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Of Human Bondage
Of Human Bondage
Of Human Bondage
Audiobook25 hours

Of Human Bondage

Written by Somerset Maugham

Narrated by Steven Crossley

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

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About this audiobook

One of the most widely read novels of the twentieth century, W. Somerset Maugham's masterpiece Of Human Bondage gives a harrowing depiction of unrequited love. Philip Carey, a sensitive orphan born with a clubfoot, finds himself in desperate need of passion and inspiration. He abandons his studies to travel, first to Heidelberg and then to Paris, where he nurses ambitions of becoming a great artist. Philip's youthful idealism erodes, however, as he comes face-to-face with his own mediocrity and lack of impact on the world. After returning to London to study medicine, he becomes wildly infatuated with Mildred, a vulgar, tawdry waitress, and begins a doomed love affair that will change the course of his life.

First published in 1915, the semi-autobiographical Of Human Bondage combines the values left over from the Victorian era with the prevailing irony and despair of the early twentieth century. Unsentimental yet bursting with deep feeling, Of Human Bondage remains Maugham's most complete statement of the importance of physical and spiritual liberty, a theme that resounds more loudly than ever today.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateFeb 8, 2011
ISBN9781400189762
Author

Somerset Maugham

W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) was an English novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. His best-known novels include Of Human Bondage, The Moon and Sixpence, Cakes and Ale, and The Razor’s Edge.

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Reviews for Of Human Bondage

Rating: 4.380434782608695 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Another amazing work by Maughm.
    Touching on so many aspects of the human condition with depth in a deceptively easy style.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    But for the unnecessary length, I would have given this work 4 stars. The book is replete with interesting characters and experiences encountered by Philip, the protagonist, throughout his youth and early adulthood. It is a wonderful insight into the human condition, and particularly the perspective of the poor. Nonetheless, Maugham often digresses into amounts of detail that unfortunately lessen the impact of his work.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Of human bondage touched my heart more than it tickled my brain. It is so marvellously written that I can see it as a movie in my mind.

    Philip's aunt made a permanent impression on me because her portrayal was real when she didn't know what to do with Philip or how to love him.

    I especially remember Philip roaming in Paris with lawson and others where I can see the colour and smell of Paris.

    I felt pity for Mildred because she could not help being indifferent to Philip just like he could not help loving her. Both Mildred and Philip got my sympathy because both were helpless due to their own limitations. Also, there was no deception in both of them. In the end both of them learned lessons of life.

    I liked Philip because he was he. Being loved by children is the symbol of one's openness. Philip was certainly loved by Athenly's children. He was not pretentious. He was not a weakling. He was ambitious and had the guts to follow what he thought although he was an orphan and poor and deformed. There was no one to guide him yet he made his own path and at last reached a stable position, probably wiser than his friends.

    Of human bondage is not a story of an orphan seeking freedom. It is a story of an orphan trying to find what is right for him by himself and finally succeeding in it. He started with his imaginations of freedom and all but when tackled with reality he was bruised. But he recovered through his intellect and judgement and at last he was good in every sense of the word.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Like life at its best, this book is long and sprawling, combining themes that inspired in me delight, curiosity, insight, frustration, melancholy, and revelation.Philip's tale, which mirrors Maugham's own life, is a journey I feel privileged to have shared. This is a long book and so something of an undertaking however I felt joy and satisfaction having just completed this book. There were parts of the book that I was bored and frustrated by however I am very pleased I stuck with it. This is the third book I have read by W Somerset Maugham, and follows Ashenden and Christmas Holiday which were both excellent. I am now intent on reading all his works. Unlike many of his contemporaries he wrote in a simple and accessible style, eschewing Modernist experimentation, and his books are all the better for it. I would not recommend this as a starting point for someone new to Maugham, however I now fully appreciate why many describe it as his masterpiece as it's touching, profound, and beautiful.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    What Maugham does in this book is something every author who has ever lived has striven to do. He has created a character in Philip Carey that is so vivid a reader cannot help but become attached to his every move. There was not a page (out of all 700 and some) where I did not care about Philip, or became bored with his life. As he tries to find his place in life, traveling around Europe in a variety of occupations and stations of life, all one can do is root him on, and hope for the best. The story is nearly flawless. Some of the secondary characters can become a bit trying on one's patience, but the vivacity of the story itself makes up for any shortcoming. I would recommend this book to anyone who wishes to lose them self in Edwardian England. You're in for a wonderful time!

