A book that nobody that you know has read
By cosmos_peastone
Some really good books that feel like no one else knows about, but I can’t stop liking them.
Reader discussion: Of Human Bondage
Public reader discussion about Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham.
And our next book is... "Of Human Bondage" by W. Somerset Maugham
By HawkBirch2001
Kinda surprised by this one—after removing a bunch of fake/dummy votes (yikes 😅), it looks like *Of Human Bondage* is in by just one vote! It’s up on Project Gutenberg for free, if anyone wants to grab it here. Sorry to the two people who were going at it for “Hail and Farewell” and “Buddenbrooks,” though. We’ll get to them next!
Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham
By starBrook1973
“Why do you even bother reading, then?” “Mostly because I enjoy it, but also because it’s just kind of a habit—if I don’t read I feel just as uneasy as if I don’t smoke. And honestly, it’s also to help me know myself. When I read, it feels like I’m reading with my eyes only, but every once in a while I’ll hit a passage—maybe just a line—that really clicks, and then it starts to stick with me. Like I’ve gotten everything I’m going to get out of it. Even if I reread it a bunch of times, it won’t add more. It’s like you’re a closed bud most of the time, and most stuff you read or do doesn’t really change anything. But certain things matter to you, and they open one petal. Then another, until it’s all opened up.”
Philip & Mildred's Relationship in "Of Human Bondage"
By listensAnchor3742
I’m reading *Of Human Bondage* by W. Somerset Maugham and I’m on page 470 right now. I keep getting stuck on Philip’s whole decision-making—like, why did he stay with Mildred and just put up with all that misery when he could’ve been with Norah or even just walked away from Mildred completely? I get the idea that he almost seems to get some twisted satisfaction out of suffering and seeing how awful people really can be, but I can’t really wrap my head around why he was so pulled in by Mildred in the first place. It’s not like she was just a difficult partner—she’s genuinely a bad person too. And he had a real chance at a better life with Norah, but he threw it away for Mildred. Curious what other people think about this.