Larry Darrell is a young American in search of the absolute. The progress of this spiritual odyssey involves him with some of Maugham’s most brillant characters – his fiancee Isabel, whose choice between love and wealth have lifelong repercussions, and Elliot Templeton, her uncle, a classic expatriate American snob. The most ambitious of Maugham’s novels, this is also one in which Maugham himself … himself plays a considerable part as he wanders in and out of the story, to observe his characters struggling with their fates.
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Beautifully written novel by W. Somerset Maugham it tells the story of Larry Darrell, a wealthy and promising young man from Chicago much traumatised by his experiences in WWI. He returns home a changed man, disillusioned and seeking answers to help him make sense of what he has seen and been through. Expected by his fiancee, friends and family …
W. Somerset Maugham wrote several wonderful books and I believe they are all worth at least a second read, I picked this one because I really connected with the characters in it.
This is the book that gave me the idea to find my fortune as I traveled in Europe & Asia.
The Brits have it over us with their dry, searing sense of humor. I’ve read most of Somerset Maugham’s books. This novel captivated me, took me to the 1930s in Paris and briefly to India. Protagonist Larry Darrell is aloof, almost detached from the world he grew up in; he extends his detachment toward his fiancee, who eventually leaves him for a …
I’ve been a bit torn over how many stars to finally give this book. On the one hand, the things I liked about it I really liked. On the other hand, the things I didn’t like about it, I really, really didn’t like. I actually made a Pro/Con list for this book when I was done. So I figured, give it a solid two stars (because ultimately I think I’m …