THE RAZOR'S EDGE: Amazon.ca: MAUGHAM W. Somerset: Books

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93 Reviews

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(7)
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4.6 out of 5 stars (93 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Butterfly Net of Words, Jun 7 2004

By

Dorion Sagan (East Coast, USA and Toronto) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Razor's Edge (Paperback)

In this brilliantly understated masterpiece W. Somerset Maugham slips the timeless theme of mysticism into the time-bound narrative of a novel. It is a class act with all the charm of a daguerrotype. The protagonist is a war hero who gradually withdraws from the world of ego and money inhabited by the social-climbing narrator, who is himself divided between high society and inner happiness. Of course, they are mirrors of each other: Boddhisatva. The excellent old movie based on the book catches the action but misses the nirvana behind the samsara that Maugham captures for us in his butterfly net of words. This has been a high-falutin' Zen review.

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5.0 out of 5 stars The Razor's edge, Dec 4 2011

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Peter Koch (Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Razor's Edge (Paperback)

I purchased this item as a gift and as far as I know it was all the person thought it would be

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5.0 out of 5 stars A look into another world in another time, Sep 1 2010

By

bernie "webviator" (Arlington, Texas) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Razor's Edge (Hardcover)

Yet the writing is so full that we can feel part of this other world.

I came to this story by the back door. My first introduction to Somerset Maugham was through the movie "The Razor's Edge" (1946) staring Tyrone Power as Larry Darrell. I have no idea as to how much it was adapted from the book. Then in 1984 we watched Bill Murray as Larry Darrell. This film lost what magic the 1946 film had. So it was time to read the book. Yes I know very few films can do more than present the essence of a book. Turns out that even the older film wrote Summerset out of some of the scenes.

Larry is back from the war (WWI). As with many of us he is left with nagging questions about why one person lives and another must die. This problem leads Larry to search for the answers. He turns down opportunities and takes up a lifestyle to help him find answers. This story is told or narrated by Somerset Maugham himself. In the book Somerset takes more of an active part in the story. Larry came as close as any of us to the answer he seeks and we leave him much the same way one enters and leaves your life.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A glimps into a viable alternative to consumerism
Surprisingly simple yet deep novel displaying some of the finest skills of the revered Mr. Maugham. He attempts to objectively recount the life events of a seemingly ordinary... Read more

Published on Mar 8 2010 by Val Boroda

5.0 out of 5 stars A look into another world in another time
Yet the writing is so full that we can feel part of this other world.

I came to this story by the back door. Read more

Published on Jun 25 2007 by bernie