Beautifully written, compelling story. The movie's plot ended before the book's end and there is one other subplot in the movie. Neither detracts from the other. Frequently seeing a movie after reading the book can be disappointing. That isn't the case here. Both are beautiful.

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A breathtaking story from beginning to end. The author, W. Somerset Maugham is a wonderful storyteller and does not disappoint the reader once during the novel. This is not a love story but a tale of one woman's journey on the road to redemption. The protagonist, Kitty Fane reminds me of a British version of Scarlett O'Hara. Kitty's journey is not a light hearted one. The reader's heart is constantly in a state of flux as the indecisive Kitty always leans towards the wrong choice. This is a timeless work that I believe will be in my top ten of beloved novels for the rest of my life. I highly suggest picking up a copy and enjoying the vivid world left behind by Maugham.

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I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed seeing Kitty's growth and developing understanding of herself.

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Kitty Fane married a man she did not love. He discovered her affair and forced her to accompany him to the heart of a cholera epidemic. There, volunteering at a convent, her emerging conscience compels her to reassess her life choices.
Written in 1925, there's not a lot of action, but the author has a great understanding of the human psychic, at least in these characters.

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Yes, I liked it enough to use it for the book club in October at my house. Thank you.

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I enjoyed this book very much. Saw the movie many years ago, so it was fun to read the book. But then I am a Maugham fan. If writing can be likened with music, I'd say he lays words down in a paragraph in the same gentle manner Liberace played a soft melody.

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This was a pleasant listen - I enjoyed the characters. Setting wasn't very prominent, but the moral issues and character flaws are what make Maugham a perennial favorite.

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~Meh.This novel of the redemption (or perhaps just the growing up) of a self-centered English girl after she enters a loveless marriage, betrays her husband, and then finds purpose in a cholera-ridden Chinese city, seems facile and somewhat pointless.

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