The Razor's Edge (Vintage Classics) by W. Somerset Maugham (2000-03-02)

The Razor's Edge was first published in 1944. To my mind, it is a wonderful book which offers philosophical perspectives years ahead of its time. An acclaimed best selling novel, it was brought to the screen in 1946 starring Tyrone Power, Gene Tierney, Anne Baxter and Clifton Webb. I first saw this Oscar nominated movie many years ago as a teenager. It left such a deep and lasting impression that I recently felt compelled to purchase a copy of this classic film as a DVD through Amazon. On a second viewing, after an interval of some many years, I was inspired to buy the book. I could only find 'The Razor's Edge as a somewhat badly worn second-hand paperback with yellowed pages. Yet, somehow its dilapidated condition enhanced my reading enjoyment. And I was delighted to find that the film screenplay - written by Lamar Trotti - followed the novel closely, retaining much of the most memorable lines and pieces of dialogue.For those unfamiliar with the story, 'The Razor's Edge' is about a flyer - played by Tyrone Power in the film - who returns from World War 1 full of survivor's guilt and seeking answers to life's most profound mysteries. Rejecting the comfortable material world of his fiancée, he travels around the world in search of truth and meaning to existence. Larry's quest takes him from the back streets of Paris to the mountain tops of the Himalayas. Maugham inserts himself into the story not only as its first person narrator but also as one of the central characters. And as such, Maugham reveals such an understanding of the essence of Eastern Philosophy - and Advaita Vedanta in particular - as to suggest that Larry's odyssey was based in his - Maugham's - own experience. In fact, such is the richness of the plot and depth of characterization that one begins to suspect that 'The Razor's Edge' is so much more than just a work of fiction but possibly intended as a vehicle for a serious philosophical inquiry into such issues as the nature of evil and the meaning of human existence. In particular, there are memorable moments in the dialogue between Larry the truth seeker and Maugham in which even one of the corner stones of Western science is challenged i.e. the notion that consciousness in nothing more than an unimportant by-product or epiphenomenon of brain activity. And all this, decades before it even became acceptable, let alone fashionable, to do announce such heresy.My favourite part of the book - which also appears in the film of 'The Razor's Edge' - is the scene in which Larry uses the healing power of hypnosis - a skill he has picked up in his travels - to cure his old friend Gray of excruciating headaches. This had such an effect on me on first seeing the movie as to inspire me to become a Hypnotherapist in later life!In short, this novel is more just a book. To my mind, it is a work that can change lives - it certainly did in my case. Highly recommended; it's by no means an easy book to read but more than worth the effort.Chris Allen is a Technical Author and writer with the following books available through Amazon:Reality Shaper: The Quantum Detective -- His latest novel.Parallel LifetimesThe Beam of Interest: Taken by StormHypnotic Tales 2013: Some Light Some DarkCall of the Void: The Strange Life and Times of a Confused Person: 1

I found time to read this at all hours of the day and the characters - and their startlingly different ways of life - will stay with me for ever.

Great book, Maugham at his best. A really good read but the copy was in poor condition. Very faded print and brown pages. This book was in the worst condition of any I have ever received via Amazon and not the quality I was expecting from the description.

I saw the 1984 film version of this when it came out. I enjoy2ir even though it was not the usual Bill Murray character on the screen. I guessed that at some time in the future I would read the book ... and now I have. It is not the kind of book which would likely get published these days (to its credit). The characterization and descriptive style makes it a joy to read even though it is very short on action. It's a book which you pause while reading in order to think about what you've just read. I believe I will now start reading a lot more of the old literature to see if I find it as enjoyable as I found this book.

The Razor’s Edge is a great novel.There are two versions of the English Kindle edition available on Amazon.The other one is full of errors beyond the first few chapters, like someone never bothered to check it despite it supposedly being from a reputable publisher, and as it’s been that way since 2008 it seems unlikely that it’s ever going to be corrected or updated at this stage.This edition is much better and definitely the one to buy if you’re looking for an English edition of the ebook. It’s also about a tenth of the price of the dodgy one. Get this one.

ok - alles bekommen - altersbedingt so wie beschrieben - gerne wieder - verbleibt erförderlich - drei wörter noch eins

The book that I received was not as described. The pages were not "mottled". It was described as having copious notes in the margins and several passages being hi-lighted, but neither circumstance made the text illegible. I found no notes and no instances of hi-lighting in the book I received. The binding is firm, the pages are not loose.I am very pleased with this book, and I'm impressed with the speed in which it was delivered. Job well done.

Have watched the movie several times over the years. Tyrone Power, Clifton Webb and Gene Tierney were great. Always wanted to try the book. Very good read and excellent value as I purchased for something like $3.99.