Why did I pick it up- Especially since it's a reread? Well, this is what my reading group is reading this month.
Interests zones- It is Maugham, after all. Great character insights- how gently he damns them with faint praise!, wonderful turn of phrases, tongue-in-cheek humor, wry wit.
I had forgotten about Kosti. No one does this better than Maugham. Paint a character, lull you into a mental picture and then turn the image on its head; only to make you slap your forehead and say- "of course. That is exactly who he /she ought to be. Miner Kosti is one of those. Even after 20 odd years, I find Maugham's one of the best when it comes to peeling off layers to reveal character. Yet he does it so skillfully that everybody, even Sophie and Isabel seems to fulfill their destiny. Even after the sword turns in your chest. You are rubbing away your pain long after you have closed the book.
But- There isn’t any. Even in the re-read. Except that Maugham has done it better in other places. But then, it's still Maugham.
© Maya
Clearly, you have a 'moham' with Maugham! ;-)
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