A look into another world in another time
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Yet the writing is so full that we can feel part of this other world.
I came to this story by the back door. My first introduction to Somerset Maugham was through the movie "The Razor's Edge" (1946) staring Tyrone Power as Larry Darrell. I have no idea as to how much it was adapted from the book. Then in 1984 we watched Bill Murray as Larry Darrell. This film lost what magic the 1946 film had. So it was time to read the book. Yes I know very few films can do more than present the essence of a book. Turns out that even the older film wrote Summerset out of some of the scenes.
Larry is back from the war (WWI). As with many of us he is left with nagging questions about why one person lives and another must die. This problem leads Larry to search for the answers. He turns down opportunities and takes up a lifestyle to help him find answers. This story is told or narrated by Somerset Maugham himself. In the book Somerset takes more of an active part in the story. Larry come as close as any of us to the answer he seeks and we leave him much the same way one enters and leaves your life.
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Larry the lama
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The Razor's Edge is a curious book. Maugham inserts himself into the text as a narrator, ostensibly because he wants us to believe that the story really happened and that any gaps in the accounts he has assembled are a reflection of the partial view we might obtain of events in real life. I actually think he adopts this approach because he is uneasily aware that his novelistic gifts do not suit a tale about mysticism and the search for spiritual meaning. Indeed, stripped of the authority lent by his cosmopolitan pose and familiarity with far-flung corners of the world, Maugham's treatment of Eastern religion would be much more obviously unconvincing. I found Larry an unpersuasive character and the sections of the book concerned with his quest only dutifully assembled and rather dull. The author's real strengths lie in the social world, the world of snobs and gossips and money-making: his portrayal of Elliott Templeton is witty and knowing, and on a par with anything in Cakes and Ale.
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One of the best books I have read
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The Razor's Edge is a very unusual book, and won't be to everyone's taste. However, the rewards it offers to he diligent, truth-seeking reader are tremendous. Just to address a few issues that might put you off: 1) It is to do with mysticism, but I promise not in a bad way. Really you have to read the book to understand the treatment of mysticism, but it's not a load of new-age babble, honestly. 2) If you've seen the film (starring Bill Murray of all people) don't be put off. The book is very different and much, much better. 3) The narrative style is highly unusual with Maugham himself the narrator and main character and Larry Darrell, the character the book is all about, appearing only at intervals. The book purports to be a true story which Maugham relates as a novel only because he foesn't know how else to do it. If this all sounds very postmodern don't be worried. It's always clear what's happening and the device works extremely well, offering us just glimpses of larry's quest, but therefore making it all the more believable, and contrasting it powerfully with the world Maugham inhabits. That's about all I can say. The stranghts of this book are so unique that they really defy description. It's unlike anything else I've ever read. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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Maugham's search for the Absolute.
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Have you ever opened a book and hadn't closed it until you've read it cover to cover ? This is one of those rare books for several reasons. First of all, here Maugham doesn't try to obscure himself under a fictional or an anonymous narrator as in previous Novels. ( You never quite know who he is in "The Moon.." or "The Painted ..."; and in "Cakes and Ale" the narrator is a fictional character). This adds realism to the plot and makes Maughams thoughts seem more personal and therefore more genuine. The story of the young American in search of the truth is fascinating, not only because his romantic journies are accompanied by beautiful scenery, but also because his character seems to represent what people want to do with their lives in stead of living by the conventions of our society while regreting the choices they made in their youth. The main character dares to persue his dream which is basically finding an answer to the question "Why is the world so beautiful and yet so cruel?". A question that is very appealing to a person with his good-natured soul. He looks for the answer all over the world leaving prospects of wealth and stability behind. Therefore I highly recommend that you read this novel, in which the main character invites you on an unforgettable journey that may open your eyes and answer not just one, but quite a few questions. So enjoy and don't forget that Maugham is great at telling stories that are relevant even today.
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mysteriously enthralling work of literature
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The Razor's Edge was intriguing in that the main idea was walked around, yet the reader is still fascinated by this seemingly nonexistent storyline. Yet, once involved, the reader gets caught up in all of the small stories which have nothing to do with the book--when in the end, it is discovered that they are the book. The alleged story of the book concerns an interesting subject, but what it claims to be is far from what it is. The actual book is a bad story which was well written.
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