LEADER 01409nam 2200133 a 4500
001 1175009
008 231207s2023 stk g b 000 1 eng d
020 $a9781838858292$q(hbk.) :$cGBP20.00
040 $aAU@$beng$cAU@$dOCLCF$dUKMGB$dYDX$dZNS$dOCLCQ$dYDX$dOCLCO$dTWTNM
082 04$a823.92$223
100 1 $aTan, Twan Eng,$d1972-
245 14$aThe house of doors /$cTan Twan Eng.
260 $aEdinburgh :$bCanongate,$c2023.
300 $a306 p. ;$c24 cm.
504 $aIncludes bibliographical references.
520 $aIt is 1921 and at Cassowary House in the Straits Settlements of Penang, Robert Hamlyn is a well-to-do lawyer and his steely wife Lesley a society hostess. Their lives are invigorated when Willie, an old friend of Robert's, comes to stay. Willie Somerset Maugham is one of the greatest writers of his day. But he is beleaguered by an unhappy marriage, ill-health and business interests that have gone badly awry. He is also struggling to write. The more Lesley's friendship with Willie grows, the more clearly she see him as he is - a man who has no choice but to mask his true self. As Willie prepares to leave and face his demons, Lesley confides secrets of her own, including how she came to know the charismatic Dr Sun Yat Sen, a revolutionary fighting to overthrow the imperial dynasty of China. And more scandalous still, she reveals her connection to the case of an Englishwoman charged with murder in the Kuala Lumpur courts - a tragedy drawn from fact, and worthy of fiction.
600 10$aProudlock, Ethel$xTrials, litigation, etc.$vFiction.
600 10$aMaugham, W. Somerset$q(William Somerset),$d1874-1965$vFiction.
650 0$aFriendship$vFiction.
650 0$aSecrecy$vFiction.
651 0$aMalaya$xHistory$yBritish rule, 1867-1942$vFiction.
651 0$aPinang Island (Pulau Pinang, Malaysia)$vFiction.