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Ten by Maugham
20 stories:
Mr. Knowall --
The three fat women of Antibes --
The point of honour --
The consul --
The escape --
Jane --
A casual affair --
Home --
The alien corn --
The treasure --
A friend in need --
The dream --
Flotsam and Jetsam --
The verger --
Gigolo and gigolette --
The man with the scar --
The kite --
The happy man --
The ant and the grasshopper --
The colonel's lady.
Mr. Knowall --
The three fat women of Antibes --
The point of honour --
The consul --
The escape --
Jane --
A casual affair --
Home --
The alien corn --
The treasure --
A friend in need --
The dream --
Flotsam and Jetsam --
The verger --
Gigolo and gigolette --
The man with the scar --
The kite --
The happy man --
The ant and the grasshopper --
The colonel's lady.
Audiobook
First published January 1, 2000
About the author
W. Somerset Maugham
1,854 books6,310 followersWilliam Somerset Maugham was born in Paris in 1874. He spoke French even before he spoke a word of English, a fact to which some critics attribute the purity of his style.
His parents died early and, after an unhappy boyhood, which he recorded poignantly in Of Human Bondage, Maugham became a qualified physician. But writing was his true vocation. For ten years before his first success, he almost literally starved while pouring out novels and plays.
Maugham wrote at a time when experimental modernist literature such as that of William Faulkner, Thomas Mann, James Joyce and Virginia Woolf was gaining increasing popularity and winning critical acclaim. In this context, his plain prose style was criticized as 'such a tissue of clichés' that one's wonder is finally aroused at the writer's ability to assemble so many and at his unfailing inability to put anything in an individual way.
During World War I, Maugham worked for the British Secret Service . He travelled all over the world, and made many visits to America. After World War II, Maugham made his home in south of France and continued to move between England and Nice till his death in 1965.
At the time of Maugham's birth, French law was such that all foreign boys born in France became liable for conscription. Thus, Maugham was born within the Embassy, legally recognized as UK territory.
His parents died early and, after an unhappy boyhood, which he recorded poignantly in Of Human Bondage, Maugham became a qualified physician. But writing was his true vocation. For ten years before his first success, he almost literally starved while pouring out novels and plays.
Maugham wrote at a time when experimental modernist literature such as that of William Faulkner, Thomas Mann, James Joyce and Virginia Woolf was gaining increasing popularity and winning critical acclaim. In this context, his plain prose style was criticized as 'such a tissue of clichés' that one's wonder is finally aroused at the writer's ability to assemble so many and at his unfailing inability to put anything in an individual way.
During World War I, Maugham worked for the British Secret Service . He travelled all over the world, and made many visits to America. After World War II, Maugham made his home in south of France and continued to move between England and Nice till his death in 1965.
At the time of Maugham's birth, French law was such that all foreign boys born in France became liable for conscription. Thus, Maugham was born within the Embassy, legally recognized as UK territory.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 2, 2016
Update, stories 7 and 8.
7. The Consul Extreme misogyny and xenophobia. Women and the Chinese are all despicable. Not a story I had any sympathy for.
8. Mr. Knowall Ok, it was about a Jewish man who was called in the code of the day a "Levant". He had no redeeming features at all except that the point of the story was despite all his flamboyant oiliness that made everyone thoroughly dislike him, he was really a very kind and empathetic man. Even Jews have their redeeming features! At the end the protagonist of the story said that just for a minute he almost didn't dislike him. Nice.
I kind of wonder about Maugham because he kept some very anti-semitic notebooks when he was young, he wrote these stories which are hurtful to read (for me) yet he was definitely not anti-semitic at all in his life. Weird that.
Note when reading Mr. Knowall.
Ok, rant over. Back to the stories:
1. Jane, which was a marvellous portrait of an undiscovered gem of a woman, undiscovered even to herself, bitchiness, jealousy and the power that looks or the lack of them have.
