Bertha Ley is a beautiful, intelligent and well- refined young lady who falls madly in love with the handsome Edward Craddock, a farmer and a tenant of his father. The objections of her well-bred relatives’ only aids in driving this determined young woman to marry this man who she believes is the only man for her. But the honeymoon ends too soon and Bertha realizes that Edward can’t return her the romantic love she offers him. Edward is a dutiful and rather self-centred gentleman who respects everyone’s wishes in the same way as to those of his wife’s. He has no priority set towards his wife’s requests and sets out to drive two ladies to town while his wife is on sick bed after a still birth simply because Bertha’s request for him to stay at home with her came later than the ladies’ request of driving them to town.
Depressed and bored Bertha sets out to join her aunt in travelling to Rome on holiday only to return to Edward again and again, and find herself trapped in a loveless marriage that she didn’t wish for. Ironically the man who was initially loved only by Bertha but looked down upon by everyone else ends up being loved and highly admired by all but one…...Bertha.
Somerset Maugham takes us into the lives of a handful of characters very different to each other and when brought together inflicts pain and joy upon each other due to their differences in nature, and not because one person is morally better than the other.
Nice read.
I'm No Dog Hater...
4 years ago
5 comments:
Hey, I like this story line a lot... :)) Have never heard about the book or seen it :(... Should try and find it :) Thanks for the review Sas :)
BTW, Sas, have you read "The Sweet and Simple Kind" by Yasmine Gooneratne? If so, did u like it?
Nope I haven't read any of Yasmine Gooneratne's work, good that you mentioned, I just did a search on the online library catalogue and the book is there, only thing it seems to be in high demand for there are 4 reservations on it!. So guess I'll have to wait a while for that.
Its good... I wouldnt say that its great... I didnt like her writing style sometimes, it seems almost as if it was written by an amateur at those points... something like "The Suitable Boy" but not close... But its a good read, I think you will like it :)) And I think Yasmine is working in Oz..
Hi Sas, glad to hear you read Sommerset Morgham's. I just finished reading "Of Human Bondage" of him today. I too liked the flow of his stories. It's story is quite in the same genre like in Mrs. Craddock i feel. If you liked Mrs.Craddock you'll definitely gonna like this one as well. :)Unlike in Mrs.Craddock ,here its a guy, Philip who's antagonist, falling for a simple woman who worked in a hotel, never managed to make his life happy and ended up in misery. However Philip on the other hand who has had a disadvantaged life (with a deformity and lost parents, poverty) through out ended up in a better life turning in to a doctor and finding love.
It's a interesting book, Sas, if you can read :)
Ineshka: I placed an order for the 'Sweet and simple kind', so I should get it sometime in the future (It's great to have access to a good library collection!)
Yasmine is in Sydney, she's professor of English in McQuarie University I think.
Purnima: Yeah I liked the flow of his writing, simple, clear and very nice. I'd like to read the human bondage, but maybe a little later on. Because when I read the same author's books at a stretch I begin to see similarities in the stories and lose interest.
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