First published 1915
Philip Carey carries the weight of his clubfoot and orphaned past as he reaches eighteen and sets off for Paris to become an artist. The young man throws himself into bohemian life, hungry for every experience the city offers. When his artistic dreams crumble, he returns to London to study medicine, but his restless spirit refuses to settle. Philip craves knowledge, adventure, and connection with an intensity that drives every choice. Then love strikes him like a fever. He becomes consumed by a woman who will lead him into a relationship so destructive it reshapes everything he believes about himself. Through Philip's journey from wounded boy to searching young man, Maugham explores the painful education that comes from wanting too much and loving unwisely.
Genres: literary-fiction, 20th-century, coming-of-age, adult-fiction, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-growth, fish-out-of-water, unreliable-narrator
Setting: London, Paris
Period: 20th Century
610 pages · Paperback · Penguin Classics