Rain and Other South Sea StoriesRecommendations

W. Somerset Maugham had a variety of lives, including that of a slum doctor, a prominent playwright and author, a British Intelligence operative during Global War I, and a world wanderer. In 1917, he embarked on the first of several trips to the Pacific Islands and the Far East, where he found inspiration for some of his best work.

One of Maugham's most renowned stories, about a missionary and a prostitute, is included in Rain and Other South Sea Stories. "Rain" was adapted for the stage and filmed three times, with Gloria Swanson, Joan Crawford, and Rita Hayworth playing the starring roles. "Macintosh," a psychological study of two officials' competition; "The Fall of Edward Barnard," a story of social rebellion that foreshadows The Razor's Edge; "The Pool," a portrait of a marriage between people from different cultures; and other compelling stories of life in the tropics are also included in this collection.