He has been contacted by Amy, Driffield’s second wife, via Alroy Kear, a popular writer who plans on writing the official biography (or rather, hagiography) of what is now generally considered to be a great man. “You must take me as I am, you know,” she whispered.Īshenden, a successful author now in his mid 50s, much like Maugham himself at the time, tells his life story, focusing in particular on his friendship with the late Edward Driffield and his first wife, the earthy and charming Rosie. I offer the following review for Friday’s Forgotten Books meme, hosted today by Todd Mason at Sweet Freedom. Subtitled The Skeleton in the Closet, this is not a crime or mystery novel, so I’ll keep this post nice and short but wanted to draw attention to one of the best books I’ve ever read (or re-read). It is certainly among his most autobiographical, resurrecting the author’s occasional alter-ego William Ashenden for this tale of social mores, notions of respectability and literary one-upmanship. Late in life, Somerset Maugham claimed that this was the favourite among his novels and it is easy to see why, with its wit and provocative themes handled with consummate skill.
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