The Painted Veil

Abstract

Maugham paints an exquisite portrait of colonial existence in Hong-Kong and in particular the life of Kitty-a shallow, frivolous, spoilt young woman-as she grows in mind, spirit and character through her turbulent involvement with Charles Townsend-a colonial high-flier-her husband, Walter Fane-a brooding, self-possessed scientific officer-and Waddington, the drunken Customs official at the Cholera ridden outpost of Mei-tan-fu. Kitty's journey from a beautiful, vacuous, flighty girl into a loving, complex, and thoughtful woman is an incredible piece of writing, perfectly pitched, gripping, and exquisitely rendered.