Of Human Bondage Audiobook

" I didn't like this book as much as I wanted to. I loved the title for a long time and I finally got around to reading it. I like part of the book very much. Philip's angst about what to do with his life, his feeling emotionally and socially crippled because of his own exaggerated deformity, and his intelligence that isn't serving him well, are all relatable. But all of the surrounding characters are unlikeable. It is not until the end of the book when he meets the Athleney family that some side characters can really be appreciated. I felt that Maugham was striving for realism but instead created a maudlin parody of it. The novel's strong points will stay with me, especially the wonderful existential philosophizing Philip does toward the end of the book. The epiphany only temporarily comforts him, but it does set the stage for him to finally be moving in a direction. He spent his youth moving from one thing to another and torturing himself with an unrequited love. It is one of the only books I have read where I don't want the love to be requited. Mildred is just a bad person. Philip's ability to be compassionate and self-sacrificing after the three ways she betrays him is neither a testament to love or a noble trait. It is acting out the self-destructive tendency that grew in him when he went to school and was made fun of for the club foot. I suppose I can recommend the book, but it just wasn't what I thought it would be. "

" This is another book I read very long ago but has left a lasting memory in my life. I couldn't put it down. "

" Shoo. Pretty sure this one covers just about everything. "

" For some reason I heard this book was really sexy so i was impelled to download the ebook. it wasn't all that sexy, but i found that i was always wondering what would happen next in the epic of philip carey's life. "

" very deep; emotional; had a profound effect on me when I was young "

" Reading this has definitely taught me a lot about what type of fiction sells today. "

" By the end of the book I had a lot more sympathy for Philip. In the end, he matured and made some good choices for his life. I'll say this for him: He took responsibility for what he chose in life, and took the consequences of his actions. "

" It wasn't a page-turner for me, but I do like Maugham's writing. "

" It's humbling to think that an early 19th century English fellow can have the same thoughts and struggles as a 20th century Asian-American. "There is nothing new under the sun." "

" I read this book when I was quite young (early teen) and it was haunting to me. I'll have to go back and read it again and see if it still has that same affect. "

" I loved this book. So touching it made me cry. "

" Eh. Call me uncultured, but I never got into this one. Seemed to never really reach a climax, though there were little gems of literary genius buried throughout the text. I like Maugham as a writer, but I felt like this story didn't quite pick up speed. "

" Quickly made its way on to my short list of all time greats. If I were ever an english teacher this is the book I would want to teach. "

" Lovely except 2/3 through the last third becomes obvious "

" Summer reading for Senior Year HS AP English Literature "

" I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this story. There points where you just hate the main character but you continue to read it so you can see how it all ends. "

" For a gay author, Maugham portrays heterosexulal infatuation/love in excruciating detail. "

" Must reading. A moral tale well told, full of all the ruminations on life, art and sex an especially astute observer of life could compile. "

" Disappointing because The Razors Edge is one of my favorite books. The guy was just really pathetic, I thought, though I understood some of what he was going through. "

" One of the most poignant and powerful books I have ever read. "