The Trembling of a Leaf: Little Stories of the South Sea Islands

By W. Somerset Maugham and A Elley Finch

Book Overview

THE Pacific is inconstant and uncertain like the soul of man. Sometimes it is grey like the English Channel off Beachy Head, with a heavy swell, and sometimes it is rough, capped with white crests, and boisterous. It is not so often that it is calm and blue. Then, indeed, the blue is arrogant. The sun shines fiercely from an unclouded sky. The trade wind gets into your blood and you are filled with an impatience for the unknown. The billows, magnificently rolling, stretch widely on all sides of you, and you forget your vanished youth, with its memories, cruel and sweet, in a restless, intolerable desire for life. On such a sea as this Ulysses sailed when he sought the Happy Isles. But there are days also when the Pacific is like a lake.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1518719805
• ISBN13: 9781518719806
• Release Date: October 2015
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 120 Pages
• Weight: 0.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Somber, short pieces that are wonderfully morose & beautiful

Worth buying, Asia is still much like this under the glitz and glamour. The essence is captured!

Beautifully written

The story Rain is extraordinarily memorable. I recommend this book, though it's definitely not upbeat!

By a veteran of British intelligence during World War I

Somerset Maugham was a veteran of British intelligence during World War I, an experience that was to influence his views of the world in subsequent years as well as his writing. The Trembling of a Leaf is a compilation of six short stories and two sketches by Maugham, including his famous story "Rain," an ironic look at the dark consequences and of being too fixated on the object of your affections, -- which is perhaps better known by its film and theater adaptation as "Sadie Thompson." Romance, the cruel forces of reality, and a keen attention to the unforeseen color this classic anthology showcasing Somerset Maugham's literary genius.

timeless and beautifully rendered

It's great news that they'll soon be issuing a new edition of this collection. The stories are timeless and beautifully rendered. Maugham explores everything from the evils of colonialism to the rigid social expectations of turn of the century Chicago aristocrats -- and in each case he transports us to the South Pacific. He's one of the great practitioners of the short story and this collection provides us with a concise glimpse at his handiwork.

Great short stories for Somerset Maugham lovers!

This book consists of 8 short stories, many of them playing in the South Sea Islands. After reading this book you will want to go there and enjoy the beauty of life. Beautifully written, a pure pleasure to read!