Book
The house of doors : a novel
Summary:
The year is 1921. Lesley Hamlyn and her husband, Robert, a lawyer and war veteran, are living at Cassowary House on the Straits Settlement of Penang. When "Willie" Somerset Maugham, a famed writer and old friend of Robert's, arrives for an extended visit with his secretary Gerald, the pair threatens a rift that could alter more lives than one. Maugham, one of the great novelists of his day, is beleaguered: Having long hidden his homosexuality, his unhappy and expensive marriage of convenience becomes unbearable after he loses his savings-and the freedom to travel with Gerald. His career deflating, his health failing, Maugham arrives at Cassowary House in desperate need of a subject for his next book. Lesley, too, is enduring a marriage more duplicitous than it first appears. Maugham suspects an affair, and, learning of Lesley's past connection to the Chinese revolutionary, Dr. Sun Yat Sen, decides to probe deeper. But as their friendship grows and Lesley confides in him about life in the Straits, Maugham discovers a far more surprising tale than he imagined, one that involves not only war and scandal but the trial of an Englishwoman charged with murder. It is, to Maugham, a story worthy of fiction. A mesmerizingly beautiful novel based on real events, The House of Doors traces the fault lines of race, gender, sexuality, and power under empire, and dives deep into the complicated nature of love and friendship in its shadow.
Item details
- ISBN: 9781639731930
- ISBN: 1639731938
- ISBN: 9781639731947
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Physical Description:
print
306 pages ; 25 cm - Publisher: New York : Bloomsbury Publishing, 2023.
- Copyright: ©2023
Contents / Notes
- General Note:
- "First published in 2023 in Great Britain by Canongate Books Ltd. First published in the United States in 2023"
Title page verso. - Bibliography, etc. Note:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 305-306).
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Currently available copies
- 31 out of 31 copies are currently available at PINES. (Show)
- 2 out of 2 copies are currently available at Athens Regional Library System.
Holds
- 0 current holds on 31 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
| Library System: Branch | Shelving Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Status | New Item Hold Restriction? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens Regional Library System: Athens-Clarke County Library |
DISPLAY | FIC TAN Send SMS Text |
31001006170741 | Available | |
| Athens Regional Library System: Watkinsville/Oconee County Library |
FICTION | FIC TAN Send SMS Text |
31001006170758 | Available |