2. Point of Honour was silly but beautifully worked-out and written. It was almost a twenty-minute tv horror drama. It was set in Spain and Arab architecture featured in the story as did honour killings, but this is the 20th century and these were Spanish people. It made me wonder if there isn't a lingering Arab/Muslim legacy of women and honour.
3. Flotsam and Jetsam was a marvellous portrayal of mentally-ill woman and how she got that way. It wasn't an interesting story though. The woman, apart from anything else, was desperate to talk to someone White. In every area the British were there were always educated locals. India, Malaysia, China were not just a load of illiterate peasants waiting for the British to come run things for them (and take over their land). The racism was part of the story, her attitude was considered by Maugham the obvious and proper one.
4. The Treasure. Oh dear, this was an enjoyable but truly nasty story, although Maugham didn't mean it to be seen that way. It was the story of a man who had found a parlour maid who was dedicated, sophisticated, knowledgeable and acted like a proper servant, subsuming her personality to her job. He didn't like her at all, but liked her work. It didn't stop him enjoying her company on his terms nor screwing her, but he expected her to just be the humble, subservient parlour maid again in the morning.
5. The Verger was a very funny, ironic story of a man who had been dedicated to his job in the church for many years but found out to be illiterate and fired. It didn't stop him becoming a brilliant businessman though (much glossed over here of who actually did the reading, writing, ordering, keeping of accounts etc. I suspect it was the wife, of course).
6. The Man with the Scar followed Point of Honour and The Treasure in being extremely sexist. Killing women, even for love, can be praiseworthy among men. It was an echo perhaps of India and the practice of suttee. If he dies, she, his beloved wife cannot (be allowed to) live without him.
Stories I haven't read yet.
7. The Consul Extreme misogyny and xenophobia. Women and the Chinese are all despicable. Not a story I had any sympathy for.
8. Mr. Knowall Ok, it was about a Jewish man who was called in the code of the day a "Levant". He had no redeeming features at all except that the point of the story was despite all his flamboyant oiliness that made everyone thoroughly dislike him, he was really a very kind and empathetic man. Even Jews have their redeeming features! At the end the protagonist of the story said that just for a minute he almost didn't dislike him. Nice.
I kind of wonder about Maugham because he kept some very anti-semitic notebooks when he was young, he wrote these stories which are hurtful to read (for me) yet he was definitely not anti-semitic at all in his life. Weird that.
Note when reading Mr. Knowall.
Ok, rant over. Back to the stories:
1. Jane, which was a marvellous portrait of an undiscovered gem of a woman, undiscovered even to herself, bitchiness, jealousy and the power that looks or the lack of them have.
2. Point of Honour was silly but beautifully worked-out and written. It was almost a twenty-minute tv horror drama. It was set in Spain and Arab architecture featured in the story as did honour killings, but this is the 20th century and these were Spanish people. It made me wonder if there isn't a lingering Arab/Muslim legacy of women and honour.
3. Flotsam and Jetsam was a marvellous portrayal of mentally-ill woman and how she got that way. It wasn't an interesting story though. The woman, apart from anything else, was desperate to talk to someone White. In every area the British were there were always educated locals. India, Malaysia, China were not just a load of illiterate peasants waiting for the British to come run things for them (and take over their land). The racism was part of the story, her attitude was considered by Maugham the obvious and proper one.
4. The Treasure. Oh dear, this was an enjoyable but truly nasty story, although Maugham didn't mean it to be seen that way. It was the story of a man who had found a parlour maid who was dedicated, sophisticated, knowledgeable and acted like a proper servant, subsuming her personality to her job. He didn't like her at all, but liked her work. It didn't stop him enjoying her company on his terms nor screwing her, but he expected her to just be the humble, subservient parlour maid again in the morning.
5. The Verger was a very funny, ironic story of a man who had been dedicated to his job in the church for many years but found out to be illiterate and fired. It didn't stop him becoming a brilliant businessman though (much glossed over here of who actually did the reading, writing, ordering, keeping of accounts etc. I suspect it was the wife, of course).
