Of Human Bondage Paperback - 2014

W. Somerset Maugham's Of Human Bondage is one of the best novels ever written. The language is simple. The narration is subtle. The characters are real and display emotions and feelings everyone can identify with. The power of novel becomes apparent when it is read. Readers will find themselves choking up at times, smiling for hours, and comprehending themselves, together with woes and possibilities, better through the perspectives the novel provides. Philip Carey is born with a clubfoot, and as he grows up, orphaned, he struggles with his own deformity. The initial quarter of the novel is about his growing up, and details incidents and relationships that shape our hero. He then develops a fancy of becoming a painter and travels to Paris, only to quit few years later to return to London, where he studies to become a doctor. The most engrossing part of novel starts here with the entry of Mildred, the waitress. The rest of the novel thrives on the passion of Philip, his love that carries him to the edge of self-destruction, and his coming of age. Unrequited love has never been portrayed better. Philip allows himself to become an instrument in the hands of cold-hearted Mildred, who repeatedly ruins herself through absurd choices, and ruins him for not withstanding his love and care. In time he finds himself snubbed, ridiculed, bereft. Though his reason tells him otherwise, Philip is unable to release himself from his passion for a considerable time. As is said in the novel, "But when all was said the important thing was to love rather than to be loved; and he yearned for Mildred with his whole soul." The novel is lot more than just story of Philip and Mildred, and there are other unforgettable characters. Each person Philip encounters and each friend he makes leaves an indelible impression on him and the reader. Be it his idealist friend Hayward, the poet Cronshaw who dies in poverty, Fenny Price whose hard work cannot make her draw even reasonably well, his uncle and aunt whose love is both tacit and beautifully portrayed and the writer Norah who shows Philip true care and concern. The most charming people in the novel are the Athlneys, who not only bring life and humor into the novel, but save Philip from total destruction. The novel really highlights the virtue that lies in a simple, happy married life and the Anthlneys win over both Philip and readers with their goodness and simplicity. Philip finds love in most unexpected quarters and is surprised by how help crops up from strangers. His every experience makes both him--and the reader--richer in character. The thoughts about the meaning of life, or about love or religion or about virtue or vice, and about each aspect of life that Philip encounters are spelled out with a subtlety and mastery. These thoughts find easy resonance with the reader, and make Of Human Bondage an unforgettable affair. The honesty of this piece is stunning. This novel, written without any flourishes and intricate wordplay or mystery, is a celebration of the deep insight and understanding of Somerset Maugham.