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Of Human Bondage

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Of Human Bondage

Written by: W. Somerset Maugham
Narrated by: Steven Crossley
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About this listen

One of the most widely read novels of the 20th century, W. Somerset Maugham's masterpiece, Of Human Bondage, gives a harrowing depiction of unrequited love. Philip Carey, a sensitive orphan born with a clubfoot, finds himself in desperate need of passion and inspiration. He abandons his studies to travel, first to Heidelberg and then to Paris, where he nurses ambitions of becoming a great artist.

Philip's youthful idealism erodes, however, as he comes face-to-face with his own mediocrity and lack of impact on the world. After returning to London to study medicine, he becomes wildly infatuated with Mildred, a vulgar, tawdry waitress, and begins a doomed love affair that will change the course of his life.

First published in 1915, the semi-autobiographical Of Human Bondage combines the values left over from the Victorian era with the prevailing irony and despair of the early 20th century. Unsentimental yet bursting with deep feeling, Of Human Bondage remains Maugham's most complete statement of the importance of physical and spiritual liberty, a theme that resounds more loudly than ever today.

Public Domain (P)2011 Tantor Classics
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l knew l had to re-read Of Human Bondage to properly absorb the message of the scrap of Persian carpet l remembered from when l was 18 and read it the first time. The meaning of life is reflected in the aesthetics, the perfect pattern of the Persian carpet .. . according to Maugham.

My second reading after many decades ..

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I don’t normally go to the effort of writing a review, but this book has changed so much about my personal outlook on life. It is not gripping or thrilling and at times it is almost difficult to keep reading because of the characters behaviours. There were moments I wanted to shake the protagonist or warn him… I was so engrossed in the story of his life. I felt what he felt and saw what he saw even though I am as far removed as one can be from the context of this book.
The ending is both immensely gratifying and terribly anticlimactic at the same time.
This is Maugham at his absolute best. The narrator has done a grand job, even affecting a mildly annoying accent at times to convey the right feeling. He plays each character differently and it is easy to distinguish them just by his tone of voice. He has captured the spirit of the story with clarity and heart.
It may take you some time to finish but this is a must read for anyone interested in a deeper understanding of human nature, human folly and the human condition.

What a beautiful story and performance

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I can barely add anything to what critics better qualified than me have said about the book and Somerset Maugham. It only increased my fondness for his works with this revisit. The narrator brought it alive to keep me engrossed in a book whose length had defeated my effort to finish reading it once earlier. Superbly presented is how I can end this clumsy attempt at a review.

Of Human Nature

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The one thing I admired about the protagonist the most—and which made me relate to him—was the ruthlessness of his introspection. You can really feel the ebb and flow of emotions, the roller coaster ride, the rapture and despair with the protaganist, all the while him knowing that it was all transient and he would be back to normal sooner or later.

The narration was excellent, and his impression of different characters made the story interesting.

I also found the novel to be a bit too long. Some sections of the book were perhaps stretched too much. But I haven't read a lot of fiction so I could be mistaken.

Excellent narration, good novel overall

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