The Trembling of a Leaf Collection – Rain & Other South Sea Stories
South Sea Stories of Expatriate Desire, Colonial Hypocrisy, and Moral Self-DeceptionBy William Somerset Maugham
Length8h 26m
About this audiobook
The Trembling of a Leaf gathers William Somerset Maugham's South Sea tales, most famously "Rain," alongside stories such as "The Pool," "Mackintosh," and "Honolulu." Set among missionaries, colonial officials, traders, sailors, and island communities, these narratives examine desire, repression, racial and cultural encounter, religious conviction, and the instability of moral judgment. Maugham's lucid, economical prose—frequently framed through an observant narrator—combines the controlled irony of the realist with the atmosphere of travel writing. Beneath its exotic settings, the collection belongs to the early twentieth-century tradition of colonial fiction while also exposing the hypocrisy and psychological violence that colonial society often conceals. Maugham drew upon his extensive travels through the Pacific, especially his experiences in Samoa, Tahiti, and other territories shaped by European influence. His work as a physician and his cosmopolitan life sharpened his interest in behavior under pressure, while his engagement with theatre and fiction cultivated a precise, dramatically structured storytelling manner. The South Seas offered him not merely picturesque scenery but a testing ground for the claims of civilization, faith, and personal freedom. This collection is recommended to readers interested in modern short fiction, colonial literature, and psychologically incisive narratives of cultural confrontation. Its vivid settings and memorable characters make it immediately accessible, while its moral ambiguities reward sustained scholarly attention. "Rain," in particular, remains a compelling study of fanaticism, sexuality, and the destructive authority of self-righteousness.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 4.2 (3K)
Includes Goodreads, LibraryThing, Amazon, StoryGraph
GenreLiterary Classics
Length8 hrs 26 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateDec 15, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1KING ARTHUR OF CAMELOT: The History & The Myth of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (10 Books in One Volume)
2The Trembling of a Leaf Collection – Rain & Other South Sea Stories
3I The Pacific
4II Mackintosh
5III The Fall of Edward Barnard
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6IV Red
7V The Pool
8VI Honolulu
9VII Rain
10VIII Envoi
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