Nellie Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 A Painted Veil By W Somerset Maugham Well, I've finnished another book which I thought would be nice to share with you. This one is set in China in the 18th Century. A newly married English couple arrive in China. She has an affair with a British offical, and her husband finds out. To punish her he packs them both off to northern china where there is a cholera epidemic. He's a doctor and wants to help, but in doing so exposes both of them to a high risk of catching the disease and certain death. It's an interesting perspective and describes from the woman's point of view her awakening from her shallow upbringing to what really matters in the world. 8/10 I really want to read some more Maugham, has anyone got any recommendations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Butter Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 Of Human Bondage is well worth considering. As I recall, although it's fiction, there's a large slice of autobiography there as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Haas Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 I'm a huge fan of all things Maugham. You can't go wrong with any of his books, but if you're looking for something shorter, try THE MOON AND SIXPENCE. Fantastic. It's a fictionalized story of his relationship with Gauguin. OF HUMAN BONDAGE is absolutely wonderful, and arguably one of the great character studies in literature, but it's a chunk to chew off if you're just getting up and running on Maugham. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottishbookworm Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 I've not read this book but I've seen the movie and enjoyed the movie very much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nellie Posted October 29, 2008 Author Share Posted October 29, 2008 I quite fancied trying The Magician, any thoughts on that one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottishbookworm Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 I quite fancied trying The Magician, any thoughts on that one? that was the illusionist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 that was the illusionist W Somerset Maugham wrote The Magician, and Steven Millhauser wrote Eisenheim the Illusionist which the movie The Illusionist was based on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottishbookworm Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 W Somerset Maugham wrote The Magician, and Steven Millhauser wrote Eisenheim the Illusionist which the movie The Illusionist was based on. thanks frankie:friends0: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 No problem scottishbookworm, I used to mix those two up myself before I watched The Illusionist a few weeks ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottishbookworm Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 I've not watched it for ages:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 I have The Painted Veil in my TBR stack, but saw the film, oh I guess about 6 months ago, and loved it. Has anyone both read the book and seen the film? And if so how do they compare? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Haas Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 They compare quite favorably. Curran did a great job capturing Maugham's sensibility, and Ed Norton had an affinity for the book that certainly influenced his performance. A thumbs up from me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Haas Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 I quite fancied trying The Magician, any thoughts on that one? Not my favorite... (nor Maugham's for that matter)... but all his work is worth reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 Thanks, I'd hoped as much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottishbookworm Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 They compare quite favorably. Curran did a great job capturing Maugham's sensibility, and Ed Norton had an affinity for the book that certainly influenced his performance. A thumbs up from me! derek the movie was excellent and edward norton had made a brilliant performance of the movie he played his part well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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