List $38.95

Written by W. Somerset Maugham - Audio book performed by Michael Page - Unabridged Fiction - 10 COMPACT DISCS - 11 hours

Publisher, Brilliance Audio (June 2005)

The Great War changed everything and the years following it were tumultuous - most of all for those who lived the war first-hand. Maugham himself is a character in this novel of self-discovery and search for meaning, but the protagonist is a character named Larry. Battered physically and spiritually by the war, Larry's physical wounds heal, but his spirit is changed almost beyond recognition. He leaves his betrothed, the beautiful and devoted Isabel. He studies philosophy and religion in Paris. He lives as a monk. He witnesses the exotic hardships of Spanish life. All of life that he can find - from an Indian Ashrama to labor in a coal mine - becomes Larry's spiritual experiment as he spurns the comfort and privilege of the Roaring '20's. Maugham's theme is the contrast of spiritual content between Larry and the growing materialism and sophistication of those he left behind - and the surprising irony of where both of those paths lead.

About the Author: W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) was an English novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. His best-known novels include Of Human Bondage, The Moon and Sixpence, Cakes and Ale, and The Razor’s Edge.

About the Performer: Michael Page has recorded over 50 titles for Brilliance Audio. He is currently a Professor of Theatre at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and as an actor performs regularly with the BoarsHead Theatre in Lansing, and the Peterborough Players in New Hampshire.