6. The Man with the Scar followed Point of Honour and The Treasure in being extremely sexist. Killing women, even for love, can be praiseworthy among men. It was an echo perhaps of India and the practice of suttee. If he dies, she, his beloved wife cannot (be allowed to) live without him.
Stories I haven't read yet.
March 29, 2012
Some of Maugham’s stories can seem a little twee now to our infinitely more sophisticated ears. Some seem a little too obvious in what is coming next. In some the gun is there and it never goes off – leaving us wondering if that was a better or worse result. Some show his endless fascination with the fear of the artist being ‘second-rate’ (as is so beautifully discussed in the Paris bit of Of Human Bondage), some show the effect of his other lifelong obsession with the belief that there is one who loves and one who is loved in every relationship. But I don’t care – I enjoyed these, almost without exception. I particularly love stories told to me as if over coffee about people I might even know, but if I don’t that is no matter.
But do you know what? Anyone that can start a short story like this:
“It is a dangerous thing to order the lives of others and I have often wondered at the self-confidence of politicians, reformers and suchlike who are prepared to force upon their fellows measures that must alter their manners, habits, and points of view. I have always hesitated to give advice, for how can one advise another how to act unless one knows that other as well as one knows oneself? Heaven knows, I know little enough of myself: I know nothing of others. We can only guess at the thoughts and emotions of our neighbours. Each one of us is a prisoner in a solitary tower and he communicates with the other prisoners, who form mankind, by conventional signs that have not quite the same meaning for them as for himself. And life, unfortunately, is something that you can lead but once; mistakes are often irreparable, and who am I that I should tell this one and that how he should lead it?”
Has my undying love and devotion.
But do you know what? Anyone that can start a short story like this:
“It is a dangerous thing to order the lives of others and I have often wondered at the self-confidence of politicians, reformers and suchlike who are prepared to force upon their fellows measures that must alter their manners, habits, and points of view. I have always hesitated to give advice, for how can one advise another how to act unless one knows that other as well as one knows oneself? Heaven knows, I know little enough of myself: I know nothing of others. We can only guess at the thoughts and emotions of our neighbours. Each one of us is a prisoner in a solitary tower and he communicates with the other prisoners, who form mankind, by conventional signs that have not quite the same meaning for them as for himself. And life, unfortunately, is something that you can lead but once; mistakes are often irreparable, and who am I that I should tell this one and that how he should lead it?”
Has my undying love and devotion.
August 17, 2026
Makintosh by William Somerset Maugham, who is one of my favorite writers, author of Honolulu https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... and other magnum opera
10 out of 10
For some time, it seems strange that Somerset Maugham has decided to name this narrative Makintosh, for although he is clearly one of the main personages of the tale, Walker is the more prominent one, and furthermore, he is the boss, the ‘father of the natives’ of this Polynesian island, from the state of Samoa, in the South Pacific
Walker is larger than life, he commands his ‘subjects’, has an unquestioned authority in his small realm, the officials in the capital of Samoa have given him what amounts to a free hand, he does not want the locals in prison, hence he refused the idea of building one, which would be a waste of the funds on such a project
He has his own way of dealing with them, if they commit a crime, and yes, this is a mixture of abuse of power, with a strange attachment, maybe the word is affection, I do not know if it is love, we may get to the ending, so a spoiler alert here, maybe I will say what happens near the end, besides, maybe you could read something better than this note
The anti-colonialists would be justified in pointing to what the man does to infuriate, and even impoverish the locals, when he has that crazy plan, and we will get to that (Insha’Allah) soon, while those who look at what happens to him, and how he wants to spare the population any blame and punishment, might plead his cause