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Far be it for me to expound on the great literature of these seven hundred sixty pages.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    EM Forster once wrote: "The final test of a novel will be our affection for it, as it is the test of our friends, of anything else that we cannot define." Good point. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this book. While it didn't win my affection, I will give Maugham some admiration for being able to capture and portray the essence of his characters so well. I absolutely despised Mildred and found Philip at time equally frustrating/infuriating. At least Maugham's writing style is geared towards the everday reader, which I found to be a bonus as nothing turns my mind off a novel faster than going all high-brow with elegant writing unless it fits with the story. [Of Human Bondage] is not an elegant story washed in filtered lighting. It has a directness to it that would be at odds with any flowery prose. I also found the story to be at times overly melodramatic, but my impatience with the melodrama was at part being fueled by my loathing of the whole Mildred/Philip scenario that just wouldn't end. Thank goodness for the entrance of Athelny and his family - which had me thinking about H.E. Bates' [The Darling Buds of May] - as a nice jolt of sunshine to what was becoming a rather dour read for me. I read the first 40% of the book as a e-read before flipping over to audiobook. This story definitely worked better for me in audio format - as do most of the classics I have tackled of late - so kudos to Crossley for managing to draw me back into a story that was doomed to be a long drawn out reading affair for me. What I didn't know until after I had finished reading the story is that Maugham wrote the manuscript when he was only 23 years old and was fresh out of medical school. I had read somewhere that some view [Of Human Bondage] to be the most autobiographical of all of Maugham's works but I had always assumed that the story had been written closer to its publication date when Maugham was in his mid to late-30's. Overall, I am glad to be able to cross this title off my "Classics still to read" list.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Have I mentioned how much I love Somerset Maugham? Yeah, I thought so. Regardless, this book went above and beyond what I expected. Maugham never disappoints. I railed against the main character every time he went back to the terrible Mildred and I rejoiced when I felt he was making the right decisions. A glorious novel that feels much shorter than its 600 pages.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Breathtaking. Master of storytelling.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A magnificent tale of love, life, sexual frustration, and a search for a sense of identity. Maugham's turn of the century London comes to life in a brilliantly told novel. I had no idea what to expect having not read Maugham before, but this is instantly one of my favorite books.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    That synopsis is so inadequate, but honestly I have no idea how to improve it. To state that this book is about love is a gross understatement. In addition, this book is not just a coming-of-age novel. I would say that the main theme is relationships - to friends, to family, to the opposite sex, to yourself. Equal parts philosophical and dramatic, Maugham requires the reader to reexamine his or her own relationships throughout one's life, bringing to life both painful and joyful memories. Philip is very much a flawed main character. He is overly sensitive and boorish, snobbish and elitist. He struggles to form lasting relationships with others and constantly lets his clubfoot impact those relationships. Even worse, he has a delusional opinion of love that gets him constantly in trouble. And yet, the reader feels tremendous sympathy for Philip because we have all been in Philip's shoes at some point in time in our lives. Everyone has had experience being overly sensitive or boorish, snobbish or elitist. We have all had at least one bad, unhealthy love interest or friendship. We can relate to his struggles to grow up because we have all had to do so ourselves. This sympathy for Philip is what makes this book timeless. Philip's experiences easily translate to the twenty-first century because they are decidedly human experiences - questioning faith, experiencing love, struggling to make ends meet. Because of this, the book is equally frustrating and beautiful because honestly, who wants to relive their painful youth? And yet, Maugham tells the experience of growing up so well that the reader is forced to relive their youth through Philip's experiences.Because of the pain and angst Philip experiences throughout the book, it is not comfortable reading at times and therefore may not be for everyone. I know others who read this with me who expressed a desire to take Philip by the shoulders and shake some sense into him. I definitely shared those sentiments at time, and yet, the lack of sense is what made the book so enjoyable. Watching him grow and become a man is painful and frustrating, but so is actually doing it. As a reader of this book, remembering this fact is key to sympathizing with Philip and enjoying the book itself.I would recommend this book to anyone who loves classics or character-driven books. Maugham makes the reader think, which is never a bad thing in my opinion. Like most classics, it is not an easy read but worth the struggle. If you have read Of Human Bondage, I would love to know what you thought. Do you agree with my assessment or disagree? What were your impressions?