, Maugham at his best.
- The Escape - a funny anecdote how a man escaped marriage in a cunning way when he fell out of love but didn't want to jilt the woman.
- The Judgement Seat - a very true story about lives lived in vain.
- Mr. Know-All* - there is a man in the ship everybody hates as he boasts his knowledge on every topic on Earth. Then he proves to be such human that is surprisingly heart-warming. I loved the twist at the end.
- The Happy Man - again a nice story about a man who made a good decision.
- The Romantic Young Lady - how great love can abruptly end. It was disgraceful and I didn't like it.
- The Point of Honour* - sad but very human story about a couple and how the husband was to keep the honour of their name.
- The Poet** - again a story with a surprising and outrageously funny end, about meeting a famous poet.
- The Mother - about a man whose mother is a murderer and she murdered out of love for her son. Made me feel uncomfortable, and not in a nice way.
- A Man from Glasgow - a Scotsman moves to Seville, to a house next to a madman's; a story with a predictable end.
- Before the Party* - a family is about to leave house when a terrible story unfolds. True Maughamian story!
- Louise* - a gentle story of a frail woman who was strong when she wanted to but revenged Maugham when he hinted at it. A good story, bit others I liked more.
- The Promise - the sad story of a lady who always dumped her boyfriends and now finds herself in a funny situation. An okay read.
- A String of Beads* - funny one about a necklace and how its clip being broken changes the life of the governess. Could have been made longer, and with more detail to be really very good.
- The Yellow Streak - about a bora in Borneo. I couldn't get the ending :( (Did Campion refer to Izzart's yellow streak? If so, then anyone with a yellow streak would talk ill of a Caucasian? Or was Campion a half-caste? Or...?)