The Painted Veil (Vintage Classics) by W. Somerset Maugham (2001-04-05)

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 Good literature never becomes out of date!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.

Although this story contains lessons, lessons most from what it was like in the 1920s to marry someone you did not love, the moral of the story was lost on me. There was no happiness in this novel. No fleeting moments of scandalous pleasure. It was hard work. The plight of those in China during the cholera epidemic is certainly sad and the work of those who tried to stem its spread heroic, the heroine (and I use the term loosely here) did not appear to learn much from her wanderings. While helping out at the convent is certainly noble, and did give her momentary fulfillment, I would have liked to find out what happened to her when she returned to England. Was she redeemed? Was her preoccupation with fleeting pleasures assuaged? Did she find a deeper meaning in life, a life that brought her low? To me, the novel is unfinished, concluded with haste while so many questions and situations remained open and unanswered. I did not enjoy this novel on the same level as I did "Of Human Bondage", which is in my permanent collection. I enjoy Maugham's straightforward, unembellished style, but this story did not resonate with me as did others. In sum, I was disappointed.

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.