The Painted Veil

A story of passions, morality and living in a foreign country. It is considered a classic because human fragility and love are a constant part of life no matter where or when life happens; as long as the story is very well written: as in The Painted Veil.

A great read; it was intelligent, witty and dramatic! The characters came to life and breathed through the well written text. Good literature never becomes out of date! Do yourself a favor and revisit this classic, then enjouy the recent video version.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, in fact everytime I had to put it down I could hardly wait to go back to it! The characters were well fleshed out. The setting was interesting, and informative. When I had finished I longed to know 'what happened next'. This book will stay in my mind for a long time yet.

The story of a somewhat spoiled young woman who is forced to face her own failings through the goodness and love of others is written in such a way that it will come to mind many times after you have finished it. The author captures the human spirit perfectly.

I enjoyed an old classic novel, written in an old fashioned way. There was much information about old China - intriguing and romantic - and 19th century history. I would have to classify this story as historical fiction.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Painted Veil. It was unpredictable and had wonderful characterizations; I felt well-acquainted with the characters when I was done. It gave me yet another perspective on infidelity. Also, it was a very nice length; I could read it in a few days.

The novel is eloquent, especially in its description of the feelings of Kitty, Walter's wife. Her need for affection and recognition is palpable, but Walter is so highly-strung, even for a Brit, that he can hardly hold a conversation. The plague in the remote region of China, which Walter (and later Kitty) try to alleviate, makes Kitty grow. This part is deep and moving. But Walter does not change at all; he is the same intolerable, reticent, unforgiving husband. He dies without forgiving Kitty. And that's where Ed Norton made a smart revision. His Walter does change and does forgive Kitty, and the process is real and unsentimental. The second mistake of Maugham is that when Kitty returns Beijin, she returns to the arms of her lustful, trashy lover. That right there destroys the immense growth that had taken place in her soul upon seeing the suffering of the plague's victims. Now, at the end of the novel, she hates herself. And rightly so. Ed Norton deserves a lot of credit for revising Maugham's disappointing and confusing ending.

I really enjoyed "The Painted Veil" because it is a novel/story about people. Somerset Maugham has great insight on human nature. The story shows how the way people act has always a good reason behind it and more important how one can change given the opportunity. It shows how love, respect can grow and develop between people that are very different. It was very interesting to read the transformation these main characters underwent under difficult circumstances.