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is an excellent novel. Maugham not only understood the conflicts that men encounter as they age, but possessed the ability to express these trials beautifully.We meet Philip Carey as a young orphan and follow him from his schooling through his attempts to find a woman and a profession. Central to the novel is Philip's reluctance to choose the set path (in which a man marries, works, has children, and dies), and his yearning for new experiences.Aside from the plot being interesting, Maugham is an exceptional writer. His abilities to put human thought patterns into words is wonderful. For example, I loved the passages where Philip first questions his belief in God. You can feel the gears turning in Philip's head--I almost felt like I was reliving internal conversations I'd had years ago.Many times I had to put the book down for a moment to reflect, and sometimes even to laugh, feeling giddy at the beauty of his words.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    For the past few years, I have been trying to fill the gaps in my education by reading a classic book with my morning coffee. I don't generally write reviews of the classics I read. How is it helpful for one more person to write about how good Madame Bovary is? It might be more interesting to write about a classic I didn't like much, but I live in fear of sounding like those loser reviewers on Amazon who give one star to Faulkner because he's "bo-ring!"I just challenged myself to re-read Of Human Bondage, a dull, miserable, soul-deadening book, or so I remembered from my teens. What was I thinking? It's a great, page-turning story and a truly thoughtful work about a young man's pursuit of wisdom and happiness, hampered by physical and emotional disability. Philip Carey, born with a club foot and perhaps born with a congenital inability to believe himself loved, is often infuriating to the reader as he makes a series of questionable choices, including the Big One in the form of an odious woman with whom he falls in love. Many times during the narrative I wanted to yell out to the guy. Talk about emotional engagement! It's the opposite of dull.As with the last Maugham book I read, The Moon and Sixpence, there are a lot of questionable stereotypes in evidence: racial, ethnic, religious, and especially sexual. From these two books, Maugham strikes me as a true misogynist. The "bad" women in these books are horrifying, and the "good" women come across as disconcertingly bovine. Yet...what a read. It has jumped into my Top Ten Best Books Ever.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Years ago I had come across the movie of the book in only a segment. So many years later I decided maybe I should have a go at the book, considered a classic is some circles. The book is proclaimed to be a vague sense of autobiography as some elements are directly attached to Maugham's experience.I found the story somewhat interesting and took note of the messages it had to convey on life as many of us experience it. At stages many of us can certainly relate to what Philip Carey goes through in conditions and with people. The relationship with the primary antagonist Mildred gets a bit drawn as we observe the foolishness of his almost pathological devotion. Yet still haven't most of us been down that road to some extent with someone.The conclusion which drifted a bit into predictability was closed out I felt with a a couple of lines that best summed up what many if not most think we are after in life.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I enjoyed an excellent audio version of this title. I have to say it was amazing. I loved this book. Maugham addresses the central issue of life - why are we here - and does a magnificent job illustrating his answer through the life of Philip Carey. Just an ordinary man with a physical challenge, Philip encounters the good and bad in life and reckons with it. The end is uplifting. I particularly enjoyed the sections with Philip in art school and the many scenes during the time of his uncle's death. Maugham has a gift in making Philip so perfectly human in his desires and dreams. A wonderful book!!