The Moon and Sixpence

Although published in 1919, Maugham's study of a man who abandons a comfortable, conventional life to pursue an overwhelming artistic impulse doesn't seem dated. Reincarnated as an audiobook, it will give pleasure to many who wouldn't pick it up in print. Michael Page is well-chosen as the first-person narrator, a writer who moves on the periphery of the artist's life. His tone and pacing are good, his voice pleasant, and his character voices satisfactory. This is an attractive offering though marred by sound quality. J.N. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine


This audiobook brings together three talented people: author Somerset Maugham, painter Paul Gauguin (here fictionalized as Charles Strickland) and reader Neil Hunt. Maugham's 1919 minor classic traces the life of Strickland, who leaves a middle-class life as a banker in England, ignoring wife and family, to go first to Paris, then to Tahiti. There he paints--and paints and paints, becoming one of the world's great artists. It's a compelling story, made more so by Hunt's careful rendering. Masterfully dramatic, he's properly reserved about Strickland's mundane life in London, far more passionate about the later times in Paris and Tahiti. He handles a mix of characters and their differing pronunications and accents with the ease and consistency of a real pro. This one merits high marks throughout, for writing, for subject, for narration. T.H. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine