Cakes and ale king county library system overdrive. Somerset maughams cakes and ale with extended analysis, commentary, and discussion. Somerset maugham s cakes and ale with extended analysis, commentary, and discussion. Maugham confessed to a friend that his cruel portrait of walpole had origins in walpoles behaviour towards maugham s friend, the society painter sir gerald kelly the lionel hillier of cakes and ale when, after sitting for several portraits, walpole not only dropped kelly but asked him to approach augustus john to paint his. William somerset maugham was an english playwright, novelist and short story writer. His work is characterised by a clear unadorned style, cosmopolitan settings and a perceptive understanding of human nature. Somerset maugham, a noted english novelist, playwright, and author of masterly short stories, spent several months in the south pacific in 1916 and 1917 during an interlude in his service in british intelligence during world war i.
The story is told by willie ashenden, a character who previously appeared in maughams shortstory collection ashenden. Maugham was not known as a bombthrower, but cakes and ale in 1930 changed that. Project gutenberg offers 61910 free ebooks for kindle, ipad, nook, android, and iphone. Casting about one evening in the villa mauresque for a good book to take to bed, he sighed. Somerset maugham download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. Cakes and ale boroondara library service overdrive.
Cakes and ale, or, the skeleton in the cupboard 1930 is a novel by the british author w. The novel has been adapted several times for the stage and the screen. Cakes and ale is probably the most cheerful of maughams works, considering that it comprises chiefly of the narrators recollections of a carefree summer vacation due to a strange friendship with a middleaged writer, driffield, and his sensuous, friendly wife, rosie. As he traces the fortunes of edward driffield and his extraordinary wife rosie, one of the most delightful heroines of twentiet. Cakes and ale is a piercing satire of british literary circles, and features apparently very recognisable portraits of authors thomas hardy, and maugham s erstwhile friend horace walpole. Cakes and ale is both a wickedly satirical novel about contemporary heroines of twentiethcentury literature, maughams sardonic wit and william somerset maugham was born in and lived in paris until he was ten. Maugham 18941965 was safely settled in the south of france when the storm broke over this book. Maugham, english novelist, shortstory writer, and playwright is best remembered for his novel of human bondage.
Cakes and ale is a piercing satire of british literary circles, and features apparently very recognisable portraits of authors thomas hardy, and maughams erstwhile friend horace walpole. Somerset maughams cakes and ale is not the powerhouse novel that was of human bondage or the magician or the razors edge and i feel quite sure that quite a few readers might agree with me and, to a large extent, it is not but it has a character, rosie driffield, who is so unique, so seductive, enchanting, and mysterious that she carries this book to the. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. For literary reasons it starts with a vicious portrait of. Social climber alroy kear is flattered when he is selected by edward driffields wife to pen the official biography of. Topics cakes, ale, maugham collection opensource language english. The story is told by a firstperson narrator and welltodo author, william ashenden, who, at the beginning of the novel. Maughams 1930 novel cakes and ale is a thinly veiled portrait of thomas hardy, whose wild inclinations in youth were later tamed into the staid respectability expected of a great novelist by. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading cakes and ale.
Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Read cakes and ale the skeleton in the cupboard by w. Somerset william somerset 1874 1965 date of first publication. The moon and sixpence by william somerset maugham paperback. Somerset maugham earned vast sums as a playwright, novelist and master of the short story. Cakes and ale is a comedy of literary england in the early decades of the 20th century narrated by ashenden.
One of the most popular writers of interwar britain, w. Commercial success with high book sales, successful theatre productions and a string of film adaptations, backed by astute stock market investments, allowed maugham to live a very comfortable life. During wwi, a writer named ashenden, introduced only by his. If you scroll up a bit and click the third button under other maugham eresources that says nonfiction with my logo on it, you will go to the ebook page of nonfiction, including travel books and essays. Maugham confessed to a friend that his cruel portrait of walpole had origins in walpoles behaviour towards maughams friend, the society painter sir gerald kelly the lionel hillier of cakes and ale when, after sitting for several portraits, walpole not only dropped kelly but asked him to approach augustus john to paint his. Click download or read online button to get somerset maugham book now. As he traces the fortunes of edward driffield and his extraordinary wife rosie, one of the most delightful heroines of twentiethcentury literature, maugham s sardonic wit and lyrical warmth expertly combine in this.
Maugham exposes the misguided social snobbery levelled at the character rosie driffield, whose frankness, honesty, and sexual freedom make her a target of conservative propriety. As we learn from selina hastings in her excellent biography, the secret lives of somerset maugham, cakes and ale was written in 1930 in maugham s sumptuous home, the villa mauresque on cap ferrat, at the time in his life when he was happiest and most content. The great novels and short stories of somerset maugham pdf. He was among the most popular writers of his era, and reputedly, the highest paid author during the 1930s. William somerset maugham was born at the british embassy in paris, france. Full text of cakes and ale maugham org electronic reproduction prohibited cakes and ale knew that nothing short of a downright go. A novelist, ashenden is befriended by the ambitious, selfserving alroy kear, who has been commissioned to. Cakes and ale is both a wickedly satirical novel about contemporary literary poseurs and a skilfully crafted study of freedom. With an introduction by nicholas shakespeare cakes and ale is both a wickedly satirical novel about contemporary literary poseurs and a skilfully crafted study of freedom. Please email us if you would like further information or if you would like us to send you a picture of the book.
As he traces the fortunes of edward driffield and his extraordinary wife rosie, one of the most delightful heroines of twentiethcentury literature, maughams sardonic wit and lyrical warmth expertly combine in this. Contentment and a zest for life wafts off the pages like expensive french pefume. Somerset maugham free pdf d0wnl0ad, audio books, books to read, good books to read, cheap books, good books, online books, books online, book. Her character is treated favourably by the books narrator. W somerset maugham cakes and ale is a delicious satire of london literary society between the wars. As we learn from selina hastings in her excellent biography, the secret lives of somerset maugham, cakes and ale was written in 1930 in maughams sumptuous home, the villa mauresque on cap ferrat, at the time in his life when he was happiest and most content. Cakes and ale is a satire of london literary society between the wars. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. Publication date 1930 topics cdac collection digitallibraryindia. The book i am offering may not have the same cover as the one pictured. Jun 25, 2019 a novelist, ashenden is befriended by. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want.
Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this cakes and ale study guide and get instant. Or the british agent is a 1927 collection of loosely linked stories by w. Cakes and ale is a delicious satire of london literary society between the. Free downloadable version in various formats including kindle, epub, pdf and. It is partly based on the authors experience as a member of british intelligence in europe during the first world war. Review of cakes and ale by somerset maugham a writers. Somerset maugham s cakes and ale is not the powerhouse novel that was of human bondage or the magician or the razors edge and i feel quite sure that quite a few readers might agree with me and, to a large extent, it is not but it has a character, rosie driffield, who is so unique, so seductive, enchanting, and mysterious that she carries this book to the. Cakes and ale is a delicious satire of london literary society between the wars. Maughams masterpiece is generally agreed to be of human bondage, a semiautobiographical novel that deals with the life of the main character. Cakes and ale by william somerset maugham paperback.
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