The Painted Veil

By: W. Somerset Maugham

Narrated by: Sophie Ward

This is the story of Kitty Fane, the adulterous wife of a bacteriologist stationed in Hong Kong. When her husband discovers her deception, he exacts a terrible vengeance: Kitty must accompany him to the heart of a cholera epidemic in China.©2006 W. Somerset Maugham (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"[Maugham is] the modern writer who has influenced me the most." (George Orwell)
"An expert craftsman....His style is sharp, quick, subdued, casual."( The New York Times)
" The Painted Veil, with its sadness, its moral tension, its irony and compassion, its building evocations of lust and terror and remorse, is a work of art." ( Spectator)

A shallow woman's discovery of her shallowness

Wonderful writing as usual for Maugham, but a rather simple tale of a shallow, cloying woman's discovery of her own shallowness..

A beautiful story read by a beautiful voice

It’s a great story. I read this book while I am listening to this. Sophie has done a great job.

Quite a Turner

You turn opinions on the characters. The story has your head turning in surprise. And even you yourself might turn something over at the end of it.

Better than the movie

I was very taken with the movie of "The Painted Veil." While I still think the film very fine, this novella proves itself better precisely in those places where the film-makers altered the story. Kitty never becomes perfect, and the ending is hopeful, not triumphant. The reading, too, is very well done. Good male voices, as well as the female.

Great reader -- OK story

It was the reader that drew me in. I listened to the ten minute sample and I was hooked. The story is not gripping all the way through. Some of the characters stay frustratingly distant, but Kitty grows and deepens with every page, and watching her navigate her world is fascinating.