The Gentle Boy Book

This reads as a Gothic horror story, and it grabbed me--which is totally amazing! Books of this genre are not ones that normally attract me. I do not regret reading it. Proof is in the fact that the last three hours of it I spent glued to my seat. If Gothic horror stories are your cup of tea, grab it immediately; I guarantee you will not be disappointed. While I was listening, I was totally enthralled. While I was listening, I thought I would give it four stars. Only when completed was I released from its spell. Only when released from its spell could I return to my senses. I have given the book three stars. Yes, I liked it, and yes it grabbed me and yes it gave me a scary thrill, but what did it teach me? Actually, not all that much. I hope from this review, you can decide if YOU should read it.

The setting of the novel is England and Paris, France, at the turn of the 20th century. Margaret Dauncy is soon to marry her long-time friend and beloved guardian Arthur Burdon, an acclaimed English surgeon. He visits her in Paris while she and her friend Susie Boyd are studying art. There they come in contact with Oliver Haddo, a mysterious and alluring but at the same time insidious occultist, a magician of the Black Arts. All are to come under his spell. Just as we readers come under the spell of the book!

The occult was in fashion when Maugham wrote this--in London, in 1907, after a short residence in Paris living on the Left Bank. The magician in the novel and the one referred to in its title was modelled on Aleister Crowley (1875 - 1947), an English occultist, novelist, poet, painter and big-game hunter whom Maugham had met when in Paris. He had taken an immediate dislike to the man! The novel is by no means a biography; it is a story of fiction. It is interesting to note though that Crowley, on reading the novel, recognized himself and wrote a declamatory review under the name of Oliver Haddo!

When the book was republished, circa fifty years after its original publication in 1908, Maugham added a foreword. Entitled A Fragment of Autobiography, it explains in detail that which I have summarized in the preceding paragraph. The foreword is not to be missed. Both the foreword and the entire novel is in fact accessible free online here: Before you grab it, read what I have to say about the audiobook.

The audiobook includes the foreword. It is narrated by David Rintoul. His performance is fantastic. We are given a show, a dramatization of the written words that is better than anything one can imagine. I do not usually enjoy dramatizations, but this I loved. It is superb, it cannot be improved upon. Even the French is impeccably rendered. Remember, much takes place in Paris! Don't read the book; listen to it. I believe I became as enthralled as I did because I listened to David Rintoul's narration.

Each of W. Somerset Maugham's novels are different from his others--in content, theme and style. Each is unique, a surprise and a delicious treat!

My ratings of Maugham's books:
Then and Now 5 stars
Mrs Craddock 4 stars
Cakes and Ale 4 stars
The Painted Veil 4 stars
Liza of Lambeth 3 stars
The Razor's Edge 3 stars
The Magician 3 stars
Christmas Holiday 3 stars
Theatre 2 stars
The Moon and Sixpence 2 stars
Of Human Bondage 2 stars