We should, like always, use the wise rule of Aristotle https://realini.blogspot.com/2014/07/... the Golden Rule would urge moderation, virtue has vice on both sides, the man who jumps on a motorbike, to speed with 300 miles per hour is not brave, just like the coward who is secluded at home
Makintosh is the opposite of Walker, and his assistant, even physically they seem at the extremes of the spectrum, one heavy, the other tall and thin, the leader is not very educated, makes grammar mistakes, and his assistant is rather sophisticated, alas, one is often too rude, unpolished and brutal, while the other is malignant, up to a point
In Scoop https://realini.blogspot.com/2018/07/... ‘up to a point’ stands for this is a lie, Lord Copper is the owner of The Daily Beast, and he gets two kinds of answers to his questions, definitely, when it is a genuine fact, and ‘up to a point’, when they have to lie to him
Makintosh hates his boss, and let me just say this is yet another proof that proverbs and sayings can be stupid, in this case, there is the ‘opposites attract’ sage mot, when we can see here, and in most cases, people that are so unlike each other tend to reject each other, a bandit will not be friends with an opera lover…
Well, the latter might be confusing, for we know from The Godfather https://realini.blogspot.com/2017/08/... and other classics that the mafiosi could well love great music, family, and still kill with abandon, be savage with their foes and rivals
At one point, Walker wants the natives to build a road, and we reach a climactic moment, when they refuse to do it for the twenty pounds he offers, because they have learned better from Maluma, the son of the chief, who has been on the other islands and saw that the authorities pay much higher wages, for the same work
Ergo, this ‘rabble rouser’, or legitimate ‘fighter for human rights, emancipation’, insists that they must refuse the white man, because they have the power and they could wait until he comes to his senses, and pays what is fair and proper, but Walker would have none of that, his power is absolute, or so he thinks
Indeed, it looks as if he can get the upper hand, again, and in a conflict with the locals, he had never lost, up to now, and he threatens them, after he says he will have a feast, when the road is finished, that they will regret this attitude
Cunning as he is, this ‘local prince’ has a smart plan, that is one that works for him, though not for the population, he invites men from other islands to work for the twenty pounds that he wants to pay for this project, and they come to work with gusto, because there is an awful catch to all this, and it ruins the natives
Their custom is that they feed and offer hospitality to strangers, those who work at this road get paid, and they are nourished and they drink at the expense of those who refused the money, and as days become weeks, food is vanishing, they have to cut trees to get the needed materials and they face poverty and destitution
The guests take their time, this is a good deal for them, seeing as they pay nothing for their upkeep, and Maluma is beaten, seen as responsible for all this calamity, the poor fellow has to spend days lying down, after the beating, and goes to Makintosh to get some treatment, and this is when he sees the gun that the assistant has
Makintosh is aware of the temptation, his heart is beating faster, and he could envisage what will happen to his boss, if Maluma gets the revolver, and yet, the young man is left alone, and allowed to steal the means to exact revenge, which leads to the tragedy (second spoiler alert, if needed) in fact, it is a double drama, first Walker is shot, and wounded so badly that he will die in hours, but not before showing this resplendent stoicism, magnanimity, he insists that he liked Makintosh, who will take his place, and he must not say what happened, he does not want ‘his children to suffer’, so this was ‘an accident’, though we know it was murder…
Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se
There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know
As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...
Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works
‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’
‚Parturiunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus’
“From Monty Python - The Meaning of Life...Well, it's nothing very special...Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations.”
