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Of Human Bondage
'It is very difficult for a writer of my generation, if he is honest, to pretend indifference to the work of Somerset Maugham,' wrote Gore Vidal. 'He was always so entirely there.' Originally published in 1915, Of Human Bondage is a potent expression of the power of sexual obsession and of modern man's yearning for freedom. This classic bildungsroman tells the story of Phi...more
Mass Market Paperbound, 704 pages
Published
January 2nd 2007
by Signet Classics
(first published 1915)
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Of Human Bondage used to be under my (re)tired "waiting-until-I'm-not-too-depressed" shelf on goodreads (it had no company. What's the time before birth? I'm gonna say purgatory anyway). Yeah, right. Jump, Mariel, jump! I'm glad it is out of the way. It's the uncomfortable conversations like religious people might feel if they are unstable in faith. The glimpses when someone points out to you a fact (weeeelll) about yourself that pulls off every straggled hair as it is yanked off. I st...more
A lot of this book is quite harrowing – you know the drill, young boy orphaned and alone in the world and being brought up by people without affection. Public school nightmares, a child with a deformity that causes him shame all his life.
I was not surprised to learn that Maugham was homosexual, or bisexual, or trisexual – or whatever it was that he was. There are subtle hints to the fact throughout the book.
Young Philip, the central character (rather than protagonist,...more
I was not surprised to learn that Maugham was homosexual, or bisexual, or trisexual – or whatever it was that he was. There are subtle hints to the fact throughout the book.
Young Philip, the central character (rather than protagonist,...more
Ben
rated it
I fell in love with this book; it spoke to me, and I will aways have a strong affection for it. After three weeks of opening its pages virtually every night, I now find myself saddened that I can no longer turn to it. How can anything else compare?
Of Human Bondage is a classic in every positive sense of the word. Aside from The Brothers Karamazov, it is the only book I've read, whereupon finishing, I was able to say to myself: "This novel is life itself: it contains all of ...more
Of Human Bondage is a classic in every positive sense of the word. Aside from The Brothers Karamazov, it is the only book I've read, whereupon finishing, I was able to say to myself: "This novel is life itself: it contains all of ...more
THIS BOOK IS ABOUT A GUY WITH A CLUBFOOT HIS GIRLFRIENDS A BITCH
Martine
rated it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
people who are looking for the meaning of life
Of Human Bondage is a Bildungsroman which frequently makes you groan and mentally exclaim 'Oh, no!', only to blow you away with the power of its message and the perfection of its ending. Over the course of the 656-page book, the main character, Philip Carey, a young orphan born with a clubfoot, takes many wrong turns, mostly because he has taken it into his head that he wants to live the life of a romantic hero. He makes unwise career moves, recklessly spends money he should have saved, and gets...more
It's hard for a bildungsroman not to seem trite, when we've all gone through much the similar phases as the protagonist - there's something slightly embarrassing about revisiting the gradual death of innocence, the flailing search for Meaning, and all that comes inherent with becoming an adult.
So it's pretty impressive that Somerset Maugham manages to capture the reader's attention so completely, as we follow Philip Carey through death, exclusion, lust, discovery, disillusionment, ...more
So it's pretty impressive that Somerset Maugham manages to capture the reader's attention so completely, as we follow Philip Carey through death, exclusion, lust, discovery, disillusionment, ...more
This, like Tapping the Source, is another ultimate Coming of Age novel. And the descriptions of unrequited love are the truest I've ever come across. I love the descriptions of med school in the 1920's. The main character isn't likeable for most of the story, but he's a real person, and the ending is the best ever. Truly my favorite book of all time.
You know those people that are scared of silence? So, if you find yourself in a situation where talk isn’t necessary, you can just enjoy the view, those people will ridiculously blabber just because they think they have to.
'Isn’t this traffic jam just exhausting. Every day the same, oh, look, this guy with a guitar is crossing the street, I wonder where he is going. See, that blue car didn’t even see this tram, nearly knocked this lad over! Omg, luckily, it’s such a nice day, imagin...more
'Isn’t this traffic jam just exhausting. Every day the same, oh, look, this guy with a guitar is crossing the street, I wonder where he is going. See, that blue car didn’t even see this tram, nearly knocked this lad over! Omg, luckily, it’s such a nice day, imagin...more
Maugham mastered all the techniques necessary to be an excellent writer. The book flowed easily pulling the reader deeper and deeper into the story, the detailed descriptions allowing the characters to rise alive and unique from the story. The strength Maugham used to pull the reader into the story, however, created a few hundred unbearably emotionally taxing pages. Philip's unrequited, obsessive love for Mildred felt akin to smashing one's head repeatedly into a brick wall, and as a frustrate...more
I tried and tried to get through this book. I stuck by Phillip hoping that eventually he would get his act together. It became quite tiresome to read about him making one pathetically wrong choice after another. He was a complete weakling and I could not get through the book because of it.
