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bibliophilicemily's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
notasilkycat's review against another edition
5.0
This one I haven’t re-visited since I read it in my twenties. I loved it then very much but I couldn’t remember a thing about it now.
Well, this book definitely was worth reading again. The wit and sarcasm of Maugham are here just in all their brilliance.
Well, this book definitely was worth reading again. The wit and sarcasm of Maugham are here just in all their brilliance.
heroineinabook's review against another edition
1.0
tl;dr Cakes and Ale is proof in the pudding dead white dudes could write whatever the fuck they want and have it hailed as literary masterpiece, even when it is utterly beyond crap.
Review
I picked this book up a couple of months ago and it has been the bane of my existence as the more I read, the more I hated it. It is poorly written and badly edited, with random thoughts dropped into the middle of scenes that do not make any sense to the story or plot. For example, near the end of the book while discussing the character, Rosie Driffield, in question, the narrator suddenly decides this would be a good time to go on a two page bender on the withal of telling a story in first person narrative. Then as suddenly as he leapt into that thought, he leaps back into his discourse of Rosie's admirable/questionable qualities.
The book is littered with jumps like this. There was 30 pages leveled on the discourse of beauty, what it meant, how it was applicable to life, who got it, and who didn't. Another 10 pages on the virtues of a secondary minor character who doesn't show up until near the end of the book. Roughly 20 pages was spent discussing the attributes of a another character who never actually shows up later in the story.
Maugham name checks of the day famous literary talent, real and imaginary. He draws comparison between his protagonist, William Ashenden, and these literary giants and whom you realise is really a stand in for him. He fangirls over so many famous people, it gets kind of embarrassing.
The crux of the story is William Ashenden, the narrator, is asked by Alroy Kear, another London literary snob, to help him with his research on writing a biography of recently deceased late-Victorian author, Edward Driffield. Driffield's wife, the second Mrs. Driffield, wants any mention of the first Mrs. Driffield, our supposed heroine Rosie, to be erased from Edward's history for she was an amoral character to the ninth degree and whose influence over poor dear Edward nearly killed him.
With this set up, one would think the whole of the story would be the bringing to life, discussion, and telling of Rosie Driffield's relationship with Edward. Rosie is mentioned in the beginning of the book briefly and then it's not until another 200 pages later she's brought into focus again and then carried out. It was as if someone had said to Maugham, "Yo. You are far off plot here buddy, rein it in!" And he did.
The whole of the book is to examine the snobbery and the often absurd social mores of the late Victorians and later, the Edwardians, and how these attitudes were affected and perceived. I get that, I do. But in that vein, the book is so poorly executed I spent a lot of time wondering what the fuck I was reading. I checked the synopsis on the back of the book so often to verify that what it said was actually what I was reading and not something else entirely.
It is well documented Maugham had issues with women, as he often saw them as his sexual and affection competitors, so his women are often described and treated as if they scum on shoes because of their sex. It is also well established Maugham, despite impressive number of novels under his belt, is at his best as a short story writer. With that in mind, I would recommend you stay the hell away from Cakes and Ale. I cannot in good conscious even conceive how this book gets so much love because of how flawed it is from start to finish. It is not even coherent, and yet! Yet, the mere existence proves that a dead white dude could write anything and have it called a literary masterpiece.
Review
I picked this book up a couple of months ago and it has been the bane of my existence as the more I read, the more I hated it. It is poorly written and badly edited, with random thoughts dropped into the middle of scenes that do not make any sense to the story or plot. For example, near the end of the book while discussing the character, Rosie Driffield, in question, the narrator suddenly decides this would be a good time to go on a two page bender on the withal of telling a story in first person narrative. Then as suddenly as he leapt into that thought, he leaps back into his discourse of Rosie's admirable/questionable qualities.
