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This was my second reading of The Razor's Edge, the first being thirty or forty years ago. I believe it was the first Maugham I had read, and I liked it enough that I read his Of Human Bondage a few years later. In recent years I read several of his other novels also.
Maugham wrote in the old style of straight-ahead narrative, and did it extraordinarily well. His writing did not "put on airs", a reasonably literate reader would have little need of a dictionary except perhaps a French-English one, as he put in numerous French words and phrases. British readers are more likely to have some acquaintance with French than Americans.
I thought very clever and well-executed his insertion of himself into the novel, making it seem nonfictional, allowing him to be narrator and write at times in first person. The real center of the story is the American "Larry", although half a dozen others also have major roles. Of Human Bondage is generally considered as Maugham's magnum opus, but I think Razor's Edge his best, at least of the five I've so far read.

This was my first reading of anything by Maugham and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Although all the characters reflect a long past time, where cast and class play paramount roles, the writing itself is very clean, and not at all stuffy.
Our cast of characters includes the narrator who the reader is lead to believe is Maugham himself, as he is a homosexual writer who is financially successful. Our narrator tells us that he "has not made anything up" which both excuses him from having to make the drama conform to anyone's traditional fiction expectations, but also gives a certain amount of believability to one of the character's Larry (Laurence Darrell) who is a seeker of peace but also in search of God or at least a reason for living life. We also have a Elliot Templeton who is an American who has transformed himself into a society dandy. Elliot also plays the role of representing a life misspent on useless triva, while Larry represents a more spiritual approach to life.

As the author is charmed by these people, the reader is charmed by them also although I can't say I liked any of them except the narrator.

Not only are there spiritual themes but there are themes around work and how work defines Americans and the ability to not work (upper class) is more likely to define a European at this time.

There is some wonderful commentary woven into the plot including an interesting take on Christianity. "not making the world for his glorification. It didn't seem to be a worthy object".

Some other great quotes:

"I only wanted to suggest to you that self-sacrifice is a passion so overwhelming that beside it even lust and hunger are trifling."

"Well, Larry is, I think, the only person I've ever met who's completely disinterested. It makes his actions seem peculiar. We're not used to persons who do things simply for the love of God whom they don't believe in."

"The dead look so terribly dead when they're dead"

Rating: 4+ stars


This is my last of the Maugham books from the list and my favorite. None of his books are below 4 stars for me. As George, pointed out, I found it clever how he inserted himself into the novel. I am sure that this one of the reasons why this book is included in the list. This is a book I will most likely re-read one day.

I thought it was interesting that in this book, Maugham put himself in the book. Therefore, I wondered, is this book autobiographical. Is it about being an author and writing a book and about life in France. So, wikipedia tells me that he was one of the highest paid authors in the 1930s. I also found this; "Both Maugham's parents died before he was 10, and the orphaned boy was raised by a paternal uncle who was emotionally cold. He did not want to become a lawyer like other men in his family, so he trained and qualified as a physician." From this it appears that both Larry and the author have traits shared with Maugham the author of the book. He also traveled a great deal including India.

Also interesting, Maugham was too old so served with other literary artists as ambulance drivers including E.E.Cummings (his book I read for the traveling book group), Hemmingway, and Don Passos.

There was some references to gay life style choice and I recalled that Maugham was gay. I thought his descriptions of the males in his book; Elliot and Larry was detailed in ways not typical of a male author. I looked this up and Maugham had married once and had a daughter but marriage was unhappy and he later had a partner that he lived with in the Riviera. I wonder if his two male partners are reflected in Elliot and Larry. One was said to be "vintage" and the other "ordinary". Interestingly, his daughter sued him when he sold some stuff that he had given to her. He disowned her and adopted one of his partners. I think that Maugham's writing about sexuality in his books is interesting. I thought of Isabel who gave up her passion for her desire to have stability and social standing but who never gave up her passion, believed that the source of her passion never had sex with anyone else. Both Isabel and Sophie talk very openly about their sexuality.

There is a theme of searching for meaning, spirituality, and God in the book. Wiki tells me that Maugham saw himself as an agnostic. Another theme is the unhappiness of those like Elliot and Isabel who seek fulfillment through social standing and Larry who was seeking the meaning of life and willing to "sell all" for it.

I did not realize that Maugham lived in the US for awhile where he wrote screen plays. Also this book has been made into a movie about 3 times. I have not seen any of them but the latest starring Bill Murrey sounds like they changed the whole book. That would upset me.

There was racism evident in the book though I do think it more reflected the times and peoples attitudes at that time rather than a racism of hate.

I rated it 4 stars. I have one Maugham list book left, Cakes and Ale. My favorite is still Painted Veil.

read May 2020

This is such a well written and compelling novel. I could barely put it down! I am a fan of Maugham, and this is him at this best. The characters are so well drawn you feel you could recognize them on the street. Maugham inserts himself literally, as the omniscient ‘author’ and this technique could not have been more effective. I can’t imagine this story being told any other way. The dialogue is sparking, and yet natural. The story itself is a very interesting exploration of America/Americans after WW1, and through the Depression. They are a very specific subset of wealthy Americans, who either were related or grew up together. That said, the majority of the novel takes place in Europe. Through the characters, Maugham (obliquely) examines the American Dream, social class, wealth and spirituality. 5*

I enjoyed this book very much. It is set just before and during the Great Depression, with the main characters decamping from Chicago to Paris and in one case to parts much further east. The characters are either materialistic or ascetic, conformist or oblivious to the expectations of society. Maugham explores the ideal of material success and its opposite, the denial of comfort in the search for meaning in life. It is no wonder that it became popular during the drop out culture of the 1960's, although it had been published in 1944.

*** 1/2

This is my second novel from Maugham, the first being Cakes and Ale, which I felt was really average. I felt then that I needed to be wearing a suit and tie to read this in a cosy, but conceited and stuffy place (with a horrible glass of sherry). This time, it was a bit more lively, with a spectrum of assorted characters, all gravitating around Maugham himself, as narrator and more-or-less distant protagonist, and the main character, Larry Darrell, who goes on a spiritual quest for the meaning of life after being somewhat traumatised by his experience in WWI. The novel was made further interesting by the trailblazing treatment of some themes (Eastern spirituality, acceptance of homosexuality) which only became a bit more mainstream some 20 years after the novel's publication. It gives me some hope for the other Maughams on the List.

I reread this book this year, since I could not remember enough of it to be able to say whether I enjoyed it or even finished it when I read it a few years ago. I doubt I'll want to reread it again, but I did enjoy it this time. Larry reminded me of people I know, and I found it interesting comparing Elliot with characters like Lord Merlin (The Pursuit of Love) who serve similar roles in other novels I read this year.
I gave this book 4 stars this time. It's a good book, but maybe one I'd have related to more in my 30s.

I was completely thrown when I began this book by thinking the main character's name was Lawrence Durrell. Then I realised Durrell wasn't American and wouldn't have been old enough to fight in WWI, and I looked back and saw it was LaUrence DArrell. Still I think my reading of the character of Larry was influenced by that similarity of names. I wonder if there was any subconscious link in Maugham's mind? Durrell published his first book in 1935 and The Razor's Edge was published in 1944. They could have met. But Durrell wasn't really famous until the 1950s so perhaps not. And he was a very different personality from the saintly, philosophic Larry Darrell (although that might not have been obvious in the 1930s).

Anyway... I enjoyed this. I'm not sure what we were meant to think about Isabel, but I thought she did the only thing she could. She wasn't the woman who would have been happy tramping the world with Larry.

Maugham's own appearance in the novel was interesting and convincingly done.