Book Notes: "The Razor's Edge" by W. Somerset Maugham

The Razor's EdgeThe Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I watched the movie before reading the book, so my imaginative reconstruction of the characters was compromised. Unlike Hemingway, Maugham puts the narrator, himself, central to the plot. I couldn't help think how clever the movie adaptation was by combining the characters of Larry and the author. Nonetheless, the book is a far better product. I also noted that references to the transmigration of souls and Meister Eckhardt are also titles of works by my favourite composer, John Adams, and I couldn't help but wonder whether Maugham's work influenced Adams' subjects in any way. The Razor's Edge is very much an academic piece, and it will no doubt send me on a journey to discover the various works that play an incidental role in the plot, much like Hemingway's various drinks and foods did the same for me in another space.



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