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Description edit
Set in England and Hong Kong in the 1920s, The Painted Veil is the story of the beautiful but love-starved Kitty Fane. When her husband discovers her adulterous affair, he forces her to accompany him to the heart of a cholera epidemic. Stripped of the British society of her youth and the small... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Characters edit
- Kitty Fane: The hero's wife who grows from shallow and vain to caring and selfless.
- Mr. Waddington: Deputy Commissioner of Customs in Mei-tan-fu.
- Dr. Walter Fane: The government bacteriologist in Hong Kong. Passionately in love with Kitty.
- Charles Townsend: Assistant Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong. Has an affair with Kitty. He's a charming and selfish man who '... is always ready to do a service that isn't any trouble to himself, and even if he doesn't do what you want he manages to give the impression that it's only because it's not humanly possible''.
- Dorothy Townsend: Charlie's wife.
- Doris Dennison: Kitty's younger sister who marries Geoffrey.
- Bernard Garstin: Kitty's father living in South Kensington.
- Mother Superior: Nun in charge of the convent at Mei-tan-fu. Gives Kitty wise advice but makes it not look obvious.
- Mr. Simmons: British Colonial Secretary to Hong Kong.
- Mrs. Garstin: Wife to Bernard and mother of Kitty and Doris.
- Geoffrey Dennison: Successful surgeon who marries Doris.
- Ku-Chou: Owner of the Curio Shop.
- Mr. Arbuthnot: Add a description of this character.
- Dr. Hayward: A doctor in Hong Kong.
- Watson: The deceased missionary doctor who was working in Mei-tan-fu.
- Colonel Yü
- Soeur St. Joseph: One of the nuns in the convent at Mei-tan-fu.
- Soeur St. Francis Xavier
- Madame de Viernot
- Soeur St. Martin
Quotes edit
-
“I have an idea that the only thing which makes it possible to regard this world we live in without disgust is the beauty which now and then men create out of the chaos. The pictures they paint, the music they compose, the books they write, and the lives they lead. Of all these the richest in beauty is the beautiful life. That is the perfect work of art.”
Waddington -
“She wished to despise him, because so long as she only hated him she knew that she was very near loving him”
Kitty Fane -
“I always find it more difficult to say the things I mean than the things I don't.”
kitty Fane -
“If nobody spoke unless he had something to say, the human race would very soon lose the use of speech.”
Kitty Fane
Setting & Locations edit
- Hong Kong: The British controlled state of Hong Kong in the 1920's.
- Mei-tan-fu: A small town suffering from a cholera epidemic.
- St. Joseph
- China
- France
- Tching-yen
- England
- London
- Marseilles
First Sentence edit
She gave a startled cry.
Series & Lists edit
This is book 2 of 11 in The Bibliophile Club - Selected Reads of 2010. (community list)
Preceded by The Sparrow, and followed by The Catcher in the Rye.
This is book 201002 of 27 in The Bibliophile Club - Monthly Selected Reads. (community list)
Preceded by The Sparrow, and followed by The Catcher in the Rye.
This book is in KCPL Discussion Kit (Aug2010). (community list)
Authors & Contributors edit
- W. Somerset Maugham (Author)
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: Heinemann
Country: Great Britain
Publication Date: 1925
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Heinemann
Country: Great Britain
Publication Date: 1925
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 256
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: 75025362
- Dewey: 823.912
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Movie Connections edit
- The Painted Veil (IMDb): 2006 film directed by John Curran
- The Painted Veil (IMDb): 1934 film directed by Richard Boleslawski
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