The Painted Veil《面紗》講述了20年代一對年輕的英國夫婦來到中國鄉村生活的故事，在這美麗卻兇險的環境中，他們經歷了在其英國家鄉舒適生活中無法想象和體驗的情感波瀾，并領悟到了愛與奉獻的真諦。
故事以女主角吉蒂開篇，為了逃離20年代倫敦浮華卻又空虛的社交圈，也為了防止自己變成一位老姑娘，吉蒂接受了沉默寡言的醫生沃特 費恩的求婚。費恩在把吉蒂帶到上海后，便迅速地投入到了他的細菌學研究中去。孤獨的吉蒂和迷人的已婚男子查理 唐森發生了婚外情，當費恩發現時，他羞恨交加。為了報復，也為了重整自己的生活，費恩決定孤注一擲，帶著吉蒂遠走霍亂肆虐的偏遠城鎮。沃特從一塵不染的研究室走向了瘟疫流行的前線，他慢慢地協助控制了當地的疫情。吉蒂則開始在一家由法國修女住持的修道院兼醫院中做義工，并逐漸找回了生活的勇氣和意義。
在愛情、背叛與死亡的漩渦中掙扎的凱蒂，親歷了幻想破滅與生死離別之后，終將生活的面紗從她的眼前漸漸揭去，從此踏上了不悔的精神成長之路。
在毛姆的作品中，本書是很受讀者歡迎卻也為評論家所詬病的作品。小說在結尾讓凱蒂意識到女人的一生不能只是為了和男人睡覺并依附于他——“彌足珍貴的是對責任的愛，當愛與責任合而為一，你就將是崇高的，你將享受無法言表的幸福。”——而在今天來看，這個結尾實在不夠現實，也不夠公平——沒有人應為自己的錯誤永遠背負十字架！
Kitty Fane is the beautiful but shallow wife of Walter, a bacteriologist stationed in Hong Kong. Unsatisfied by her marriage, she starts an affair with charming, attractive and exciting Charles Townsend. But when Walter discovers her deception, he exacts a strange and terrible vengeance: Kitty must accompany him to his new posting in remote mainland China, where a cholera epidemic rages...
First published to a storm of protest, The Painted Veil is a classic story of a woman’s spiritual awakening.
The Painted Veil《面紗》是英國作家毛姆創作的一部女性精神覺醒經典之作，同時也是其具爭議的一部作品。據作者自述，這是他“一部起于故事，而非發于人物的小說”；書名典出雪萊的詩篇《別揭開這五彩面紗》：“別揭開這五彩面紗，蕓蕓眾生都管它叫生活……”
推薦理由：
1. 現實主義文學大師毛姆的“人性三部曲”之首；
2. 毛姆剖析人性的著作，女性精神覺醒的經典讀本；
3. 馬爾克斯、村上春樹、喬治 奧威爾、張愛玲、莫言、奈保爾一致推崇。
精彩書評：
“一對英國夫婦經歷情感危機之后，來到中國內地的霍亂疫區救治病人與孤兒。上世紀二十年代的貴州湄潭政府缺席，社會松散，人情冷漠。小說中‘一盤散沙’的慘景至今仍然具有振聾發聵的力量。”——中國社科院文學研究所所長 陸建德
“《面紗》以其悲天憫人的情感關照，以其對道德沖突的敏感解析，以其對人性的尖銳反諷，以其對人類欲望、恐懼和悔恨等內在世界的建構，而成為一部藝術的杰作。” ——《觀察家》
“回首現代作家，毛姆給了我深刻的影響。”——喬治 奧威爾，《1984》作者
Review
“Reveals many of Maugham’s strengths: an understanding of women, meticulous craftsmanship and raw emotion” — Daily Mail
“A work of art” — Spectator
“An expert craftsman... His style is sharp, quick, subdued, casual” — New York Times
毛姆(1874~1965)，英國現代著名的小說家與劇作家，1874年出生于巴黎。毛姆不滿十歲，父母就先后去世。孤寂凄清的童年生活，在他稚嫩的心靈上投下了痛苦的陰影，養成他孤僻、敏感、內向的性格。幼年的經歷對他的世界觀和文學創作產生了深刻的影響。毛姆一生著作甚多，共寫了長篇小說數十部，短篇小說一百多篇，劇本數十個，此外尚著有游記、回憶錄、文藝評論多部。其作品文筆質樸，脈絡清晰，取材廣泛，洞悉人性；人物性格鮮明，情節跌宕有致，在各個階層中都擁有相當廣泛的讀者群。代表作品有《人生的枷鎖》《月亮和六便士》《刀鋒》《面紗》《尋歡作樂》等。
William Somerset Maugham was a British playwright, novelist and short story writer. He was among the most popular writers of his era and reputedly the highest-paid author during the 1930s. The success of his first novel, Liza of Lambeth, published in 1897, won him over to literature. Of Human Bondage, the first of his masterpieces, came out in 1915, and with the publication in 1919 of The Moon and Sixpence his reputation as a novelist was established. At the same time his fame as a successful playwright and writer was being consolidated with acclaimed productions of various plays and the publication of several short story collections. His other works include travel books, essays, criticism and the autobiographical The Summing Up and A Writer’s Notebook.
