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The Painted Veil
Paperback
Classic FictionGeneral FictionLiterary Fiction
ISBN13: 9781025376806
Publisher: Tradd Street Press
Published: Feb 14 2026
Pages: 244
Weight: 0.76
Height: 0.51 Width: 6.14 Depth: 9.21
Language: English
The Painted Veil is a masterfully crafted novel of emotional transformation and spiritual awakening set against the backdrop of colonial Hong Kong and the rugged landscapes of mainland China. The story follows Kitty Fane, a shallow and beautiful socialite who marries the reserved bacteriologist Walter Fane out of social pressure rather than love. When her husband discovers her infidelity, he delivers a terrifying ultimatum: she must accompany him to a remote Chinese village ravaged by a deadly cholera epidemic.
As they journey into the heart of the crisis, the narrative shifts from a tense domestic drama to a profound exploration of human suffering and moral redemption. Confronted by the omnipresence of death and the selfless devotion of French nuns at a local convent, Kitty begins to shed her vanity and self-centeredness. W. Somerset Maugham's prose expertly captures the psychological complexities of marriage, betrayal, and the painful path toward self-discovery. The Painted Veil remains a poignant and timeless study of the human capacity for change, offering a vivid portrayal of early 20th-century colonial life and the universal quest for meaning in the face of despair.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
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