I just finished reading W. Somerset Maugham's The Razor’s Edge. Many years ago I read Of Human Bondage which is on my top ten list. So thirty years pass and with the exception of Summing Up an autobiographical account of his career I've read nothing else by him. My choice of reading material seems so random; I'm just as likely to pick up a mystery as something more substantive. I suppose that is why I enjoy reading so much it fills so many needs. I thoroughly enjoyed The Razor's Edge written in 1943 at the height of his career, it takes place mostly in France, and has a delightful cast of characters. Elliot the snob, but also a kind generous soul Gray, who speaks in cliché’s. His wife Isabel, gracious, interesting, but a little bit too preoccupied with money and status. Suzanne the opportunist with a lust for life and Sophie who demonstrates how unpredictable life really is. Finally Larry the idealist in all of us a searcher for truth. This is a book about life; I particularly enjoyed the contrast Maugham creates between material wealth and happiness. He is one of the best writers of the 20th Century, and this is a wonderful example of his talent. Read it!!