Rain and Other South Sea Stories (Dover Thrift Editions)
by W. Somerset Maugham
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Book Summary Information
Author: W. Somerset MaughamEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-09-23
ISBN: 0486445623
Number of pages: 176
Publisher: Dover Publications
Book Reviews of Rain and Other South Sea Stories (Dover Thrift Editions)
Book Review: A LUXUIOUS PLEASURE TO READ.
Summary: 5 Stars
"...and the mystery of the sunset, the deep silence of the water, the lithe grace of the coconut trees, added to her beauty, giving it a profundity, a magic which stirred the heart to unknown emotions."--page 114
"His manner was not agreeable. It was sycophantic, and yet behind the cringing air of an old man who had been worsted in his struggle with fate was a shadow of old truculence."--page 115
W. Somerset Maugham, storyteller par excellence, is a master of the character flaw; crafting hauntingly beautiful and subtle portraits of distressingly, often fatally, flawed characters, all the while holding a mirror up to a horribly, rip-your-heart-out flawed humanity. The collection of short stories in `Rain and Other South Sea Stories,' teeming with characters you'll both love and hate almost simultaneously, lushly and entertainingly reaffirms Maugham's superior storytelling talent.
Recommendation: Like O'Henry, Damon Runyon, and Mark Twain; W. Somerset Maugham is one of my favorite go-to guys whenever I want to read something just for the pure pleasure of the reading. If you like a touch of profundity and magic with your beauty, he's the writer for you. As C. K. Chesterton aptly puts it, "Literature is a luxury; fiction is a necessity." For me, reading W. Somerset Maugham, from time to time, is a necessary luxury.
[A word about Dover Publications, Thrift Editions: Unless you have incredibly good, un-hobbled eyesight avoid at all cost. It seems that all the `Thrift' comes from substantially reducing the number of pages in a volume by printing it in the teeniest-tiniest type ever invented. For anyone whose eyesight has been spoiled by the luxury of 12-pt or better type, and especially by those of us who have been pampered with the larger type sizes available with an electronic reader, the type of a Dover Thrift Edition is very uncomfortable to read.]
Dover Publications Thrift Editions, Copyright 2005; 159 pages.
Summary of Rain and Other South Sea Stories (Dover Thrift Editions)
This collection features one of Maugham's most famous tales, "Rain," concerning the clash between a missionary and a prostitute. It also includes "Macintosh," a psychological study of the competition between two officials; "The Fall of Edward Barnard," a tale of social rebellion that foreshadows The Razor's Edge; "The Pool," and other compelling stories of life in the tropics.
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