The Painted Veil, by W. Somerset Maugham

The Painted Veil, by W. Somerset Maugham
Adult Fiction, 1925

Kitty is a spoiled pretty girl who on impulse and fear, marries Walter. He is a bacteriologist stationed in Hong Kong, and is quiet and unassuming, never enjoying the more wild social situations and gossip, but content with his work and loving his beautiful wife. Kitty, however, finds herself bored with her husband and her marriage and has an affair with a local government agent, Charles Townsend. On discovering their affair, Walter volunteers in an inland city of China that is having a cholera epidemic, and insists his wife come along. Slowly, Kitty becomes the woman she is meant to, and learns the true depth of the man she married.
I was enthralled from page one with Maugham's writing. It is absolutely superb, and his characterizations are nothing short of brilliant. A tragedy, which was at least a little expected, I was hoping for a bit more closure between the couple before it striked. I also did not like her further adventures in Hong Kong post the cholera epidemic, but I loved her 'make up' with her father. Her repentant attitude and desire to shed the person she was made her a more loveable character, although sometimes you do feel a little frustrated with her slow reactions. In the end, it was excellent, but don't expect and laughter or smiling - when I finished the book I was frowning a bit and at more than one point I wanted to cry.
The movie, is, I believe, a little different. I haven't seen it, but I understand from gossip that there is a love scene between Kitty and her husband - this is very very different from the book, but probably more in line with what most people would want.
The movie poster also doubled for a new book cover in (I believe) 1996.
Graded an A-.