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From Library Journal
Shallow, poorly educated Kitty marries the passionate and intellectual Walter Fane and has an affair with a career politician, Charles Townsend, assistant colonial secretary of Hong Kong. When Walter discovers the relationship, he compels Kitty to accompany him to a cholera-infested region of mainland China, where she finds limited happiness working with children at a convent. But when Walter dies, she is forced to leave China and return to England. Generally abandoned, she grasps desperately for the affection of her one remaining relative, her long-ignored father. In the end, in sharp, unexamined contrast to her own behavior patterns, she asserts that her unborn daughter will grow up to be an independent woman. The Painted Veil was first published in 1925 and is usually described as a strong story about a woman's spiritual journey. To more pragmatic, modern eyes, Kitty's emotional growth appears minimal. Still, if not a major feminist work, the book has literary interest. Sophie Ward's uninflected reading is competent if not compelling. Recommended only for large literature collections. I. Pour-El, Des Moines Area Community Coll., Boone, IA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.
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“The modern writer who has influenced me the most.” – George Orwell
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5.0 out of 5 stars
The Great Lost Hong Kong Novel!,
By A Customer
This review is from: 20th Century Painted Veil (Mass Market Paperback)
I agree with the many reviewers here who enjoy this as a gripping literary read. But it is also the first of three fine novels about Hong Kong - along with Timothy Mo's The Monkey King and Paul Theroux's Kowloon Tong, this book for me contained insights into certain Hong Kong personalities I encountered during my residence there in the 90's. In the case of the Painted Veil, a novel from the 1920's (!), certain actions and attitudes of western expatriates were still visible in my day (before and after the end of British rule). A little bit of playing at being "gentlemen" by people who could not afford the pose back home. This book, like Mo's and Theroux's, caused no end of upset in certain quarters of Hong Kong when released. Though it was not banned in China, like Kowloon Tong, in Hong Kong "writs were served!" (Parts of Hong Kong can react a little bit like a small town when its described by someone who's left it for better things - the other parts read these books with pleasure.) The detached reader need not worry about any of this - it's a great read. Enjoy.
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Mystique Of Maugham,
By "colette21c" (Dallas, Tx. United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: 20th Century Painted Veil (Mass Market Paperback)
An unusual read, I was engrossed after the first page! And as avid readers, we know what a delight it is to find a book that can enchant us in the first chapter and hold our interest until the end, and even beyond. The story follows a married British couple,Walter and Kitty Fane. Walter Fane is a bacteriologist that is working for the British government while stationed in Hong Kong. Kitty, a young and bored wife, soon succumbs to her passions with another man. Charles, another British government official. This affair comes to an end when they suspect Walter has found out about their liaisons. This is where the real excitement begins, and maybe the first form of "biological punishment" witnessed in a classic novel. What does this mean? Buy the book, and I promise that you will not be disappointed!
5.0 out of 5 stars
AMAZING!,
By
This review is from: 20th Century Painted Veil (Mass Market Paperback)
Maugham is one of my favourite authors, and The Painted Veil is one of his best books. I ended up so involoved with all the characters' lives that I couldn't put it down. A real page turner, this one. As usual with Maugham, this book has a lot to say about the human condition and has little tidbits of philosophy and deep thoughts throughout. The movie version is also excellent, but nowhere near as good as the book.
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