The book is littered with jumps like this. There was 30 pages leveled on the discourse of beauty, what it meant, how it was applicable to life, who got it, and who didn't. Another 10 pages on the virtues of a secondary minor character who doesn't show up until near the end of the book. Roughly 20 pages was spent discussing the attributes of a another character who never actually shows up later in the story.
Maugham name checks of the day famous literary talent, real and imaginary. He draws comparison between his protagonist, William Ashenden, and these literary giants and whom you realise is really a stand in for him. He fangirls over so many famous people, it gets kind of embarrassing.
The crux of the story is William Ashenden, the narrator, is asked by Alroy Kear, another London literary snob, to help him with his research on writing a biography of recently deceased late-Victorian author, Edward Driffield. Driffield's wife, the second Mrs. Driffield, wants any mention of the first Mrs. Driffield, our supposed heroine Rosie, to be erased from Edward's history for she was an amoral character to the ninth degree and whose influence over poor dear Edward nearly killed him.
With this set up, one would think the whole of the story would be the bringing to life, discussion, and telling of Rosie Driffield's relationship with Edward. Rosie is mentioned in the beginning of the book briefly and then it's not until another 200 pages later she's brought into focus again and then carried out. It was as if someone had said to Maugham, "Yo. You are far off plot here buddy, rein it in!" And he did.
The whole of the book is to examine the snobbery and the often absurd social mores of the late Victorians and later, the Edwardians, and how these attitudes were affected and perceived. I get that, I do. But in that vein, the book is so poorly executed I spent a lot of time wondering what the fuck I was reading. I checked the synopsis on the back of the book so often to verify that what it said was actually what I was reading and not something else entirely.
It is well documented Maugham had issues with women, as he often saw them as his sexual and affection competitors, so his women are often described and treated as if they scum on shoes because of their sex. It is also well established Maugham, despite impressive number of novels under his belt, is at his best as a short story writer. With that in mind, I would recommend you stay the hell away from Cakes and Ale. I cannot in good conscious even conceive how this book gets so much love because of how flawed it is from start to finish. It is not even coherent, and yet! Yet, the mere existence proves that a dead white dude could write anything and have it called a literary masterpiece.
krobart's review against another edition
4.0
See my review here:
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2019/10/14/review-1405-cakes-and-ale/
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2019/10/14/review-1405-cakes-and-ale/
bluestarfish's review against another edition
4.0
"Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?" - Twelfth Night / Shakespeare
The subtitle of the book "or, The Skeleton in the Cupboard" speaks of the glossed over first wife of the recently deceased novelist and the memories of the first person narrator of her and the novelist when he was a young boy/man. This comic book pokes fun at the effort to be a well-known literary figure and what the extra work of keeping famous involves. The poor has-been poet buried in a sigh... Rosie is a fascinating character though, although the view point is very much mediated through Ashenden's (and Maugham's) eyes.
The subtitle of the book "or, The Skeleton in the Cupboard" speaks of the glossed over first wife of the recently deceased novelist and the memories of the first person narrator of her and the novelist when he was a young boy/man. This comic book pokes fun at the effort to be a well-known literary figure and what the extra work of keeping famous involves. The poor has-been poet buried in a sigh... Rosie is a fascinating character though, although the view point is very much mediated through Ashenden's (and Maugham's) eyes.
littletaiko's review against another edition
4.0
William Ashenden narrates this delightful tale that pokes fun at the literary world and class division. A friend of William's has been selected to write a biography of another author, Edward Driffield, who both men knew. This causes William to start reminiscing about his youth when he first met Edward and his wife Rosie and the impact they had on him.
martinamontenero's review against another edition
4.0
Ironia? Sarcasmo? Cinismo?
So solo che il piglio acuto e tagliente di Maugham mi ha fatto volare per 243 pagine di fila.