This novel has been stated to be one of the best books written. Perhaps I missed something great by not sticking it out to the end, but I just could not. There are too many other great stories to r...more
This novel has been stated to be one of the best books written. Perhaps I missed something great by not sticking it out to the end, but I just could not. There are too many other great stories to r...more
Has one of literature's great lines about reading:
"Insensibly he formed the most delightful habit in the world, the habit of reading: he did not know that thus he was providing himself with a refuge from all the distress of life; he did not know either that he was creating for himself an unreal world which would make the real world of every day a source of bitter disappointment."
"Insensibly he formed the most delightful habit in the world, the habit of reading: he did not know that thus he was providing himself with a refuge from all the distress of life; he did not know either that he was creating for himself an unreal world which would make the real world of every day a source of bitter disappointment."
I read this just before going on my recent quest to read (at least some) novels by women of color. I decided on doing this out of frustration with the fact that the mostly "classic" lit I'd been reading was almost overwhelmingly, inappropriately, disgustingly dominated by white men. This book, I think, was the ultimate white male literary send off. It is long and simply told, without any of this "look at me I can write fancy sentences!" nonsense. In my opinion, Maugham do...more
One of my favorite novels; yet, strangely, I have difficulty understanding the hero (anti-hero?) Philip Carey. Philip, like the author himself, is orphaned and brought up by his uncle. Harshly treated, he is burdened with liabilities, both physical, a clubfoot, and intellectual, a habit of making the least of his opportunities through bad choices and/or lack of talent.
As I reread the novel I am immediately impressed by the importance of reading for the young Philip Carey. He turns to rea...more
As I reread the novel I am immediately impressed by the importance of reading for the young Philip Carey. He turns to rea...more
This was my Spring Break project. Just to give you an idea of what my "projects" often look like, my trip-to-San-Francisco project last August was Anna Karenina. Large in scope, lengthy of page.
This was no exception, though I must say I found it much more enjoyable that Anna K. I had previously read The Razor's Edge and Christmas Holiday, so I knew basically the style I was in for.
I found Of Human Bondage to be a good deal more readable than expected. It's ...more
This was no exception, though I must say I found it much more enjoyable that Anna K. I had previously read The Razor's Edge and Christmas Holiday, so I knew basically the style I was in for.
I found Of Human Bondage to be a good deal more readable than expected. It's ...more
This is one of those 600 pagers that slowly but surely begins to feel like one of your own appendages. I became very fond of the feel of this 2 pound monstrosity in my work bag and in my hands on the subway. I'm sad that Of Human Bondage is over. I became so attached to Phillip and his tumultuous love life, so pissed at that stuffy vicar, and don't even get me started on Mildred. What a bitch. Sure the steps that Phillip takes in his life and the language used are a little dated in an it-all-ha...more
Just as I was beginning to wish this novel was a short story, it took an unexpected turn and I was glad that I had 300 more pages or so to go (it's a 700-page book). It was fortuitous that I read it just after finishing _Nicholas Nickleby_. Like Nicholas, Maugham's hero, Phillip Carey, keeps reinventing himself and varying his stage and adventures. Phillip Carey, though, has no dependents for whom to toil. He is on a quest for freedom while all the time being bound by his own passions. Not unt...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
When I first picked up this book, I was chiefly interested because the author was an athiest. I was subsequently surprised to find the story enthralling. Entrenched in the banality of modern life, but punctuated with pathetic attempts at romance and art, the main character struggles through the story in a confused and quietly desperate manner. The writing is lucid and raw, though very intelligent. The melancholy is well hidden under the events of the story. I don't know if I really enjoyed the b...more
A- No, not an S&M book; a terrific classic! The story of Phillip, a young man whose clubfoot shapes his life, but not as much as his inability to ask for what he wants (or even to think what he wants has value in this world). Love, death, happiness, passion, career dreams, and relationships play major roles. Highly recommended to those who like a good book with an interesting storyline; I didn't think I would like it as much as I did, but it passed the time on several arduous bus rides on unpave...more
Amazing. My favorite book. A long, beautifully written, intimate portrait of the human condition. Maugham is a genius. I felt very connected to the protagonist and his life even though it was set in England almost 100 years ago. I recommend this to anyone, but I feel that young people (20s-30s) still exploring their place in life will get the most value from it.
Have you ever felt an author had stolen your thoughts and feelings and put them in a book? I felt that way through this entire book.
O livro despertou sensações estranhas em mim, a história é bastante triste, contudo no meio das adversidades mostra como podemos encontrar a felicidade, em como o prazer e a dor fazem parte da obra-prima que é a vida de cada um de nós. Muito bem escrito, a entrar dentro do cérebro humano, das suas contradições, qualidades e defeitos. Que minucioso retrato do homem.