10 out of 10
For some time, it seems strange that Somerset Maugham has decided to name this narrative Makintosh, for although he is clearly one of the main personages of the tale, Walker is the more prominent one, and furthermore, he is the boss, the ‘father of the natives’ of this Polynesian island, from the state of Samoa, in the South Pacific
Walker is larger than life, he commands his ‘subjects’, has an unquestioned authority in his small realm, the officials in the capital of Samoa have given him what amounts to a free hand, he does not want the locals in prison, hence he refused the idea of building one, which would be a waste of the funds on such a project
He has his own way of dealing with them, if they commit a crime, and yes, this is a mixture of abuse of power, with a strange attachment, maybe the word is affection, I do not know if it is love, we may get to the ending, so a spoiler alert here, maybe I will say what happens near the end, besides, maybe you could read something better than this note
The anti-colonialists would be justified in pointing to what the man does to infuriate, and even impoverish the locals, when he has that crazy plan, and we will get to that (Insha’Allah) soon, while those who look at what happens to him, and how he wants to spare the population any blame and punishment, might plead his cause
We should, like always, use the wise rule of Aristotle https://realini.blogspot.com/2014/07/... the Golden Rule would urge moderation, virtue has vice on both sides, the man who jumps on a motorbike, to speed with 300 miles per hour is not brave, just like the coward who is secluded at home
Makintosh is the opposite of Walker, and his assistant, even physically they seem at the extremes of the spectrum, one heavy, the other tall and thin, the leader is not very educated, makes grammar mistakes, and his assistant is rather sophisticated, alas, one is often too rude, unpolished and brutal, while the other is malignant, up to a point
In Scoop https://realini.blogspot.com/2018/07/... ‘up to a point’ stands for this is a lie, Lord Copper is the owner of The Daily Beast, and he gets two kinds of answers to his questions, definitely, when it is a genuine fact, and ‘up to a point’, when they have to lie to him
Makintosh hates his boss, and let me just say this is yet another proof that proverbs and sayings can be stupid, in this case, there is the ‘opposites attract’ sage mot, when we can see here, and in most cases, people that are so unlike each other tend to reject each other, a bandit will not be friends with an opera lover…
Well, the latter might be confusing, for we know from The Godfather https://realini.blogspot.com/2017/08/... and other classics that the mafiosi could well love great music, family, and still kill with abandon, be savage with their foes and rivals
At one point, Walker wants the natives to build a road, and we reach a climactic moment, when they refuse to do it for the twenty pounds he offers, because they have learned better from Maluma, the son of the chief, who has been on the other islands and saw that the authorities pay much higher wages, for the same work
Ergo, this ‘rabble rouser’, or legitimate ‘fighter for human rights, emancipation’, insists that they must refuse the white man, because they have the power and they could wait until he comes to his senses, and pays what is fair and proper, but Walker would have none of that, his power is absolute, or so he thinks
Indeed, it looks as if he can get the upper hand, again, and in a conflict with the locals, he had never lost, up to now, and he threatens them, after he says he will have a feast, when the road is finished, that they will regret this attitude
Cunning as he is, this ‘local prince’ has a smart plan, that is one that works for him, though not for the population, he invites men from other islands to work for the twenty pounds that he wants to pay for this project, and they come to work with gusto, because there is an awful catch to all this, and it ruins the natives
Their custom is that they feed and offer hospitality to strangers, those who work at this road get paid, and they are nourished and they drink at the expense of those who refused the money, and as days become weeks, food is vanishing, they have to cut trees to get the needed materials and they face poverty and destitution
The guests take their time, this is a good deal for them, seeing as they pay nothing for their upkeep, and Maluma is beaten, seen as responsible for all this calamity, the poor fellow has to spend days lying down, after the beating, and goes to Makintosh to get some treatment, and this is when he sees the gun that the assistant has
Makintosh is aware of the temptation, his heart is beating faster, and he could envisage what will happen to his boss, if Maluma gets the revolver, and yet, the young man is left alone, and allowed to steal the means to exact revenge, which leads to the tragedy (second spoiler alert, if needed) in fact, it is a double drama, first Walker is shot, and wounded so badly that he will die in hours, but not before showing this resplendent stoicism, magnanimity, he insists that he liked Makintosh, who will take his place, and he must not say what happened, he does not want ‘his children to suffer’, so this was ‘an accident’, though we know it was murder…
Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se
There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know
As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...
Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works
‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’
‚Parturiunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus’
“From Monty Python - The Meaning of Life...Well, it's nothing very special...Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations.”
March 19, 2022
The title is Ten by Maugham. This doesn't mean ten stories it refers to ten c/d's worth of stories. The stories run the gamut and there are first rate narrators.