Sono arrivata a fine libro che non sapevo se mi fosse piaciuta più la storia o il suo stile e, a fronte di una considerazione generale, propenderei più per la seconda opzione. È riuscito a sfociare, dalla più simpatica e universale delle considerazioni, all’affascinante e viscerale caratterizzazione dei personaggi, uno più stronzo e ipocrita dell’altro, ed è questo il bello. Siamo a cavallo tra la fine dell’Ottocento e gli inizi del Novecento, Inghilterra. E come i più di voi intuiranno la parola chiave di questo periodo è RISPETTABILITÀ . E chi più di me gode leggendo libri che criticano la falsità del vittorianesimo!? ( vedi alla voce Camera con vista).
Quel che più mi ha entusiasmata è stata
la mordace ironia con cui Maugham è riuscito a prendere per il culo tutto e tutti, pur non esplicitamente.
Ha criticato l’ambiente culturale ed editoriale dell’epoca, gli scrittori, i salotti, la doppiezza della società.
Gli unici che si salvano sono proprio i Driffield. Abbiamo Rosie, il personaggio che ha dato vita al libro stesso, la quale nel suo comportamento contraddittorio in realtà esprime un’attitudine sincera al mondo e alla vita.
E poi vi è il famoso e illustre scrittore, Edward Driffield, dalle umili origini e strambe abitudini.
Uomo di avventura, marinaio in gioventù, gode della semplicità della vita. Proprio per questo attorno a queste figure peculiari, si crea un marasma di indignazione e repulsione che carbura il meccanismo di mascheramento dei propri istinti e della propria natura in virtù di un atteggiamento rispettabile e accettabile dalla falsa società inglese.
Lo scheletro nell’armadio, per l’appunto, è la natura umana. Che sia essa espressa in forma di cinismo, spontaneità o persino adulterio, lo scheletro nell’armadio si configura come l’autenticità della natura umana, che all’epoca soffocava sotto chili e chili di perbenismo.
So solo che il piglio acuto e tagliente di Maugham mi ha fatto volare per 243 pagine di fila.
Sono arrivata a fine libro che non sapevo se mi fosse piaciuta più la storia o il suo stile e, a fronte di una considerazione generale, propenderei più per la seconda opzione. È riuscito a sfociare, dalla più simpatica e universale delle considerazioni, all’affascinante e viscerale caratterizzazione dei personaggi, uno più stronzo e ipocrita dell’altro, ed è questo il bello. Siamo a cavallo tra la fine dell’Ottocento e gli inizi del Novecento, Inghilterra. E come i più di voi intuiranno la parola chiave di questo periodo è RISPETTABILITÀ . E chi più di me gode leggendo libri che criticano la falsità del vittorianesimo!? ( vedi alla voce Camera con vista).
Quel che più mi ha entusiasmata è stata
la mordace ironia con cui Maugham è riuscito a prendere per il culo tutto e tutti, pur non esplicitamente.
Ha criticato l’ambiente culturale ed editoriale dell’epoca, gli scrittori, i salotti, la doppiezza della società.
Gli unici che si salvano sono proprio i Driffield. Abbiamo Rosie, il personaggio che ha dato vita al libro stesso, la quale nel suo comportamento contraddittorio in realtà esprime un’attitudine sincera al mondo e alla vita.
E poi vi è il famoso e illustre scrittore, Edward Driffield, dalle umili origini e strambe abitudini.
Uomo di avventura, marinaio in gioventù, gode della semplicità della vita. Proprio per questo attorno a queste figure peculiari, si crea un marasma di indignazione e repulsione che carbura il meccanismo di mascheramento dei propri istinti e della propria natura in virtù di un atteggiamento rispettabile e accettabile dalla falsa società inglese.
Lo scheletro nell’armadio, per l’appunto, è la natura umana. Che sia essa espressa in forma di cinismo, spontaneità o persino adulterio, lo scheletro nell’armadio si configura come l’autenticità della natura umana, che all’epoca soffocava sotto chili e chili di perbenismo.
d_saff's review against another edition
4.0
Review posted here: https://55booksin52weeks.wordpress.com/2017/11/09/review-cakes-and-ale/