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    An engrossing bildungsroman that I found hard to put down. I didn't think I'd enjoy a Somerset Maugham novel, so I was surprised by how good it was.It follows the life of Philip Carey from birth until he's around thirty. It's a long and sprawling story, which follows Philip through many careers and relationships.Apart from Philip's journey through life, there are a couple of deeper points: firstly that love can be something that keeps people in bondage, and secondly the big "what's the meaning of life". While I don't totally agree with Maugham's answers, these are interesting observations.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is one of the VERY few books I have read more than once, even though I have not had to for some reason other than wanting to reread it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I've re-read this book several times, and enjoyed it each. For most of the novel I feel a significant sympathy with Philip Carey. The ending strikes a jarringly false note, but it doesn't damage the novel too much. Plus: fun late 19th-century class distinctions!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    One of my favorite novels; yet, strangely, I have difficulty understanding the hero (anti-hero?) Philip Carey. Philip, who, like the author himself, is orphaned and brought up by his uncle. Harshly treated, he is burdened with liabilities, both physical, a clubfoot, and intellectual, a habit of making the least of his opportunities through bad choices and/or lack of talent. As I reread the novel I am immediately impressed by the importance of reading for the young Philip Carey. He turns to reading to escape the pain of losing his mother and father, of being different, of his inability to satisfy his uncle whose harshness rivals some of Dickens's famous hard-hearted characters. Philip seeks and finds solace in his reading and it is one of the characteristics that make him a sympathetic character for this reader. Just as David Copperfield and others before him have found reading a meaningful salve for the pains encountered in their lives - readers of this novel may find themselves.It is written as a sort of bildungsroman, tracing the protagonist's education and travels to Germany, Paris, and London, while exploring both his intellectual and emotional growth. It somewhat reminds me of Flaubert's novel, A Sentimental Education , which possibly influenced Maugham. As Philip matures he settles into a sort of life in London, but continues to make the wrong choices. In so doing he enters a destructive relationship with an unappealing (to this reader) Cockney waitress named Mildred. In spite of all the bad choices and ensuing difficulties, Maugham's story is beautifully told and as a result I have been drawn back to it again and again over the years.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A beautifully paced, magnificently written, and deeply nuanced story of Philip Carey's transition from selfish boyhood to the acceptance the mundane beauty of being a adult. Of Human Bondage is full of moments of self realization that create one of those rare books in which you learn about yourself through the character. Although the title itself refers to the inexplicable infactuation that serves as the centre of the story (and frankly I found distracting...), the joys of the book are found in his moments of transition - from his realization of the meaning of his aunt's love, through his youthful discovery of the magic of art and literature, to the embrace of his father's career and a simple life. One of the few books I feel compelled to read again.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Philip Carey is an orphan, reared by his aunt and uncle, handicapped by his club foot. When he reaches the age of eighteen, he sets out in the world--first to study at Heidelberg, then to try an accounting job, then trying to launch an artistic career. Finally he returns to London to train as a doctor, and meets Mildred, a young woman with whom he becomes obsessed. He finally gets his M.D. degree and considers traveling the world as a ship's doctor, but falls in love with Sally Athelney and settles down happily to practice medicine in a small fishing village. Maugham said of this highly autobiographical novel, "Turning my wishes into fiction, I drew a picture of the marriage I should like to make." "Of Human Bondage" is considered his masterpiece.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Having seen both movie versions, I was surprised by the fact that almost a third of the novel involves Philip's childhood and young adulthood. In some aspects, I liked this part best especially the parts in Europe. Having the details of his background made his actions after he starts medical school more understandable and being raised by in a vicarage by his aunt and uncle explains the amount of religious musings. Personally I could have done without those religious musings but I suspect that having a major character who decides that he doesn't believe in God was still shocking in 1915.

