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sprainedbrain's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
laefe's review against another edition
4.0
Se accettare la natura umana per quello che è, sorridendo quando è incomprensibile e soffrendo senza prendersela troppo quando si rivela meschina significa essere cinici, allora ritengo di essere tale.
George Moon
- L'angolo più remoto della terra
George Moon
- L'angolo più remoto della terra
lulunacy's review against another edition
4.0
Ver crítica aqui: http://lulunacy.wordpress.com/2011/11/02/rain-and-other-south-sea-stories
thepsychologyreader's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
polyhy_14's review against another edition
4.0
The morality and customs may be dated by today's standards, but Somerset Maugham's short stories are always a good place to go when I want something that's totally engrossing.
gormenghast's review against another edition
4.0
This was my first adventure with Somerset Maugham, and I must say that I'm quite impressed by what I read. If I were to get someone into reading classic literature, I would tell them to start with this short story collection for numerous reasons.
Maugham does a lot of things that modern writers of literary fiction are discouraged from doing nowadays: For the most part he is telling us a story rather than showing it, and he sometimes spends numerous pages, more than most authors would do in even a long novel, describing a characters appearance, mannerisms and past. Many less gifted authors would make a hack out of their writing if they were to use the same techniques, but I imagine Maugham as a very shrewd and perceptive observer as he, for the most part, knows what is interesting and what is not. His style makes for incredibly vivid characters and settings.
The prose is also perfect for people who are usually dscouraged from reading classics because of the language. If I were to describe Maughams prose with one word I would say that it is balanced. His sentences are of medium or short length, and although he expresses things clearly and matter of factly, he doesn't shy away from using more poetic and obscure language as well. It's like a perfect hybrid, or link, between the style of prose used in a victorian novel and the economical prose we are used to today.
Another reason to read this is that the short stories utilize an amazingly clear and classical style of plot structure, as if he used Aristoteles "Poetics" like a recipe book and Sophocles tragic plays as examples. His characters of focus usually end up having some sort of fatal epiphany by the end of the short story that brings about their downfall. At the same time, the psychology of his characters rivals that of someone like Henry James or Flannery O'Connor so that their ruin gives actual food for thought for modern readers. Summing it up, he builds his stories on a classical foundation, but fills them with modern psychological and moral depth.
Rain and Macintosh are among the very best short stories I've ever read, and the rest of the stories are of a consistent high quality, which is an achievement itself when it comes to short story collections. I can't give it a full 5 stars as I found that his inabiliy to write female characters were particularily jarring when compared to how well he wrote male characters, and I found that the stories sometimes lack a bit of playfulness or ingenuity that for me would elevate them to a bit of a higher level. As someone who is not a particularily big fan of short stories however I must say that this collection is up there for me as one of the most enjoyable and consistent ones, alongside Flannery O'Connors "Everything That Rises Must Converge". Recommended!
Maugham does a lot of things that modern writers of literary fiction are discouraged from doing nowadays: For the most part he is telling us a story rather than showing it, and he sometimes spends numerous pages, more than most authors would do in even a long novel, describing a characters appearance, mannerisms and past. Many less gifted authors would make a hack out of their writing if they were to use the same techniques, but I imagine Maugham as a very shrewd and perceptive observer as he, for the most part, knows what is interesting and what is not. His style makes for incredibly vivid characters and settings.
The prose is also perfect for people who are usually dscouraged from reading classics because of the language. If I were to describe Maughams prose with one word I would say that it is balanced. His sentences are of medium or short length, and although he expresses things clearly and matter of factly, he doesn't shy away from using more poetic and obscure language as well. It's like a perfect hybrid, or link, between the style of prose used in a victorian novel and the economical prose we are used to today.
Another reason to read this is that the short stories utilize an amazingly clear and classical style of plot structure, as if he used Aristoteles "Poetics" like a recipe book and Sophocles tragic plays as examples. His characters of focus usually end up having some sort of fatal epiphany by the end of the short story that brings about their downfall. At the same time, the psychology of his characters rivals that of someone like Henry James or Flannery O'Connor so that their ruin gives actual food for thought for modern readers. Summing it up, he builds his stories on a classical foundation, but fills them with modern psychological and moral depth.
Rain and Macintosh are among the very best short stories I've ever read, and the rest of the stories are of a consistent high quality, which is an achievement itself when it comes to short story collections. I can't give it a full 5 stars as I found that his inabiliy to write female characters were particularily jarring when compared to how well he wrote male characters, and I found that the stories sometimes lack a bit of playfulness or ingenuity that for me would elevate them to a bit of a higher level. As someone who is not a particularily big fan of short stories however I must say that this collection is up there for me as one of the most enjoyable and consistent ones, alongside Flannery O'Connors "Everything That Rises Must Converge". Recommended!
magalis's review against another edition
3.0
Did I enjoy it? I did. Like with any short story collection there were stories I liked and stories I didn't care about, but overall this was pretty good.
Would I read it again? Unlikely, but not because it was bad, just because I don't tend to reread short story collections. Occasionally I'll reread stories from the collections, but not the collection as a whole.
Who would I recommend it to? If you enjoy Maugham's writing, specifically his stories focusing on British Imperialism, you'll probably enjoy these. Like I said earlier, these aren't his best pieces, but there's still something distinctly Maugham in there. I would not read this as your first foray into his writing though, stick to his better known novels for that!
Any other thoughts? This was the first of Maugham's short stories that I've read, and I gotta say they weren't my favorite. I prefer his novels, but that's not to say that these weren't well-done. The stories in this book were heavily linked to the themes of religion and morality, which isn't uncommon in Maugham's books, but definitely felt a little heavy-handed in several of these instances. One of my favorite things about Maugham's writing is his treatment of women, they always feel like fully fleshed out characters with their own rich history and thoughts and emotions, but in these stories they all fell flat, which was disappointing. The descriptive scenes were a rich as ever though, and the mood and atmosphere of the South Sea region during the early-1900s was well-painted. "The Pacific"was probably my favorite piece in the book, even though I think it might have been the shortest of the lot.
Would I read it again? Unlikely, but not because it was bad, just because I don't tend to reread short story collections. Occasionally I'll reread stories from the collections, but not the collection as a whole.
Who would I recommend it to? If you enjoy Maugham's writing, specifically his stories focusing on British Imperialism, you'll probably enjoy these. Like I said earlier, these aren't his best pieces, but there's still something distinctly Maugham in there. I would not read this as your first foray into his writing though, stick to his better known novels for that!
Any other thoughts? This was the first of Maugham's short stories that I've read, and I gotta say they weren't my favorite. I prefer his novels, but that's not to say that these weren't well-done. The stories in this book were heavily linked to the themes of religion and morality, which isn't uncommon in Maugham's books, but definitely felt a little heavy-handed in several of these instances. One of my favorite things about Maugham's writing is his treatment of women, they always feel like fully fleshed out characters with their own rich history and thoughts and emotions, but in these stories they all fell flat, which was disappointing. The descriptive scenes were a rich as ever though, and the mood and atmosphere of the South Sea region during the early-1900s was well-painted. "The Pacific"was probably my favorite piece in the book, even though I think it might have been the shortest of the lot.
sammystarbuck's review against another edition
4.0
Oh I do enjoy Maugham! A fun little collection of short stories. I was especially amused by the one where the wife writes a book.
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