The Painted Veil

The characters were mostly vile and unlikeable especially that Kitty. And at the end the father daughter kiss on the lips. What is that for? Just overall a terrible read although the writing style is great.

"The Painted Veil" is the beautifully told story of one self-absorbed woman and what it takes for her to discover joy in loving others. Every novel should have at least one character who changes and grows even half as much as this heroine. (Scene spoiler alert: My favorite scene is the last, when Kitty realizes she's always taken her father for granted, imagines how he must be feeling, and begins - finally - to treat him... Read Full Review

I wanted to read this book before seeing the movie, and I must say that I enjoyed it immensely. Having read most of Maugham's short stories but none of his novels, I was taken aback by the sweep and passion of this book, its strong moral center, and above all its sensitivity to feeling. Other readers have called this a feminist work, and so in a halting way it is, in that Kitty Fane, its central character, is a woman and Maugham... Read Full Review

In the Painted Veil we are drawn into the story of two ill-matched spouses - Kitty and Walter Fane. Kitty, who is somewhat pretty, flighty, and shallow has married the serious bacteriologist Walter Fane out of desperation and relocated to Hong Kong. While there, she has imagined herself to fall desperately in love with the Colonial Secretary, Charlie Townsend. When Walter discovers the affair, he presents an ultimatum and... Read Full Review

Few writers of the past century could evoke a sense of mystery and atmosphere like W. Somerset Maugham. And while almost all readers are familiar with his major works (Of Human Bondage, Up at the Villa, The Razor's Edge, Cakes and Ale etc, the film versions of these having added to that international knowledge), few have had the pleasure of reading the rather private but equally satisfying 'feminist work', THE PAINTED VEIL... Read Full Review