Cakes and Ale: or The Skeleton in the Cupboard Audiobook

" This was very, very funny, and the unexpectedness of that made me like it even more. Can't wait for The Secret Lives of Somerset Maugham, coming out in May. "

" This is a story of the narrator's account of his friendship with a woman of loose morals. I enjoy the writing of W. Somerset Maugham, whatever he writes about. "

" Not my favorite of his works. "

" Really hard for me to get into- first couple chapters were a snoozer. However, I kept pushing and soon found myself addicted to the story. Not a bad read. "

" I love Somerset Maugham and read this book when I was reading Thomas Hardy, as it was known at the time of publication as a roman a clef on Hardy and the literary scene after WW I. It was that, and the characters are great, but, the ending is really shocking and affected me for weeks. Beware. This is a great read, but be ready for a jolt at the end. "

" This is a book by a real writer. W.S.Maugham knows HOW to tell a story! This one's well equipped with sideswipes to once wellknown British writer contemporaries of this master of his guild adding some tasty spice to the work. "

" Not his best, but a good read. "

" This is a book by a real writer. W.S.Maugham knows HOW to tell a story! This one's well equipped with sideswipes to once wellknown British writer contemporaries of this master of his guild adding some tasty spice to the work. "

" Very affecting look at an era of literature that was already a distant memory when this book was published. "

" A very wry and stylish demolition of snobbish British literary circles in the 1930s in general and Thomas Hardy ('Ted Driffield') in particular. The sensuality of Ted's first wife, Rosie Driffield, leaps off the page and one of her lovers and narrator Ashenden's appropriately love-struck defence of her character feels rightly awkward and out of (or ahead of) its time. Despite Ashenden's utter disdain for the over-elevation of much of Driffield's output by the literary 'pseuds' like his friend Alroy Kear, the Victorian and Edwardian era fixations on 'what makes a gentleman' (which runs thematically through much of Hardy's work) is further satirised here. While Ashenden learns that Driffield and some of the minor characters did not act in gentlemanly ways at certain times in their lives, he nevertheless appears to experience a certain schaudenfreude from the way that the more snobbish literary characters like Kear are readily 'deceived' by such occasional caddishness. "

" Though well written, this book's pace is at times tedious. More of a critique of authors and the literati of his time, Maugham uses this book to reveal the vanity, self-importance, and hypocriticism of mainstream writers and their community. The novel and its characters seem but a vehicle to convey Maugham's cynicism about his peers while at the same time spouting maixms about his profession. Not to say that I did not enjoy the humour and the writing, and though the style is antiquated it is at the same time thoroughly tangible and pleasing. "

" This is a story of the narrator's account of his friendship with a woman of loose morals. I enjoy the writing of W. Somerset Maugham, whatever he writes about. "

" Amusing. Liked his commentary on being a writer - cracked me up! "

" Really hard for me to get into- first couple chapters were a snoozer. However, I kept pushing and soon found myself addicted to the story. Not a bad read. "

" My first Maugham novel and it won't be my last. A bit of a slow starter but made up for it along the way. A witty and satirical look at Edwardian writing society. "

" Good and bad is not as distinctive as black and white and a woman is never 100% a whore or a saint. Maugham has successfully deconstruct what the society in his time name as women who's thirst on men are impossible to quench. He's few steps ahead of his time. "

" I loved my first exposure to Somerset Maugham. Witty, wry, satirical. I shall add Of Human Bondage to my list and would love to read an biography of Somerset Maugham. Savory. "

" The focal point of this book was an irrepressible woman. (Somerset Maugham) "

" I love the way that Maugham writes outside of the main story. The narrator is always slightly detached from the main characters, which makes you feel like you're hearing the story from a friend of a friend. "

" This book is pretty funny, and it's generally compelling. It's small too, so it's a nice quick read. Be prepared: there is an appallingly racist moment (which isn't all that uncommon in Maugham). "

" i read japanese translation. didnt start flowing until about 100pages into the book, probably because the book contains a lot of references to british culture and writers of whenever the book was written, but after that, becme a fun reading. "

" Although I liked the tone of the novel, and the voice of the narrator, especially in the beginning and when the narrator related stories from his childhood, I found parts of it to be quite dry and almost preachy in its cynical outlook on the literary world. "

" NOBODY writes like this anymore. Such a shame . . . "

" It was a bedside book for over a year. Meaning it was at my bedside, but it took forever for me to read. "

" Although I found Maugham's dry, satirical humor pretty amusing, this book just felt like it was going nowhere. I was bored with it, frankly--too bored to do much more than skim through two-thirds of it. Moving on... "

" Maugham is hysterical. There is a paragraph in here that comments on constipation that is fantastic. "

" as with all of Somerset Maugham's books a look into the complex emotions revealing the human spirit with riveting detail "

" Amusing. Liked his commentary on being a writer - cracked me up! "

" My trying to write about how excellent his writing is is futile. He was a genius. And/or lived in a time where you had to be able to write well in order to get published... though his protagonist might quibble about that. (Ashenden didn't see "Twilight" coming.) "

" He can do no wrong!! Great author. "

" A short and simple book about an author battling through art and superficiality. It's told so casually that it feels like it's happening around you. "

" Written with a wit as dry as toast. This is charming and funny in a sly way. Loved it. "

" Not as good as 'The Painted Veil'. "

" as with all of Somerset Maugham's books a look into the complex emotions revealing the human spirit with riveting detail "

" I am a great fan of Maugham's writing. "

" Although I liked the tone of the novel, and the voice of the narrator, especially in the beginning and when the narrator related stories from his childhood, I found parts of it to be quite dry and almost preachy in its cynical outlook on the literary world. "

" All of Maugham is excellent and worth reading. Maugham was a very interesting guy who worked in all sorts of industries: medicine, MI6 spy, military, etc. All of his literature takes place at the turn of the last century. "

" This book felt like a different kind of read, although I'm not sure why. My first Maugham, and I liked it a lot. "

" If you like Maugham, you will love this. "

" Is it possible not to love Somerset Maugham? If so, please don't tell me about it. Great characters. Great social commentary. Great sense of humor. Whether he intended it as such or not, I ultimately read this one as a beautifully clever rewrite of Tess of the d'Urbervilles. "

" Delightful read, full of quintessentially English Waspish wit. "

" My trying to write about how excellent his writing is is futile. He was a genius. And/or lived in a time where you had to be able to write well in order to get published... though his protagonist might quibble about that. (Ashenden didn't see "Twilight" coming.) "

" Not my favorite Maugham, but not bad. Unfortunately the forward alluded to it having been based on a real person and I spent much of the book trying to figure out who. "

" I loved my first exposure to Somerset Maugham. Witty, wry, satirical. I shall add Of Human Bondage to my list and would love to read an biography of Somerset Maugham. Savory. "

" Another of Maugham's quasi-autobiographical novels. I enjoyed it more than Human Bondage. Not as philosophical, but more great characters. A good story about writers and the literary world of pre-war Britain. "