William Somerset Maugham

“Sólo por una rara combinación de técnica, hondura de sentimiento y feliz azar puede el artista lograr esa belleza que en sus efectos es afín al &eacut

Un joven abogado ingles instalado en Singapur recibe la visita de su amigo Robert Crosbie, propietario de una plantación de caucho. El empresario está muy alterado porque su esposa, Leslie, ha sido arrestada por el asesinato de Geoffrey Hammond, capataz de la plantacion y amigo de la familia, y quiere pedir al abogado que se encargue de su defensa. A priori no parece un caso muy complicado, especialmente cuando Leslie alega que, la noche del asesinato, Geoffrey va intento abusar de ella aprovechandose de que estaba sola en la casa de la plantacion. Ademas, el testimonio de Leslie, tan tranquila y sensata, parece muy convincente, o al menos esa es la impresion del abogado hasta que aparece una carta.

Un testimonio extraordinario sobre la búsqueda de la felicidad de vivir. Novela imprescindible de unos de los autores más leídos del siglo XX. Esta novela es la historia de un personaje que busca el sentido de la vida. Norteamericano de buena familia, el joven Laurence Darrell, Larry, ha participado como aviador en la Primera Guerra Mundial. Tiene novia y un futuro prometedor, pero decide tomarse un tiempo de reflexion y embarcarse en un viaje abierto al encuentro de culturas y espiritualidades diferentes, que le llevara desde el Paris de los años veinte, el de Picasso y Hemingway, a España, Grecia y otras geografias, hasta recalar en la India, donde cree encontrar las claves de una vida mejor. Reseña:"El escritor contemporaneo que mas me ha influido."George Orwell

Des del balcón de la fabulosa villa florentina donde pasa sus vacaciones, la joven y atractiva viuda Mary Panton hace balance de su situación: sin duda, no tardarán en llegarle ofertas de matrimonio, pero lo mas sensato seria elegir al honorable y afectuoso Edgar Swift, veinte años mayor que ella, que pronto sera destinado a un cargo de responsabilidad en la embajada de la India. Sin embargo, mientras Mary espera que el se decida a dar el paso, un giro inesperado amenaza con arruinar los planes de la joven. Un simple acto de compasion, totalmente irreflexivo, se convierte en una pesadilla mas que comprometedora, que pone en peligro el placido futuro que habia previsto para ambos.

The Painted Veilis the powerful novel of transgression and redemption by popular and prolific British author W. Somerset Maugham. The booktells the story of the lovely and superficial Kitty Garstin and her unhappy marriage to Walter Fane, a quiet and honorable man. Kitty agrees to marry Walter not because she loves him, but because she fears being upstaged by her younger sister. Kitty travels to Tching-Yen with her new husband, where he is posted as a government scientist, and Kitty soon falls in love with her husbands colleague, the handsome and charming Charlie Townsend. Walter is not as clueless about her behavior as Kitty would like to believe, and eventually rejected by her selfish lover, he has her travel with him to mainland China to help during a dangerous cholera epidemic. The experience utterly transforms Kitty and she begins to take responsibility for her mistakes and understand her shortcomings. Beautiful and deeply affecting, "The Painted Veil" is a thought-provoking study of the ability of people to change, grow, and learn how to love deeply.

Liza of Lambeth was W. Somerset Maughams first novel, which he wrote while working as a doctor at a hospital in Lambeth, then a working class district of London. It depicts the short life and death of Liza Kemp, an 18-year-old factory worker who lives together with her aging mother in the fictional Vere Street off Westminster Bridge Road (real) in Lambeth. All in all, it gives the reader an interesting insight into the everyday lives of working class Londoners at the end of the nineteenth century. The action covers a period of roughly four months.from August to November.around the time of Queen Victorias Jubilee. Liza Kemp is an 18-year-old factory worker and the youngest of a large family, now living alone with her aging mother. Very popular with all the residents of Vere Street, Lambeth, she likes Tom, a boy her age, but not as much as he likes her, so she rejects him when he proposes. Nevertheless, she is persuaded to join a party of 32 who make a coach trip (in a horse-drawn coach, of course) to a nearby village on the August Bank Holiday Monday. Some of the other members of the party are Tom; Lizas friend Sally and her boyfriend Harry; and Jim Blakeston, a 40-year-old father of 5 who has recently moved to Vere Street with his large family, and his wife (while their eldest daughter, Polly, is taking care of her siblings). The outing is fun, and they all get drunk on beer. On their way back in the dark, Liza realises that Jim Blakeston is making a pass at her by holding her hand. Back home, Jim manages to speak to her alone and to steal a kiss from her.

With A Fragment Of Autobiography

An Intermediate Level title in a series of ELT readers comprising a wide range of stories and divided into five levels: Starter Level, with about 300 basic words; Beginner (600); Elementary (1100); Intermediate (1600); and Upper (2200). Some of the titles are also available on cassette.

Un viaje revelador que alterará el corazón de Charley Mason y su privilegiada vida familiar con el marco histórico de Europa durante el período de entreguerras.Sus «vacaciones» en París lo cambiarán

This is an Intermediate Level title in a series of ELT readers comprising a wide range of stories - some original and some simplified - from modern and classic novels, and designed to appeal to all age-groups, tastes and cultures. The books are divided into five levels: Starter Level, with about 300 basic words; Beginner Level (600 basic words); Elementary Level (1100); Intermediate Level (1600); and Upper Level (2200). Some of the titles are also available on cassette.