Charles Strickland, a conventional stockbroker, abandons his wife and children for Paris and Tahiti, to live his life as a painter. Whilst his betrayal of family, duty and honour gives him the freedom to achieve greatness, his decision leads to an obsession which carries severe implications. Inspired by the life of Paul Gauguin, The Moon and Sixpence is at once a satiric caricature of Edwardian conventions and a vivid portrayal of the mentality of a genius. (19990917)
The Moon And Sixpence (Vintage Classics)
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"Magnificent" (Express )
"From an era that produced George Bernard Shaw, H.G. Wells and John Galsworthy, Maugham is the great survivor" (Economist )
"If anyone deserves resuscitation, he does... As a teenager, I read and reread my sister's long shelf of Maughams. What I enjoyed was their atmosphere: the brooding, sensual, sinister mood of exotic locations, where his characters seemed always on the verge of mania and where no-one behaved nearly so well as they were expected to" (Rosemary Goring Herald )
"From an era that produced George Bernard Shaw, H.G. Wells and John Galsworthy, Maugham is the great survivor" (Economist )
"If anyone deserves resuscitation, he does... As a teenager, I read and reread my sister's long shelf of Maughams. What I enjoyed was their atmosphere: the brooding, sensual, sinister mood of exotic locations, where his characters seemed always on the verge of mania and where no-one behaved nearly so well as they were expected to" (Rosemary Goring Herald )
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Stunningly rejacketed as part of a major reinvigoration of this neglected 20th century master
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49 of 51 people found the following review helpful
By louise allen
Format:Paperback
I feel I don't have to divulge the synopsis of The Moon and Sixpence, as many other readers have given their own detailed accounts of the storyline, setting the scene quite clearly.
However I felt I had to express the feelings I went through while reading this book and the way in which it changed my outlook upon life.
I think we can all, at some point relate to the way in which Charles Strickland abandoned all that he had ever known. Some would say he took a gamble with life and in a sense, he did just that. Charles Strickland changed his life in such a dramatic way, a way in which the vast majority only ever dream of doing. His overpowering need to express something so great from within himself, coupled with his obstinate personality, lead him to that place of paradise which he had only ever seen in his minds eye. For him it was the place where he knew his soul would at last be able to rest in peace.
Having personally studied the life and works of the genius Paul Gauguin, I feel W. Somerset Maugham captured something so deep and personal and skillfully adapted his findings so that the reader could learn to look beyond his horizons with great hope.
I feel we all need time to look at what the future holds for us, it takes great courage to be who we want to be, but here is a beautiful story to uplift and enlighten our senses.
Thank you for reading my opinions.
However I felt I had to express the feelings I went through while reading this book and the way in which it changed my outlook upon life.
I think we can all, at some point relate to the way in which Charles Strickland abandoned all that he had ever known. Some would say he took a gamble with life and in a sense, he did just that. Charles Strickland changed his life in such a dramatic way, a way in which the vast majority only ever dream of doing. His overpowering need to express something so great from within himself, coupled with his obstinate personality, lead him to that place of paradise which he had only ever seen in his minds eye. For him it was the place where he knew his soul would at last be able to rest in peace.
Having personally studied the life and works of the genius Paul Gauguin, I feel W. Somerset Maugham captured something so deep and personal and skillfully adapted his findings so that the reader could learn to look beyond his horizons with great hope.
I feel we all need time to look at what the future holds for us, it takes great courage to be who we want to be, but here is a beautiful story to uplift and enlighten our senses.
Thank you for reading my opinions.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Inspired by Gauguin, this is the fascinating story of Charles Strickland. Strickland has the ambition to paint (but only in his own inconventional and idiosyncratic way) and develops such a passion for this that he is unable to think of anything else. He leaves his family (with no apparent guilt) and lives a life of poverty in Paris, Marseilles and Tahiti. He shows no feelings for anyone around him but at the same times evokes compassion and admiration in others. Strickland is obsessed by his art but not in any resulting commercial value.
The book has an interesting construction. It is narrated by an honest admirer - sometimes describing what he has observed but often via a third person. It is a very compelling story - despite the fact that Maugham ensures that there is little endearing in Strickland's character. His actions reveal him to be savage, misogynistic and unfeeling. As the narrator says: "Strickland was an odious man - but I still think he was a great one." The reader is left with some interesting questions. Does a great talent excuse wicked behaviour? Is a genius governed by a different set of morals than us lesser beings?
A splendid read.
