The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham
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(Paperback)
- Publisher: Random House Inc
- Pub. Date: September 2003
- ISBN-13: 9781400034208
- Sales Rank: 12,105
- 320pp
- Series: Vintage International Series
- Other Formats:
- Audio - Unabridged, 8 cassettes, 11 hrs.
Synopsis
The Great War changed everything and the years following it were tumultuous - most of all for those who lived the war first-hand. Maugham himself is a character in this novel of self-discovery and search for meaning, but the protagonist is a character named Larry. Battered physically and spiritually by the war, Larry's physical wounds heal, but his spirit is changed almost beyond recognition.
He leaves his betrothed, the beautiful and devoted Isabel. He studies philosophy and religion in Paris. He lives as a monk. He witnesses the exotic hardships of Spanish life. All of life that he can find - from an Indian Ashrama to labor in a coal mine - becomes Larry's spiritual experiment as he spurns the comfort and privilege of the Roaring '20s.
Maugham's theme is the contrast of spiritual content between Larry and the growing materialism and sophistication of those he left behind - and the surprising irony of where both of those paths lead.
Biography
W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) was an English novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. His best-known novels include Of Human Bondage, The Moon and Sixpence, Cakes and Ale, and The Razor's Edge.
Customer Reviews
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- Ratings: 9Reviews: 8
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My favorite book of all timesby Anonymous
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April 01, 2008: For years, this has been the book that I buy every time I find it so I can put it on my shelf in preparation to share it with friends looking for a good book to read. This story centers around four main characters (two men and two women) coming of age during and immediately following WWI. All four live a comfortable lifestyle until the two men experience the unthinkable as they work as field medics, ambulance drivers. My favorite character, Larry Darryl, returns from his ambulance-driving experience uncomfortable with the luxuries to which he was previously accustomed. Soon after his return, he decides to 'loaf' despite his female admirer's chagrin. Larry takes the road less traveled by exploring the world with little to no regard to the lifestyle Americans find so enchanting prior to the Great Depression...and without judging the people who come in and out of his life sometimes at their very lowest points. His former love marries the other man in hopes of achieving the social stature she craves. I won't give any more of the story away. The reason why I love it so much is that Larry could have lived the comfortable life, but he chose to do something uncomfortable so he could really experience life and people as they are. When I feel stuck in my comfortable American notions of the way life is supposed to be, I read this book and think about the difficult path that Larry took. Unpopular, imperfect, real.
golden age of literatureby Anonymous
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June 04, 2005: A thoroughly excellent read. I believe Salvadore Dali' must have read this book. His book HIDDEN FACES seems to echo some of the rich characterizations here. It may do well for our generation of war ravaged young people to read this. Men sometimes drift after witnessing the destructiveness of combat. This book deals with the destructiveness of World War I and its affect on Hemingway's LOST GENERATION.
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