Mr. Know-all. 3 stars. A nice little vignette about a man on a cruise ship who ends up sharing a cabin with a blow hard who is rather a boor, or is he? Though he is definitely a bore.
The Three Fat Women of Antibes. 3 stars. I have mixed thoughts on this one. Maugham knows how to write characters. His subject is how fat these three women are, and their obsession with food. It also touches on the uselessness of dieting. These ladies go through a rough patch but their friendship seems to survive it.
The Point of Honour. 2 stars. Honor, machismo, bullshit.
The Consul. 1 star. I'm not quite sure the point of this story, other than women can be stupid.
The Escape. 5 stars. Loved it. An example of kill them with kindness.
Jane. 2 stars. A plain Jane becomes the toast of London because she tells the truth and has someone else choosing her clothes.
Home. 1 star. A total waste of time. A man comes home after more than fifty years.
A Casual Affair. 2 stars. What was the point?
The Treasure, 2 stars. Lucky Mr. Pritchard gets a Stepford Wife for the price of a parlor maid's salary.
A Friend in Need. 3 stars. A short, twisted tale. Just when you think you have the measure of someone... The narration by Michael York was the best part of this story.
The Dream. 3 stars.
Mr. Know-all. 3 stars. A nice little vignette about a man on a cruise ship who ends up sharing a cabin with a blow hard who is rather a boor, or is he? Though he is definitely a bore.
The Three Fat Women of Antibes. 3 stars. I have mixed thoughts on this one. Maugham knows how to write characters. His subject is how fat these three women are, and their obsession with food. It also touches on the uselessness of dieting. These ladies go through a rough patch but their friendship seems to survive it.
The Point of Honour. 2 stars. Honor, machismo, bullshit.
The Consul. 1 star. I'm not quite sure the point of this story, other than women can be stupid.
The Escape. 5 stars. Loved it. An example of kill them with kindness.
Jane. 2 stars. A plain Jane becomes the toast of London because she tells the truth and has someone else choosing her clothes.
Home. 1 star. A total waste of time. A man comes home after more than fifty years.
A Casual Affair. 2 stars. What was the point?
The Treasure, 2 stars. Lucky Mr. Pritchard gets a Stepford Wife for the price of a parlor maid's salary.
A Friend in Need. 3 stars. A short, twisted tale. Just when you think you have the measure of someone... The narration by Michael York was the best part of this story.
The Dream. 3 stars.
December 31, 2020
“The Three Fat Women of Antibes” is almost worth the whole volume in my opinion — what a funny, comic, but endearing portrait. I wish I could have shared opinions on this story with my grandmother, always an Anglophile and a food-lover herself. (Goodness, it’s been ten years since she passed away!)
Unfortunately, I was mostly unmoved by the other stories. “Mr. Knowall” had an intriguing opening, but its snappy ending deflated the piece. This seems a common problem in Maugham, as we can see it in “The Consul” as well, and “The Escape,” and several others. “The Point of Honor” and “Flotsam and Jetsam” appeal to old notions of love and chivalry without real irony. Compared to, say Shirley Jackson, W. Somerset Maugham simply never faced being on the outside of a terribly alienating society, at least not enough to create more than a vaguely boyish account of middle class life in the days of waning British imperialism. This makes his work perfect for conservative and safety-seeking readers — I’m sure he’s a hit with the Reader’s Digest set — but, like solid middle class food, it can be a bit unsatisfactory to those of us seeking something more adventurous.
Unfortunately, I was mostly unmoved by the other stories. “Mr. Knowall” had an intriguing opening, but its snappy ending deflated the piece. This seems a common problem in Maugham, as we can see it in “The Consul” as well, and “The Escape,” and several others. “The Point of Honor” and “Flotsam and Jetsam” appeal to old notions of love and chivalry without real irony. Compared to, say Shirley Jackson, W. Somerset Maugham simply never faced being on the outside of a terribly alienating society, at least not enough to create more than a vaguely boyish account of middle class life in the days of waning British imperialism. This makes his work perfect for conservative and safety-seeking readers — I’m sure he’s a hit with the Reader’s Digest set — but, like solid middle class food, it can be a bit unsatisfactory to those of us seeking something more adventurous.
