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Of Human Bondage (Vintage classics)
 
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Of Human Bondage (Vintage classics) (Paperback)

by William Somerset Maugham (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
RRP: £9.99
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Product details

  • Paperback: 720 pages
  • Publisher: Vintage; New edition edition (26 Feb 2000)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0099284960
  • ISBN-13: 978-0099284963
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.4 x 4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 5,223 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #1 in  Books > Fiction > 20th Century Classics > Maugham, Somerset

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Product Description

Review
"The modern writer who has influenced me the most." - George Orwell
"One of my favourite writers." - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
"A writer of great dedication." - Graham Greene

Product Description
"Of Human Bondage" is the first and most autobiographical of Maugham's masterpieces. It is the story of Philip Carey, an orphan eager for life, love and adventure. After a few months studying in Heidelberg, and a brief spell in Paris as would-be artist, Philip settles in London to train as a doctor. And that is where he meets Mildred, the loud but irresistible waitress with whom he plunges into a formative, tortured and masochistic affair which very nearly ruins him.

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Of Human Bondage (Vintage classics)
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Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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51 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Meaning of (One) Life, 10 Feb 2003
By A Customer
Of Human Bondage traces the life of Philip Carey from childhood to grown man. Too much happens in this novel to recount - it does, after all, deal with one man's life; but what I can say is that it is one of the most remarkable books I have read in a long while. It is sparingly, but exquisitely written. Wholly unsentimental, yet bursting with depth of feeling. Born with a club foot and orphaned from an early age, Carey is physically set apart from his fellows. Rather than seeking to make himself included, he deals with the cruelty and thoughtlessness of others by emotionally setting himself apart, thus fuelling his own sense of 'difference'. With the exhuberance of youth, in the pursuit of his own difference and yearning for passion and inspiration, he abandons his studies to travel, first to Heidelberg, and then to Paris, where he nurses ambitions of being a great artist. Maugham beautifully captures the idealism of youth which is slowly eroded as the protagonist comes to recognise his own mediocrity and lack of importance in the world. It is also a powerful study of a character brought up in the shadow of religion and who comes to understand himself, and others, only at the expense of his faith. Maugham's greatest achievement in this book is the character of Carey himself: complex, insecure, self-protective and arrogant, he is outwardly not the most sympathetic of people, and is most definitely not a hero. Yet his internal life is so richly drawn, so deftly developed, that one cannot help but care deeply for him. Through happiness, tragedy and suffering, he comes to realise that he is like all other men and yet resolutely himself, which is what makes him different from all other men. And so at the heart of this book lies the eternal riddle of existence, captured in passages which literally took my breath away. Highly recommended.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A timeless classic, 4 April 2008
Of Human Bondage is quintessential Somerset Maugham and is, or should be, one of the classics of English literature. Don't be put off by its length; you will only wish it were longer by the time you finish it!

The book is set in the last decades of the nineteenth century and, apparently partly autobiographical, it tells of the growing up of a young orphan, his apprenticeship of art and then medicine and of course his painful tuition in love. Philip, the hero, is initially raised in an English country vicarage, the life of which is described with fetching authenticity. In fact, its realistic evocation of exotic settings, a typical feature of Maugham's writing, is one of the novel's undoubted attractions. Philip moves on to Heidelberg, then Paris among a community of artistic hopefuls and painting schools, and back to turn-of-the-century London, with its contrast of glitter and squalor, its top hats and workers' dorms, music halls and stockbrokers' clubs. There he becomes trapped in a tragic and sordid love affair that becomes so compulsive it threatens to enslave him.

If the hero's unrequited obsession is alluded to in the title, however, Of Human Bondage has a broader scope. Indeed it is - well - about life; but if that sounds pretentious, this is probably one of few works that can genuinely make that claim. The cast of characters is impressive in being both broad and convincing, and sufficient plot is granted each so that they can come alive. True, Maugham's sometimes acid, always witty and insightful style is at its best when portraying human faults. Purely positive archetypes are given briefer and just a little less compelling descriptions; but perhaps that is just reality. Few novels are able to bring forth such a variety of places, people and situations so convincingly and with such depth. Ultimately the test for this sweeping portrait is that one feels one has stood in it many more times than once, so strong is the association with its protagonists. And if you have occasionally fallen for an idiot who wasn't interested in you, then reading this may provide a cure.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Underrated epic, 22 April 2007
Although I relish a book like this, in that it is so well written and truly entertaining and there is a certain thrill and delight one receives when you know you are part of that small club of coming across a book of this brillance - a book not many other people have read or even know about, which on the other hand is unfortunate as I believe this book deserve a place on everyones bookshelf. The narrative rarely faulters if at all, this is truly a book of epic perportions full of passion, love, loss, hopes realised and hope dashed, a book about the strenght of the human spirit and how even when those around you drain all the goodness from you, you can still return love. Buy and read this book and you won't be disappointed.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good
I finished reading this book early one Sunday morning, the sun shining outside in a blue sky, after a grey day full of drizzle the day before. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Cardiff Reader

5.0 out of 5 stars English literature at its best
An absolutely superb book. Having read and loved George Orwell and discovered he was a fan Maugham I decided to have a look at Of Human Bondage. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Lee Gothard

5.0 out of 5 stars An eternal classic
An absolute wonder of a book. The story revolves around Philip, an orphan with a club foot who searches hard for his place in the world. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Ibrahim Ali

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!
Of Human Bondage is a ridiculously good novel, one which receives nowhere near the amount of credit and acclaim it deserves. Read more
Published on 31 Oct 2006 by Mr. Philp Unsworth

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read
This is one of my favorite books. Its a semi autobiographical novel by Somerst Maugham. What I liked about this book is how the author has potrayed the utter helplessness of the... Read more
Published on 2 Jan 2006

5.0 out of 5 stars To elicit the maximum emotion from every experience
Maugham has a practised style of writing which allows maximum empathy with his hero's emotions. The story covers all of the major emotive experiences that develop a boys... Read more
Published on 11 Jul 2001

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