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Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “Love Maugham, but I just couldn't finish this one. Trudge, trudge, trudge. Philip Carey is a fascinating, but not very likeable, character. Reminded me a great deal of Thomas Wolfe's Look Homeward, Angel.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“I am surprised that some people did not give this Pulitzer Prize winner five stars. Maughm is one of the outstanding writers I have read. The story is like all of his books very deep. Very depressing at times but a real story. It is about a boy with a club foot who is orphaned at nine. Then sent to live with his uncle. He gets no love most of his life but still maintains a balance throughout. He struggles through tremendous setbacks in his love life and his professional life. He eventually finds in life what life is about or at least how he feels about it. It is long and requires a lot of concentration but maughman continues to bring remarkable insight into all parts of the story.”
Ron E wrote this review 3 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Probably my favorite book of all time. So rich, to true.”
Steve S wrote this review 13 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Absinthe, anyone?!”
Mel D wrote this review Wednesday, September 2 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“At almost 700 pages, this book is a big commitment but offers quite a bit of thought provoking insights into each of our own internal debate around if life has "meaning" or not. ”
Kerry S wrote this review Monday, August 24 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“One of the most widely read novels of the twentieth century, Of Human Bondage is a textbook bildungsroman documenting the growth, emotionally, philosophically, and intellectually, of the male protagonist, Philip Carey. Although W. Somerset Maugham does seem to dawdle now and then, devoting attention to details that do not contribute significantly to the development of the main character, ultimately he does succeed in keeping the reader's interest, in keeping him or her engaged in what is transpiring. The hundreds of pages that do constitute this tale are worth it in the end, each and every one, transporting the reader to a satisfactory conclusion. The simplicity and conciseness with which W. Somerset Maugham wrote, containing within such compact language such richness, is one of the best qualities of this novel, in my opinion.”
Kirk W wrote this review Wednesday, August 12 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Just as I was beginning to wish this novel was a short story, it took an unexpected turn and I was glad that I had 300 more pages or so to go (it's a 700-page book). It was fortuitous that I read it just after finishing _Nicholas Nickleby_. Like Nicholas, Maugham's hero, Phillip Carey, keeps reinventing himself and varying his stage and adventures. Phillip Carey, though, has no dependents for whom to toil. He is on a quest for freedom while all the time being bound by his own passions. Not until he submits to the yoke of common morality does he become free. To me, this book is a rewrite of the searchings in the book of Ecclesiastes. "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." Fortunately, the ending is left for the reader to write, and I think it comes out very well indeed.”
Laurel H wrote this review Wednesday, July 15 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“This is one of my favorite books of all time! I read it once a year at least and always pick up on something new...great book!”
Gina C wrote this review Wednesday, July 15 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“always enjoy his writing, but find the story too frustrating.”
Faith Z wrote this review Sunday, June 21 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“ This is a good book about obsessive love. I underlined many things in it and I believe that much of it really happened to the author. The conversations with Mildred and the feelings behind them are very convincing. This book can teach a lesson so hopefully people could avoid falling for a similar fate. Some people are just toxic no matter how much you love them. It is better to love them from a distance and get on with your life. A movie recommendation about obsessive love that I was reminded of is called "She's so Lovely". It is about a woman who throws away a comfortable life with a loving husband and two kids to run away with an ex con who she once shared a passionate life with. Many people cannot understand or relate to this, but passion often trumps reason. The good guy doesn't always win. I wish this book had focused less on the main character's school days, but I guess it is necessary to show the relationship he had with his Aunt and Uncle and why someone who felt less than and unloved would be ripe of the picking for a manipulative user like Mildred.”
Elizabeth C wrote this review Friday, April 10 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“William Somerset Maugham's "Of Human Bondage" is one of the most intruicate books I have read to date. The semi-biographical novel tells the story of club footed Phillip Carey in late 19th century England and his ventures to make something of himself in the world. Maugham's determination to analyse the smallest details of the plot makes the book an arduous read but Maugham's spellbinding words also make it an extraordinarily compelling novel.
Adam R wrote this review Tuesday, March 24 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The book follows Carey throughout his childhood up until middle age.
"Of Human Bondage" is so powerfully written that it has evoked a greater sense of emtional connection than I have ever had with any other book. Carey is made such a personal acquaintance and is decribed so analytically that the reader cannot help but feel every bit as elated or depressed as he does depending on the situation. I felt this book was like the beginnings of "Cathcher In The Rye". The style of writing and the coming of age factors of both books are strikingly obvious and both have many occurences that can be paralleled to the other book.
A charming feature to this book is the blatant effort and personal experience Maugham put in to this book. Without reading the foreword or finding out beforehand the reader can easily identify the intimacy in which Maugham writes this tale making it much more entertaining and far more of a reading experience than just another book. ”
