W. Somerset Maugham

"Women's hearts are like old china, none the worse for a break or two."-Admiral, Lady Frederick (1907) by Somerset MaughamLady Frederick (1907) by W. Somerset Maugham is a play that sparked the author's lagging writing career when it became a hit on the London stage, running for 422 performances. The title character is an aging widow with numerous suitors despite her mounting debts. When the play hit the New York stage in 1908, the role of Lady Frederick was played by Ethel Barrymore and later in the movie version, The Divorcee (1919). Considered a comedy, this play is a must-read for fans of Maugham and the early twentieth century.

"The most difficult thing for a wise woman to do is to pretend to be a foolish one."-Miss Ley, Mrs. Craddock (1902) by Somerset MaughamMrs. Craddock (1902) by Somerset Maugham is the story of Bertha Ley, who marries handsome, older Edward Craddock; however she soon realizes he's a bore, and thus begins the demise of their relationship. Her marital and life troubles mount, and Mrs. Craddock turns her attention to a much younger man. Deemed too risqu for the time, Maugham had difficulty finding a publisher until he agreed to remove the passages which readers would find offensive. A timeless novel of a woman's plight in a loveless marriage, this is a great edition to any reader's personal library.

"...she rather enjoyed being asked to do a thing and refusing, and she would have liked another opportunity of doing so."-W. Somerset Maugham, Liza of Lambeth (1897)Liza of Lambeth (1897) by W. Somerset Maugham was written when the author was a medical student and is based on his observations of the poor. The book was so popular that Maugham left his career in medicine to focus on writing which he believed to be his true calling. The plot centers on working class Liza and the drama that is her life in London, from titillating affairs to domestic violence. This novel is chillingly tragic and will engage readers who like page-turning plots and intriguing characters.