February 10, 2022
Really enjoyable. A lot of well observed stuff and interesting stories told in a very light conversational style even when the subject isn't at all.
Particular highlights include The Know-all, The Three Fat Women of Antibe, The Point of Honour, The Colonel's Lady, The Kite, Alien Corn (which is given an even more depressing new light with the knowledge of the Holocaust).
Most of the best ones end on a punchline of sorts. Either a funny or witty line or a dramatic irony or whatever. Which is something I love in a short story. Although some of the other best ones are just grimly inevitable.
Very much of its time and by the sort of man moving in the circles he moved in but it does make it incredibly evocative.
Particular highlights include The Know-all, The Three Fat Women of Antibe, The Point of Honour, The Colonel's Lady, The Kite, Alien Corn (which is given an even more depressing new light with the knowledge of the Holocaust).
Most of the best ones end on a punchline of sorts. Either a funny or witty line or a dramatic irony or whatever. Which is something I love in a short story. Although some of the other best ones are just grimly inevitable.
Very much of its time and by the sort of man moving in the circles he moved in but it does make it incredibly evocative.
March 31, 2019
I enjoyed this book but not as much as I had hoped. Although, some stories were quite amusing, I found many of them sad. Not what I had expected. My fault though.. .as I am not really into short stories.
March 13, 2024
Maugham has several super good stories, some good and several mediocre. The audio production was great and overall the story selection was good
August 25, 2025
Excellent short stories!
June 24, 2020
I went through a W. Somerset Maugham phase years ago, and read most of his novels, and a bunch of short stories. I enjoyed them. Listening to these beautifully-read stories in the 21st Century, it is obvious that Maugham is problematic; that imperialistic, distasteful "White/British" vs "non-white/non-British" thing. Jews, Spaniards, or dark-skinned native peoples of other countries are viewed as so very “other”, and they are usually not given much stage time. If they are even close to center stage in a story, the stereotypes are appalling; Maugham's characters always view it as surprising when these "others" act with decency or humanity. It was the matter-of-fact, colonial, and patronizing way that a typical English gentleman would have viewed the world circa 1910, but of course it doesn’t wear well. I might have given this collection 5 stars if not for that.
Other than those ridiculous observances, I enjoy the writing, because Maugham is always so terribly British. From Borneo to Berkeley Square, you can count on tea, cucumber sandwiches, and cocktails on the terrace (if there is a terrace – maybe not so much in a rainforest in Borneo). One thing I did notice was the use of some cliches, such as “cool as a cucumber”. But then I thought, “was that considered a cliché when Maugham first wrote it?”
Other than those ridiculous observances, I enjoy the writing, because Maugham is always so terribly British. From Borneo to Berkeley Square, you can count on tea, cucumber sandwiches, and cocktails on the terrace (if there is a terrace – maybe not so much in a rainforest in Borneo). One thing I did notice was the use of some cliches, such as “cool as a cucumber”. But then I thought, “was that considered a cliché when Maugham first wrote it?”
August 17, 2013
Great book! I love the insights about people he had. This is one book that never bored me, and always kept a smile on my lips.
I listened to the audio book version of this, the ten different narrators (one for each story) did an outstanding job, and i enjoyed the experience thoroughly.
I listened to the audio book version of this, the ten different narrators (one for each story) did an outstanding job, and i enjoyed the experience thoroughly.
December 5, 2012
I love Maugham, but I have to say this felt so dated to me. Also two degrees of detachment. Maybe the style of the times but less fun if you love the immediacy of today's stories.
April 22, 2015
They aren't exactly his best stories, yet every Maugham's work is worth reading.
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