I’ve heard from Donna who thinks she brought up this title. Donna will be our guru for the evening discussion. I’m really curious how many have already finished the book. For all of you who, after reading Sag Harbor and lamenting its lack of “happenings,” I hope you are enjoying Mr. Maugham’s determination to bring you the ultimate coming-of-age story, although I don’t think they used that term at the time he wrote it.
Sunny, I,m glad that we read and discussed this novel. It helped put the scene and all Maugham’s seeming ramblings in perspective. This is the same Edwardian Age of The King’s Speech, through which we see the class society that Britain was, and the concern with being a gentleman. I had read this book in college but its so much “richer” the second time around and since I have lived more of life. And having learned a new word: bildungsroman. What a stange word but it comes from German meaning “formation novel”. And this was a formation novel par excellence. The genre of a novel which focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist and it took Maugham about 500 pages to do this with Philip Carey!! Wonder if the fast texting of today would even consider putting up with this?
Donna Buessing
Thanks, Donna. As we read a wider variety of fiction, it’s going to be interesting to hear our takes on it. I learn something new with every book we’ve read. What a great group of readers!
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I’ve heard from Donna who thinks she brought up this title. Donna will be our guru for the evening discussion. I’m really curious how many have already finished the book. For all of you who, after reading Sag Harbor and lamenting its lack of “happenings,” I hope you are enjoying Mr. Maugham’s determination to bring you the ultimate coming-of-age story, although I don’t think they used that term at the time he wrote it.
I’m almost half-way there. Happy reading.
Sunny, I,m glad that we read and discussed this novel. It helped put the scene and all Maugham’s seeming ramblings in perspective. This is the same Edwardian Age of The King’s Speech, through which we see the class society that Britain was, and the concern with being a gentleman. I had read this book in college but its so much “richer” the second time around and since I have lived more of life. And having learned a new word: bildungsroman. What a stange word but it comes from German meaning “formation novel”. And this was a formation novel par excellence. The genre of a novel which focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist and it took Maugham about 500 pages to do this with Philip Carey!! Wonder if the fast texting of today would even consider putting up with this?
Donna Buessing
Thanks, Donna. As we read a wider variety of fiction, it’s going to be interesting to hear our takes on it. I learn something new with every book we’ve read. What a great group of readers!