Can We Change
I recently attended a literary lunch sponsored by Literary Affairs during which my favorite UCLA literature professor, Lynn Batten, deciphered The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham. The book discussion became heated about whether or not the main character, Kitty Fane, actually changed over the course of the novel. At the beginning of each year many of us take stock and try to tweak our lives, but how much do we need to modify before we feel like we’ve successfully changed?
5th Avenue Books
I love discussing classics because I know the book, by definition, is a worthwhile read. I carry a list of classics I’m going to read in the near future, so if I’m visiting a used bookstore I can look for it. I found The Painted Veil at 5th Avenue Books in the Hillcrest neighborhood of San Diego. The store is huge, over 40,000 books, and designed to make it easy to meander around. The staff had the right touch of leaving me alone to discover and helping me find books.
Shallow Kitty
I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read of W. Somerset Maugham’s writing, now including The Painted Veil. Kitty Fane, the main character, is a beautiful and shallow woman who expected to marry well. In reaction to her younger sister’s engagement, Kitty hurriedly marries Walter Fane, a medical researcher working for the civil service in Hong Kong. She doesn’t love him; she doesn’t even respect him. When he discovers that she is having an affair with the biggest cad in the colony, his love for her changes to hatred. Walter tells Kitty Read the rest of this entry »
Claire
Kim
