Cakes and Ale
by W. Somerset Maugham
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Book Summary Information
Author: W. Somerset MaughamEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2000-12-05
ISBN: 0375725024
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: Vintage
Book Reviews of Cakes and Ale
Book Review: A delightful story told in flashback, and lots of gay content, if you know to look for it
Summary: 4 Stars
The book group at the LGBT Center in NYC discussed this book in April 2010.
Everyone liked this book and a couple of us thought that it was great. It's definitely fun and, ultimately, moving. While there's no explicitly gay content in the novel, we generally agreed that the narrator (who remains unmarried throughout his life) is gay, as are a number of other characters (including Alroy Kear, with whom the narrator "had been intimate" in the past - but grown apart; Lord Scallion, who finds brunch "too divine;" and the hiking American tourists).
In most first person novels, the narrator is the center of the action, but in this case, it's the delightful Rosie, the former barmaid who marries the eminent Victorian author, Edward Driffield, and whose good-natured gregarious behavior (and affairs!) the second Mrs. Driffield tries to hide. Told in flashbacks, we learn more and more about the narrator, Rosie, the second Mrs. Driffield, and her ass-kissing followers (who have to work very hard to maintain Mr. Driffield's reputation after his second marriage to the stodgy wife). The final chapters revel more about Rosie and her husband, as well as the crucial role that the narrator played in their lives, so that the novel ends on an exhilarating note.
For some of us, it was hard to understand the English class system, the snotty behavior by some people (including the maid), the satire about the late Victorian literary society, and the outrage that a realistic novel caused. A few of the characters and events seemed to be in place only to make satiric points, and seemed unnecessary. Some of the readers said this is not the best Maugham, but it seemed like a great introduction to me. (Be sure to read Maugham's biography in Wikipedia for some real dirt about this author.)
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