Reviews

The Magician Illustrated by W. Somerset Maugham

sams84's review against another edition

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3.0

I'm rather torn with this book, on the one hand the story is rather enjoyable (despite Margaret being a wet blanket at times) and does keep the reader guessing with some intriguing twists and turns. But on the other hand the writing is a little wordy and seems to me a tad flowery and over the top adding unnecessary bulk to an otherwise good story. This does make it a little harder to follow as the main thrust of the story and the characters are a little lost. But saying that the story is just about strong enough to pull through and as the book progresses you find yourself getting more and more engrossed and find yourself despising Haddo more and more (I practically cheered at the end). The characters themselves are quite engaging although as I've said Margaret is a tad irritating and there were many moments when I just wanted to give her a damn good shake and tell her to get a grip (although by the standards of the time I doubt she was that bad). I became very fond of Susie by the end and thankfully Arthur made an excellent turn around and showed himself to be made of stronger stuff than he seemed to be at the beginning. Overall a pretty good read even if it is a little on the wordy side.

orfaux's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

knenigans's review against another edition

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4.25

Almost timeless horror, very fun read.

deschatjes's review against another edition

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3.0

I stumbled on a mention of this while looking into Byron / Shelley etc in conjunction with their sojourn in Switzerland.
Some good characterizations of personalities & dress - particularly of Susie Boyd.
A very interesting portrait of evil & obsession - for a better contextual understanding of the work read this review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/317115235

slasshia's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

pinkalpaca's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

yanachekan's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense

3.25

syara's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

mittland's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

did not know this would be full on horror - very unpleasant and sexual horror, but in a way that I like. could have gone without the hate of fat people, but that's somerset. go to therapy man
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tifish's review against another edition

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3.5

very nice! this was a gift from a friend, and she left notes in the margins!