Author W Somerset Maugham
Country United States
Genre Fiction: Classic
Publication Date 1915
Pages 680
An effortlessly written real & engaging story; that's how I would describe this age old classic in a few words.
This classic traces the coming of age of Phillip; an ordinary boy who is orphaned at a young age and is consequently brought up by his uncle. Philip is physically disadvantaged (club foot) but is full of passion and an insatiable desire to explore the world. It is this urge to try his hand at new things that takes him to dabbling with arts and accountancy and finally settling in medicine. He travels around the world, makes friends, falls in love (or rather gets crazy while in love) and finally settles down.
The most likable aspect about the book is that it neither carves Phillip as a hero nor as a villain. Philiip is shown as an ordinary human who makes mistakes and unfortunately, ends up making some mistakes again and again. While his mind elucidates that his passion for Mildred is degrading and destructive, his heart refuses to listen till it is finally too late. However, it's this large heartedness and the desire to help others even beyond his means that make his character so lovable and genuine.
Unlike many other classics, what has truly appealed to me about this one is the fact that it beautifully sketches the beliefs and thought processes of Phillip at various stages of his life. The readers are invited to Philips thoughts at every junction. We see how he is made to believe in religion and God as a child and how he questions religion and morality as he grows up and forms his own belief system, not necessarily Christian. Throughout the book, Philip is constantly searching for the true meaning of life and it's is this search (and the associated deliberations) that makes the book a lot deeper and insightful.
Reading this book has been a treat like none else. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys going deep.
