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Up at the Villa - W. Somerset Maugham

up-at-the-villaAfter finishing my first Proust, which was enriching and beautiful, but also heavy, this short novel of 120 pages seemed a perfect breaker before I embark on In the Shadow of Young Girls In Flower.

In the early years of World War II, English woman Mary Panton has settled into a picturesque villa in Florence, Italy. At 30, she is beautiful, full of quick-witted quips and, well, kind of sexy. At first, she seems intelligent of the wiles of the world: she is aware of her beauty, and the opportunities it offers her in life, but doesn’t associate this with her sense of self. Widowed by her alcoholic and abusive husband’s drink-driving accident, she now finds herself running away from desire and passion, being so burned by it during her marriage.

Up at the Villa transcends its time and place to explore life in all its messiness. Reason and stability is presented through the stiff-upper-lip, do-gooder Edgar Swift. More than twenty years older than Mary, he’s held a torch for her since she was fifteen. Creepy much? Apart from this, he’s really quite sweet, pining after her for years, and finally, offered a post of high income and prestige in India. His timely marriage proposal to Mary sets off the chain of events that turn upside down over the course of the next few days. In a testament to the boring, passionless demeanour of his character, Edgar applauds Mary’s decision to mull over his proposal while he attends business out of town for a few days.

It’s in his absence that Mary, thrown into a mix of company that includes the rowdy and dubious Rowley Flint, finds herself in a bit of a pickle. For those who haven’t read this book I won’t go into detail, as it really is ghastly and comical, this turn of events. In a clear juxtaposition, Mary finds in Rowley everything that Edgar isn’t. Who she actually prefers is unclear, but she starts to question the notion of entering voluntarily into a marriage that is openly and honestly lacking in love, a marriage that nonetheless offers protection from a broken heart.

Any woman who has had her heart broken can identify with Mary’s decision to effectively armour herself against further pain by marrying for status and comfort.

It’s a simple story that can be read in a couple of hours and with a reverberating effect once completed. But it doesn’t pretend to be more than what it is: a sultry examination of the perils and rewards of love. For enhanced reading pleasure, listen to Edith Piaf while reading this.

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July 11th, 2009ReviewsRead More >6 Comments


6 Responses to “Up at the Villa - W. Somerset Maugham”

  1. Matthew Says:
    July 13th, 2009 at 12:35 pm

    I always enjoy how Maugham just gives us enough words to understand and dissect his stories. He’s such a pro!

  2. elena Says:
    July 13th, 2009 at 6:59 pm

    yep, pro is definitely the right word to describe Maugham

  3. Mae Says:
    July 16th, 2009 at 5:24 pm

    It sounds like a lovely read and the dilemma very real even today. I really need to read some Maugham.

  4. Mae Says:
    July 16th, 2009 at 5:25 pm

    Oh, and P.S. - I don’t work for Penguin. :-D I wished I did though…

  5. Marie Says:
    July 17th, 2009 at 11:40 am

    Sounds wonderful- perfect brain food :-)

  6. Elena Says:
    July 18th, 2009 at 12:19 pm

    @Mae: I wish I worked for Penguin too. :( Maugham is indeed lovely.

    @Marie: I do love a bit of brain food. I’m guessing I have to read The Painted Veil now…

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