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Of Human Bondage

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Of Human Bondage

By: W. Somerset Maugham
Narrated by: Steven Crossley
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One of the most widely read novels of the 20th century, W. Somerset Maugham's masterpiece, Of Human Bondage, gives a harrowing depiction of unrequited love. Philip Carey, a sensitive orphan born with a clubfoot, finds himself in desperate need of passion and inspiration. He abandons his studies to travel, first to Heidelberg and then to Paris, where he nurses ambitions of becoming a great artist.

Philip's youthful idealism erodes, however, as he comes face-to-face with his own mediocrity and lack of impact on the world. After returning to London to study medicine, he becomes wildly infatuated with Mildred, a vulgar, tawdry waitress, and begins a doomed love affair that will change the course of his life.

First published in 1915, the semi-autobiographical Of Human Bondage combines the values left over from the Victorian era with the prevailing irony and despair of the early 20th century. Unsentimental yet bursting with deep feeling, Of Human Bondage remains Maugham's most complete statement of the importance of physical and spiritual liberty, a theme that resounds more loudly than ever today.

Public Domain (P)2011 Tantor Classics Heartfelt Thought-Provoking Witty
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If you are going to devote over 25 hours of your life listening to a book it had better be worth it and my conclusion, having just finished the novel, is that it was time very well spent. It was also brilliantly read by Steven Crossley which is another essential quality of any good listen. The search for happiness and meaning in life are universal themes and as a listener we follow Phillip Carey on his often painful journey towards an understanding that living in the here and now, rather than the future, can provide happiness and meaning. I liked the ending because I had been rooting for Phillip all along and who is to say he didn't get to Spain and the Far East. I rather hope he did.

Maugham's Masterpiece

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I would listen to Steven Crossley read a telephone book. His intelligent and sensitive reading of the source material was a joy to the ears.

Amazing Reading

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A simple and beautiful story. Wonderfully narrated. Knowing it's semi-autobiographical and having read the author's wikipedia page before getting into the book added to my pleasure of listening. One of my Audible favourites.

Simple and beautiful.

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A long Bildungsroman with influences from many other writers. Glad I didn’t live then, and certainly not in the south of England. Class remains a peculiar, complex, incomprehensible aspect of English life, but the misogyny of that era has softened- or been somewhat modified! The English sense of superiority to the rest of the human race, which was unashamed then, has renewed in the wake of Brexit, unfortunately.
The protagonist was orphaned in middle childhood and was born with a club foot, about which he is inordinately sensitive. He is contrary, often acting against his own best interests and good advice, which leads him into an unsettled adolescence and young adulthood. He can be kind and generous, but also calculating and cruel. The best bits for me are his medical studies and early professional life (since I’m a retired medic) but his indifference to his first experiences of the dissecting room and death do not resemble mine or those of my friends. He thinks too much, and feels too much in a chaotic way.

Hero/anti-hero?

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I can see that Morrissey has drawn much from this book. After a slow start, the book gets under your skin through its insights on life and beautiful wordmanship. Maugham is a genius. I wish I had met him.

Life

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