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Lisa's Reviews > The Painted Veil
The Painted Veil
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The story should be a banality, really. Woman marries unsuited man to appease an unreasonably ambitiousand cold mother, then falls head over heals in love with the first good-for-nothing she comes across. The marriage is brutally broken and the story ends on vaguely defiant note.
Why does it feel so ... so ... much, then?
How does Somerset Maugham do it? Why do I see all these people so clearly, and understand them all in different ways? Why do they all make sense, and yet they fail?
Walter.
I know Walters. Those cold and passionate introverted and unforgiving correct people who will do everything right and remain impossible to belong to. If he had been different ... but he wasn't and that is the problem.
Charlie.
The Charlies of this world are grating on my nerves, but I have to admit Somerset Maugham nailed him. Vain, good-looking, brutally selfish and shallow, they come, they see, they conquer, they leave.
Kitty.
Well, Kitty! You have to keep your promise to your unborn daughter and make her a "free man":
"I'm going to bring up my daughter so that she's free and can stand on her own feet. I´m not going to bring a child into the world, and love her, and bring her up, just so that some man may want to sleep with her so much that he's willing to provide her with board and lodging for the rest of her life."
Why does it feel so ... so ... much, then?
How does Somerset Maugham do it? Why do I see all these people so clearly, and understand them all in different ways? Why do they all make sense, and yet they fail?
Walter.
I know Walters. Those cold and passionate introverted and unforgiving correct people who will do everything right and remain impossible to belong to. If he had been different ... but he wasn't and that is the problem.
Charlie.
The Charlies of this world are grating on my nerves, but I have to admit Somerset Maugham nailed him. Vain, good-looking, brutally selfish and shallow, they come, they see, they conquer, they leave.
Kitty.
Well, Kitty! You have to keep your promise to your unborn daughter and make her a "free man":
"I'm going to bring up my daughter so that she's free and can stand on her own feet. I´m not going to bring a child into the world, and love her, and bring her up, just so that some man may want to sleep with her so much that he's willing to provide her with board and lodging for the rest of her life."
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Reading Progress
Started Reading
September 26, 2021
– Shelved
September 26, 2021
– Shelved as:
somerset-maugham
September 26, 2021
–
Finished Reading
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Daniel
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rated it 5 stars
Sep 26, 2021 08:07PM
Thank you for the review that confirms my suspicions of a great book.
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Cool review. Sounds quite interesting in an unhappy way. - )
Glad you liked what is possibly my favourite Maugham, Lisa. I keep on saying this and will continue to do so, for me, no one so quickly creates a world of fascinating characters, conflicts, situations, and atmosphere.
I was so disappointed that she slept with Charlie again :)
Daniel wrote: "Thank you for the review that confirms my suspicions of a great book."Hope you'll read it!
Steve wrote: "Glad you liked what is possibly my favourite Maugham, Lisa. I keep on saying this and will continue to do so, for me, no one so quickly creates a world of fascinating characters, conflicts, situati..."Could not agree more, Steve!
Plateresca wrote: "I was so disappointed that she slept with Charlie again :)"Clear case of Somerset Maugham understanding the primary force of body over mind :-) After all, sexual attraction is important to human beings, no matter how much all our various religions and societies try to discipline it away. Kitty is a sensual woman, and she should never have been married to a puritanical mind, and that one more adventure with Charlie sort of makes sense to me, it probably just gave her more self-knowledge... I am rooting for her to have a wild life in the unwritten sequel :-)
Lisa wrote: "I am rooting for her to have a wild life in the unwritten sequel :-)"But hopefully, stop sleeping with coxcombs :)
Plateresca wrote: "Lisa wrote: "I am rooting for her to have a wild life in the unwritten sequel :-)"But hopefully, stop sleeping with coxcombs :)"
Cheers to that!!!
Why do they fail? In a sense we all fail I suppose. Liked your insights into this book, but not into S-M myself.
Great review. Added to my to read list! The emotional intensity of Of Human Bondage has stayed with me decades after reading so looking forward to this.
Lyn wrote: "Great quote to end your review."Thank you, Lyn!
