“If it is necessary sometimes to lie to others, it is always despicable to lie to oneself.” ― W. Somerset Maugham, The Painted Veil The Painted Veil is a 20th-century classic novel by British author W. Somerset Maugham. It is a love story about relationships, adultery, and a psychological drama, first published in 1925 in the United Kingdom. It is a story of love, betrayal, revenge, and redemption full of twists and turns. This novel is a triumph in suspense and storytelling that spans the globe—set in London, Shanghai, China, and British Hong Kong. Somerset Maugham explores the emotions and intricacies of personal relationships. This is W. Somerset Maugham’s unabridged original 1925 edition, an unmissable historical romance love story and ideal classic literary fiction for a book club discussion. The Painted Veil is a compelling romantic fiction masterpiece full of drama and the obligations of married life in the 1920s. It has been adapted into stage and film several times, most recently the 2006 movie adaptation starring Naomi Watts and Edward Norton, which is now showing on Netflix. The Painted Veil is a 1925 novel that was controversial when it was published. It is a personal story of self-realization and a critical social commentary. The title refers to a line from an 1824 sonnet by Percy Bysshe Shelley, which begins "Lift not the painted veil which those who live call life". “I have an idea that the only thing which makes it possible to regard this world we live in without disgust is the beauty which now and then men create out of the chaos. The pictures they paint, the music they compose, the books they write, and the lives they lead. Of all these the richest in beauty is the beautiful life. That is the perfect work of art.” About The Painted Veil Book by W. Somerset Maugham (Paperback Edition) The Painted Veil is a love story set in the 1920s in England and China that tells the struggles of a young English couple. Kitty, an upper-class girl who is beautiful, vain, shallow, and foolish, marries a middle-class doctor. Dr. Walter Fane, her husband, a bacteriologist, adores her but discovers she is having an adulterous affair that forces her to accompany him to the heart of a cholera epidemic in China. She is compelled to review her mistakes, gradually awakens to reassess her life, and learns how to love. The Painted Veil is a beautifully written affirmation of the human capacity to grow, change, and forgive The Painted Veil is an unmissable historical romance classic about personal relationships that you must read. The Painted Veil W. Somerset Maugham’s historical romance classic set in China, Hong Kong and is filled with a story of love, infidelity, and exotic locations. You just have to read this book. Scroll up and click the “Add to cart” button. Title Details: The Painted Veil Novel by W. Somerset Maugham Original 1925 Unabridged Original Text - Book type: Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance - A Somerset Maugham Romance Classic, English Author - 6 x 9 inch - Matte Cover - Cream Paper