(Atenção: A partir daqui tem spoilers!)
Impressionou-me a franqueza do autor em admitir para a sua personagem o desejo, a â...more
(Atenção: A partir daqui tem spoilers!)
Impressionou-me a franqueza do autor em admitir para a sua personagem o desejo, a â...more
Well, well... what we have in Of Human Bondage is one of the greatest and all-encompassing stories to ever come from human kind. Written in the early 1900s, Maugham's novel is not only incredibly relevant in today's society but should also be required reading in our schools. I, for one, had never heard of this book until I was well into college (and even then it was not by professors but by the internet). The novel is essentially a bildungsroman tale (coming-of-age tale - allow me to also recomm...more
About a third of the way into this book i happened to read the blurb on the back cover which describes it as a book about a love affair, which surprised me because the affair hadn't started yet. Which underscores the major flaw of this book: it's too long and as a result is about everything and nothing. For example, there's much more discussion of Kant in this book than i expected. Granted, i didn't expect any discussion of Kant in a bildungsroman, but there's actually quite a bit of it. These d...more
Having plowed through The Razor's Edge the week before, I found the first several chapters of Maugham's most famous/best reviewed work a little disappointing. The story is extremely autobiographical, so the plot follows a tedious poor bullied english orphan schoolboy trajectory and it's hard to see how this defensive, angry little boy is going to grow up into an interesting adult. Phillip as both a boy and a man is a frustrating character, and very unlike the colorful strong-willed menagerie of ...more
Of human bondage: life and all of its hardships. I feel that there is something in here that everyone can relate to. Main lesson learned: if you persevere, you will prevail. At times I got so annoyed and frustrated with Phillip, yet he pushes onward and upward and ultimately redeems himself. This is a tale of one man's struggle for himself, in the midst of all the curve balls life will always throw you. Something my QT always tells me: if you think it, it will happen, so therefore, be careful ab...more
Coy
rated it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
People who love reading
Recommended to Coy by:
Dave
This is the third Maugham book that I have read and I have loved them all. I would agree that this is his masterpiece. The amount of introspection and inner struggle in this book is amazing. My emotions sort of followed the phases of Phillip's life and his struggles are very real. If you are a person that has all the answers, then I wouldn't read this book because its highly critical of people who have it all figured out.
At first, I wasn't sure about the ending but then I starte...more
At first, I wasn't sure about the ending but then I starte...more
W. Somerset Maugham is an author's favorite author. Graham Greene and Gore Vidal certainly tip their hats to him. Maybe it's because this turn-of-the century (the Victorian one, not the latest) author makes storytelling seem so easy. With Of Human Bondage, the reader is introduced to a very believable and unsettling and irritating protagonist, Philip Carey. His childhood is typical heart-wrenching literature in which he is the boy with the clubbed foot who is orphaned and raised by a religious a...more
Maugham's story of a young man who finds himself and his philosophy in travel, poverty, art and work, is not the best of this kind of story, but it isn't the worst. As sort of a history of a young man's mind - a man revolting against the mores and manners of post-Victorian England - it's less a revelation than a work of nostalgia for those who've already formed their own philosophies at odds with the wider world.
Maugham slowly and steadily follows his character's thoughts, deeds and ...more
Maugham slowly and steadily follows his character's thoughts, deeds and ...more
i just read this book and it is absolutely incredble--one of the best books i have ever read. the fact that the author is such a fantastic storyteller makes the book accessible to anyone really, even those who have little patience for long novels.
the unrequited love in this story is fabulously told and the character of phillip carey is at once pathetic and tender. it isn't quite as philosophical as i'd like it to be but thats because it is mostly a story with interludes of philosophy and ...more
the unrequited love in this story is fabulously told and the character of phillip carey is at once pathetic and tender. it isn't quite as philosophical as i'd like it to be but thats because it is mostly a story with interludes of philosophy and ...more
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| Of Human Bondage | 8 | 59 | Dec 23, 2011 06:58pm | |
| Of Human Bondage | 1 | 52 | Apr 03, 2008 04:26pm |
From Wikipedia: William Somerset Maugham, CH, was an English playwright, novelist and short story writer. He was among the most popular writers of his era, and reputedly, the highest paid author during the 1930s.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Somerset...
More about W. Somerset Maugham...
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Somerset...
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“He did not care if she was heartless, vicious and vulgar, stupid and grasping, he loved her. He would rather have misery with one than happiness with the other.”
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314 people liked it
“Oh, it's always the same,' she sighed, 'if you want men to behave well to you, you must be beastly to them; if you treat them decently they make you suffer for it.”
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146 people liked it
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