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The Moon and Sixpence

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The Moon and Sixpence

By: W. Somerset Maugham
Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
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This is the story of an artist who was willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of art. Charles Strickland, a stock broker in London, seems like a good, honest man. But one day, at the age of forty, heleaves his business, his wife, and his children and goes to Paris. He has neither money nor prospects, and he knows practically nothing about art, but he is seized with a passion to paint, and for the rest of his life, nothing else matters to him. He gives up everything to which he had been accustomed for extreme poverty, social ostracism, and the freedom to paint. When he finally dies of leprosy in Tahiti, where he had gone native, the few paintings which turn up for sale bring only six to ten francs apiece. But Charles Strickland had achieved his desire to create beauty, and with the years, the world fully recognizes his blazing genius.

Based partially on the life of Paul Gauguin, this is a carefully wrought study of a private life by one of the most vivid and penetrating of contemporary literary masters.

(P)1995 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Classics Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Fiction
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Critic reviews

“It is very difficult for a writer of my generation, if he is honest, to pretend indifference to the work of Somerset Maugham…He was always so entirely there.”

(Gore Vidal)

“[A] witty, compelling roman à clef…that mock[s] the way the world makes saints of the sinners who are often its best artists.”

(Boston Globe)

“Extremely effective, and the simplicity of the narrative is notable.”

(Guardian (London))

“Davidson has great success in personalizing the various male characters…[Maugham’s novel and] Davidson’s effortless narration form an integrated whole that is among the best in audio fiction.”

(Library Journal)
All stars
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Somewhat compulsive, yet it is hideously sexist and pretty racist too. Also - the narrator sounds a bit like Kenneth Williams! Perhaps the connection with Gaugin gives it some substance. The general impression is rather distasteful somehow. Perhaps Maugham was a misogynist and racist, or just an Englishman of his era, or perhaps it is just easy to confuse the author’s attitude with that of ‘Strickland’, the protagonist.

Interesting but very flawed

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One of Somerset Maugham’s best. A surprising and thought provoking take. He is a master of creating characters that reveal themselves slowly through the narrative. You start by hating Charles Strickland but by the end you are firmly in his side.

Extraordinary story

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A captivating story with a desperate sadness of the human condition expertly woven so intricately into the characters’ lives.

A Maugham Masterpiece

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Without sinking into the drone of psycho-babble, WSM creates and explores really colourful characters whose interaction reveals the nature of human being. We travel with these characters through a most engaging story, told with incredibly vivid use of language. I always imagined there must be a story behind the paintings of Gaugin; here it is. The narration is first class. If you haven't yet heard this audiobook then a treat awaits you.

Penetrating characterisations

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There’s a glitch in chapter 7 with about 3 hours 31 seconds to go it jumps to another part in the story.

The story itself is ok but meanders towards the end and includes some racist language and attitudes that were prevalent at the time of writing.

It is also well read even though you can hear the reader moving around and the shuffling of paper/script.

Too long

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