Christmas Holiday
Rich, young protagonist goes to Paris to visit old friend. Old friend, unfortunately, has become a die-hard communist and doesn't want to deal with protagonist; he sets up our hero with a prostitute, who, in telling her story, helps our hero come of age and understand a darker side of society.... Mrs. Craddock
Bertha Ley announces on her 21st birthday that she intends to marry Edward Craddock, whom her family think is not good enough for her. After their honeymoon she realizes that he is an insensitive bore, and when she becomes pregnant she fears that something is about to go very wrong, but he does not believe her. Their son is stillborn, and she learns she will never conceive again. Unable to get over the loss, she finds no comfort in religion, and goes ... Of Human Bondage
Philip Care, an orphan is brought up by his aunt and uncle to take a vocation in the church; however, he defies his uncle and makes an important decision to leave his studies and follow an uncertain path to discover where his true potential lies. He tries accountancy and art, but settles on becoming a doctor. On his journey he becomes more aware of the complexities and inconsistencies of human nature and that striving for the unachievable may only lead h... Of Human Destiny
Philip Carey becomes an orphan as a young teen and is sent to live with his clergyman uncle and aunt, a childless couple. He attends a prep school where life is made miserable by bullies teasing about his club foot. He defies the wishes of his uncle for him to become a clergyman after education at Oxford and instead lives for a year in Heidelberg. He does not "find himself" there and attempts to become an artist in Paris. He realizes he will never be ...
Maugham booklist
The Moon and Sixpence
Charles Strickland disappears with no explanation. The narrator, having been sent in pursuit by the grieving and confused wife of Strickland, tracks him down in Paris. There he finds his target who is unrepentant and offers an explanation of his behaviour which is at odds with the theories of those he has left behind. Strickland is remorseless and absolutely determined to fulfill the desire he has within to paint. ... The Razor's Edge
In Maugham's Razor's Edge, a writer comes upon Isabel, Gary, Elliot and their friend Larry, and discovers lies and lives threaded between them. He also becomes interested in the journey of Larry, a American who is on a quest to discover his meaning in life and comes upon a religious awakening.... The Summing Up
Maugham's masterly commentary on life, literature and the pursuit of his craft of writing.... The Trembling of a Leaf
"The Fall of Edward Bernard": A young man, Edward Barnard, abandons the capitalistic society of Chicago for a natural, meditative life in the South Pacific. Whether he has "fallen" or not is the concern of his friends and the reader....
