A review by rob_edmunds
Collected Short Stories: Volume 1, by W. Somerset Maugham

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

 I really enjoyed this collection of short stories of quite variable lengths. Somerset Maugham has a great way of evoking both time and place and immersing you in wherever he imagines his characters to be. It was nice to be transported to tranquil, balmy evenings in the South Pacific as an example. In quite a few of the stories, he quite deliberately makes particular observations or points, almost in the style of a parable. He wants us to see the error of judgement or perception of a protagonist and he often makes that plain quite early on in a story. There were certainly a few revelatory moments when I found myself thinking "ah I know where you're going with this." It didn't diminish my enjoyment at all to be somewhat aware of the denouement of a few of the stories very far from the end. I did enjoy some more than others and I'm not sure over what span of time the stories were written. Some certainly gave the impression of a writer who has mastered his craft and voice whereas a few others felt more like he was in the process of developing it.