I'm reading Of Human Bondage by Maugham. Approximately two-thirds through it, I thought I might give my thoughts on it so far. It starts off reminiscent of Dickens' bildungsromans, but gets darker and less bathetic as it goes on. The protagonist, Philip, is not the virtuous naif that Dickens' boys inevitably turn out to be. He is quite imperfect, in ways that most of us can relate to quite easily. That isn't to say that I have much sympathy for Philip. He is not a little odious when he isn't merely unpleasant. His love for the slatternly Mildred is just a little less ridiculous than the character itself. Mildred is just plain ridiculous. It's difficult to imagine a person like that in real life. She's just too dumb and one-dimensional. Maugham's prose, in any event is just perfect.
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