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Of Human Bondage (Vintage Classics) [Paperback]

William Somerset Maugham (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
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Book Description

Publication Date: 2 Mar 2000 | Series: Vintage Classics

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.

(19990728)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 720 pages
  • Publisher: Vintage Classics; New Ed edition (2 Mar 2000)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0099284960
  • ISBN-13: 978-0099284963
  • Product Dimensions: 12.9 x 3.7 x 19.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 7,385 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Review

"A superb storyteller - one of the very best in our language" (Daily Mail )

"The modern writer who has influenced me most" (George Orwell )

"Maugham has given infinite pleasure and left us a splendour of writing which will remain for as long as the written English word is permitted to exist" (Daily Telegraph )

"This semi-autobiographical novel, set at the end of the 19th century, gripped me from the start with its tale of the life of Philip Carey. Its depiction of how a man can become enslaved by an unsuitable love is unsparing" (Christopher Simon Sykes The Week )

Book Description

'A superb storyteller - one of the very best in our language' Daily Mail
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars English literature at its best 12 Aug 2008
By Lee Gothard
Format:Paperback
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. Having finished it and given myself some time to reflect, I can say that it is the best book that I have read so far. I was so drawn in to the story of Philip Carey and his journey into adulthood that the 700+ pages flew by. I will also echo the sentiments of other reviewers that despite the fact that Philip could not by any means be described as a hero I still found myself caring for him and always hoping for a positive outcome even when the situation seemed so very bleak for him. This I think is one of the books strengths that despite the actions of the characters they are so well written that I still found myself wanting the best for them even Mildred.

I would highly recommend this book and consider it one of the classic pieces of literature which deserves to have been read by a much larger audience.
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86 of 89 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The Meaning of (One) Life 10 Feb 2003
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
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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32 of 33 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A timeless classic 4 April 2008
By reader 451 TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
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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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent read
The commencement of the story is loosely based on Somerset Maugham's childhood in Whitstable, Kent and it easy for someone who knows the are to identify some of the locations. Read more
Published 2 days ago by Seymour
4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, evocative
This is the the first time I've read Maugham and I am deeply impressed. At first I was put off by the sparse, straight-forward prose and was about to put it down wondering what all... Read more
Published 4 days ago by Dew Chains
5.0 out of 5 stars A great classic
Well worth a read, I was hooked from the very beginning. A story about the trials of life an age away
Published 5 days ago by Mike
2.0 out of 5 stars Boring
Totally boring book i only read the first and second chapter before i deleted it off my kindle, not for me
Published 10 days ago by Arls
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reading
Nice product-sent quickly and well packaged. A great book, as one would expect from this author-and made interesting reading. Am looking forward to receiving more of the same :)
Published 1 month ago by Mrs. J. Jarvis
4.0 out of 5 stars Touching, profound, and beautiful.
Like life at its best, this book is long and sprawling, combining themes that inspired in me delight, curiosity, insight, frustration, melancholy, and revelation. Read more
Published 1 month ago by nigeyb
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read!
This is one of the great classics of the human condition. I had read it years ago, and re-read on my kindle and was not disappointed. It should be on every A level curriculum!
Published 1 month ago by K. Taylor
5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterpiece
I think this book is one of the great masterpieces. What I like it engages you the reader. When Mildred was walking across Piccadilly I wanted to tell Philip "Dont talk to her,... Read more
Published 1 month ago by pinchin
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb epic
What a wonderful book. Spanning the painful formative years of a man from tragic childhood to tortured immaturity. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Badger99
2.0 out of 5 stars On Human Bondage
A simple story in the end, one of emotions and choices.
Not bad if not little drawn out. Wouldn't, want read again though.
Published 2 months ago by Antony Sheeky
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