The Razors Edge by W. Somerset
Maugham
Wow
Larry Darrell is a young American in search of the absolute. The progress
of his spiritual odyssey involves him with some of Maughams most brilliant
characters - his fiancée Isabel whose choice between love and wealth
have lifelong repercussions, and Elliott Templeton, her uncle, a classic
expatriate American snob. Maugham himself wanders in and out of the
story, to observe his characters struggling with their fates.
Personal Review: The Razors Edge by W. Somerset Maugham
When I was 20, some several decades ago, I heard that one of my favorite
actors, Bill Murray, was putting together a movie based on a book called
The Razor's Edge. I had no idea what it was about, but wanting to read the
book before seeing the movie, I picked it up and read it. What happened
was the first in a chain of events that has led me down paths that have
made me who I am now. At 45, I once again read this book and am equally
moved and thrilled to realize that life, like a skater's languid figure eight,
has come back again to a place it once was. Like that same person with

barely two decades of life under his belt: single, without care, drifting in life
without purpose, career calling, or direction, my purpose is as uncertain as
it was so long ago. So, now what? Well, that remains to be seen.
The Razor's Edge is a book that I wish everyone would read at some time
in their life, if only to encounter Larry Darrell, one of the most remarkable
people in literature and a man to whom each of us should pledge to aspire,
if only for a little while. How much better would life be if we were to simply
eschew material goods for spiritual discovery or see the grace and glory in
doing things for others for the sheer joy of helping out and being the best
that we can be? Is there a more important issue to ponder in our lives than
what our purpose is and who is the truest and most worthwhile person we
can be? This classic novel, easy to read and yet remarkable thoughtful and
full of deep human understanding, gives us Larry and lets us judge not
only his actions, but our own in contrast. The Razor's Edge is nothing short
of my field book for life, a reminder of what I know to be true, right, and
decent, and the talisman to keep me on the path towards hope,
enlightenment, and being the man I was intended to be.
Towards the end of the book, Larry explains, "It's strange how many
people suffer from (fear). I don't mean fear of closed spaces and fear of
heights, but fear of death and, what's worse, fear of life." I have come to
understand that the battle with fear is a part of life. This book, like all of the
cherished lessons and experiences in life, is a crucial ally in that on-going
engagement.
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