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    An incredibly detailed, completely believable story about a young man's progress from child to adult. Maugham wrote a book that will startle you with character insights. The main character, Philip Carey, grows, suffers, loves, and learns to make peace with the uncertainty and randomness of life. Mildred, the object of his affections, is a vividly portrayed picture of venality and meaness. Many minor characters appear and re-appear, always behaving realistically, with their motives made clear.Maugham said that he wanted to write a plain sort of book that could be read and understood by anyone. He's certainly succeeded here; the reader is completely wrapped up in these people's lives. Not a page-turner, but a compelling picture of its time. Recommended.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Sometimes tedious, usually fascinating. I don't think I'll ever reread it, but I'm glad I read it the first time—Philip Carey is one of the more memorable characters in English literature.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Of Human Bondage, by W. Somerset Maugham, is a book that is considered, for want of a better word, “literature.” Don't let that scare you; it basically means it was written long ago. Maugham was born in 1874 and lived until 1965, dying at the age of 91. Think about what that long life meant to him as a writer and as a human being. Born in the middle of the Victorian Age (1837-1901), he lived to see two World Wars, nuclear weapons, the Beatles and Vietnam. He wrote Of Human Bondage in 1915, when he was forty years old. The book is semi-autobiographical, although it does not touch on homosexuality; Maugham was gay. He had observed the persecution of Oscar Wilde, so it is easy to understand why he kept that aspect of his life private. Maugham also wrote The Razor's Edge, The Moon and Sixpence, and The Letter, among other works. Several of his novels or stories have been made into movies.Of Human Bondage revolves around a young man, Philip, born into an affluent family. Although he is a gentleman, he has a birth defect; a club foot. At the death of his mother, Philip goes to live with his overbearing uncle, a Vicar at a small country church. Through some trial and error, including attempts at other vocations, he begins to study medicine. Throughout the book Philip’s deformity, which causes him to limp noticeably, compounded by his naiveté, affects his confidence and social interactions.The main conflict in the story occurs when Philip falls in love with Mildred, a girl who doesn’t care for him. Various things occur and the girl is eventually left penniless and turns to a life unbecoming to a lady. Because he continues to help Mildred when he shouldn’t, he also becomes destitute. Their relationship is a learning experience for Philip, and the things he is taught are not always pleasant. Other trials occur and eventually Philip finds himself on the path toward a satisfying life, but not the life he had once envisioned for himself.Of Human Bondage is rated a 5. While it is considered Maugham’s greatest work, that’s not why I gave it that rating. I found it very enjoyable and interesting because it describes a world with societal norms that are long past. You may regard some of them as quaint, yet you will see the value in adherence to the rules of etiquette and decency in force at the time the story takes place. The tale contains pathos, drama, and a moral (if you care to infer one). We see Philip’s various missteps, yet we also observe his maturation, his growing sense of self, and his coming to terms with who and what he is. This book is a classic and highly recommended. Also, it’s British!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is one of the 2 books that saved me from bad books. My 16th summer I read this and Gigi by Colette, and that changed my reading palette forever. Before this time I read in a most discriminate manner. In fact, it was my custom to start at a library stack and read my way through nearly all off that stack, pick another and so forth. Other than alphabetics there was little rhyme nor reason to my choices, and I loved nearly all of them. I found Of Human Bondage among my father's books, one of the rare works of fiction in his history laden shelves, and thus read it. Now, Maugham from certain standpoints is not in the very top class, but he is a great stylist. Not brilliant, not excellent, but affecting and well-crafted. I found this book absolutely absorbing. Since reading it I have no taste for schlock. It reformed a former reading hussy. My copy is a hard worn 1930s library discard held together with red tape down its spine. While many of my favorites I long to have replaced by lovely copies, I would not trade this volume for anything.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    One of my favourite books.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I've read this several times over the years & it's still my favorite of all time!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    One of my favoite books of all time. The twisted relationship between Philip and Mildred. This edition is an enriched edition with some background and history to expand on the understanding of the literature.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is a real thinking person's book. The journey of self discovery, questioning ideologies, the influence of others in our lives and the lessons learned from mistakes are all explored beautifully in this book. I would love to go "hopping".