People who are older than me often speak in hushed tones of Somerset Maugham… his world-weary tone, the wry commentary, the idea that some special humans grapple with BIG decisions and we should all strive to emulate them or perhaps be in awe of them… did I miss something? I found The Moon and Sixpence very interesting primarily for the Gauguin Wikipedia rabbit-holes to explore, but the novel itself was tedious going. I could appreciate the technical innovations of introducing a narrator who is learning about the story and recounting as he learns, while having numerous digressions into stories told by other narrators. But the Artist shaking a fist at the universe to elicit Truth I found more to be a self-involved guy who didn’t care much about the well-being of others. I find it hard to be convinced that creating eternal beauty is more virtuous than being nice to a fellow human. But that’s just me! It’s definitely undergraduate meaning of life philosophy stimulating.