The book has an interesting construction. It is narrated by an honest admirer - sometimes describing what he has observed but often via a third person. It is a very compelling story - despite the fact that Maugham ensures that there is little endearing in Strickland's character. His actions reveal him to be savage, misogynistic and unfeeling. As the narrator says: "Strickland was an odious man - but I still think he was a great one." The reader is left with some interesting questions. Does a great talent excuse wicked behaviour? Is a genius governed by a different set of morals than us lesser beings?
A splendid read.
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
When he first meets Charles Strickland, a London stockbroker, the young narrator of this novel thinks of him as "good, honest, dull, and plain." When Strickland suddenly abandons his wife and children and takes off for Paris, the narrator, on seeing him again, decides he is a cad. Though he has had no training, Strickland has decided to become an artist, a drive so strong that he is willing to sacrifice everything toward that end. Anti-social and feeling no obligation to observe even the smallest social decencies, Strickland becomes increasingly boorish as he practices his art. Eventually, he makes his way to Tahiti, where he "marries," moves to a remote cottage, and spends the rest of his life devoted to his art.
Basing the novel loosely on the life of Paul Gauguin, Somerset Maugham creates an involving and often exciting story. His narrator is a writer who, after Strickland's death and his posthumous artistic success, feels impelled to set down his memories of their early interactions in London and Paris, in the interest of "history." Because the "real" narrator never saw Strickland after he left Paris, the narrator depends on his meetings with a ship captain and a woman in Papeete for information about Strickland after Strickland arrived in Tahiti. The ship captain is described as a story-teller who may be spinning tall tales, a constant reminder to the reader that this is fiction, and not a biography of Gauguin.
By depicting Strickland as a "dull, plain" man suddenly gripped by an obsession so overwhelming that nothing else matters to him, Maugham involves the reader in his actions, which even the narrator claims not to understand. The least convincing aspect of Strickland's characterization is the narrator's observation that Strickland is completely indifferent to his wife of seventeen years and his children. No confrontation between Strickland and his wife appear, and one wonders if perhaps Maugham found himself unable to depict Strickland's abandonment realistically. The story moves quickly, however, and whatever is sacrificed in the characterization is more than recouped in the plot and its development.
Straightforward in its story line, the novel is romantic in its depiction of the artist in the grip of an obsession, his subsequent abandonment of civilization and return to nature, his suffering of a long terminal illness (during which he paints his masterpiece), and the fate of this creation further develop the romantic themes. Good, old-fashioned story-telling at its best, this uncomplicated story, written in 1919, still has broad appeal. Mary Whipple
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Over-rated
On the evidence of this book, it is hard to believe this author was so popular fifty years ago. He has a very dated writing style: the narrative is dense, somewhat relieved where... Read more
Published 6 days ago by Donald Hughes
5.0 out of 5 stars
No problems
There were no problems in the selection, ordering and delivery of a new paperback copy of this novel. Maugham is a good storyteller and very readable.
Published 7 months ago by LSD
4.0 out of 5 stars
Where's the love for Somerset Maugham?
What's happened to Somerset Maugham's reputation? In his lifetime he was a massively popular, bestselling author, and what's more a critical darling. Read more
Published 8 months ago by F.R. Jameson
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gauguin by any other Name
This book was suggested by a member of my book club who had seen the Gauguin exhibition at the Tate. Read more
Published on 5 Mar 2011 by J. A. Findlay
5.0 out of 5 stars
memorable characters, wonderful read
There is an interesting story relating to the title of this book. A review of one of the Author's previous novels described the lead as "so busy yearning for the moon that he... Read more
Published on 19 Nov 2010 by GJ_Reading
3.0 out of 5 stars
Transforms the sublime into the sensible
An interesting idea, what makes great art? Based on the true and slightly awful story of Paul Gauguin's life. Read more
Published on 28 July 2010 by Brownbear101
4.0 out of 5 stars
fascinating insight into the artistic temprement
As a woman I should be ever so slightly offended by this book - the prevalent attitude towards women is not enlightened. Read more
Published on 10 Jun 2010 by Allhug
4.0 out of 5 stars
really good
The Moon and Sixpence is a book about Charles Strickland, who inexplicably leaves his family to live a life as a poor painter in France. Read more
Published on 27 May 2010 by Rubbah
5.0 out of 5 stars
Obsessive
Painting, even if it uses codes, is the art of showing, whereas the writer, limited to words, can only proceed by allusion, by tickling images from the minds of his public. Read more
Published on 4 July 2008 by reader 451
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Fascinating Portrayal of a man.
told from the third person view point; the life of an interesting man, thats about all their is to say.
Published on 21 Mar 2008 by B. J. Crossley
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