She gave a startled cry.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
Notwithstanding the darkness of the shuttered room he saw her face on a sudden distraught with terror.
“Someone just tried the door.”
“Well, perhaps it was the amah, or one of the boys.”
“They never come at this time. They know I always sleep after tiffin.”
“Who else could it be?”
“Walter,” she whispered, her lips trembling.
She pointed to his shoes. He tried to put them on, but his nervousness, for her alarm was affecting him, made him clumsy, and besides, they were on the tight side. With a faint gasp of impatience she gave him a shoe horn. She slipped into a kimono and in her bare feet went over to her dressing-table. Her hair was shingled and with a comb she had repaired its disorder before he had laced his second shoe. She handed him his coat.
“How shall I get out?”
“You’d better wait a bit. I’ll look out and see that it’s all right.”
“It can’t possibly be Walter. He doesn’t leave the laboratory till five.”
“Who is it then?”
They spoke in whispers now. She was quaking. It occurred to him that in an emergency she would lose her head and on a sudden he felt angry with her. If it wasn’t safe why the devil had she said it was? She caught her breath and put her hand on his arm. He followed the direction of her glance. They stood facing the windows that led out on the verandah. They were shuttered and the shutters were bolted. They saw the white china knob of the handle slowly turn. They had heard no one walk along the verandah. It was terrifying to see that silent motion. A minute passed and there was no sound. Then, with the ghastliness of the supernatural, in the same stealthy, noiseless, and horrifying manner, they saw the white china knob of the handle at the other window turn also. It was so frightening that Kitty, her nerves failing her, opened her mouth to scream; but, seeing what she was going to do, he swiftly put his hand over it and her cry was smothered in his fingers.
Silence. She leaned against him, her knees shaking, and he was afraid she would faint. Frowning, his jaw set, he carried her to the bed and sat her down upon it. She was as white as the sheet and notwithstanding his tan his cheeks were pale too. He stood by her side looking with fascinated gaze at the china knob. They did not speak. Then he saw that she was crying.
“For God’s sake don’t do that,” he whispered irritably. “If we’re in for it we’re in for it. We shall just have to brazen it out.”
She looked for her handkerchief and knowing what she wanted he gave her her bag.
“Where’s your topee?”
“I left it downstairs.”
“Oh, my God!”
“I say, you must pull yourself together. It’s a hundred to one it wasn’t Walter. Why on earth should he come back at this hour? He never does come home in the middle of the day, does he?”
“Never.”
“I’ll bet you anything you like it was amah.”
She gave him the shadow of a smile. His rich, caressing voice reassured her and she took his hand and affectionately pressed it. He gave her a moment to collect herself.
“Look here, we can’t stay here forever,” he said then. “Do you feel up to going out on the verandah and having a look?”
“I don’t think I can stand.”
“Have you got any brandy in here?”
She shook her head. A frown for an instant darkened his brow, he was growing impatient, he did not quite know what to do. Suddenly she clutched his hand more tightly.
“Suppose he’s waiting there?”
He forced his lips to smile and his voice retained the gentle, persuasive tone the effect of which he was so fully conscious of.
“That’s not very likely. Have a little pluck, Kitty. How can it possibly be your husband? If he’d come in and seen a strange topee in the hall and come upstairs and found your room locked, surely he would have made some sort of row. It must have been one of the servants. Only a Chinese would turn a handle in that way.”
She did feel more herself now.
“It’s not very pleasant even if it was only the amah.”
“She can be squared and if necessary I’ll put the fear of God into her. There are not many advantages in being a government official, but you may as well get what you can out of it.”
He must be right. She stood up and turning to him stretched out her arms: he took her in his and kissed her on the lips. It was such rapture that it was pain. She adored him. He released her and she went to the window. She slid back the bolt and opening the shutter a little looked out. There was not a soul. She slipped on to the verandah, looked into her husband’s dressing-room and then into her own sitting-room. Both were empty. She went back to the bedroom and beckoned to him.
