Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Far Eastern Tales

By: W. Somerset Maugham
Narrated by: Robert Powell
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £14.99

Buy Now for £14.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

Far eastern Tales is a collection of Maugham's short stories, all born of his experiences in Malaysia, Singapore, and other outposts of the former British Empire. The stories included on this recording are Footprints in the Jungle, Mabel, P & O, The Door of Oportunity, The Buried Talent, Before the Party, Mr. Know-all, Neil MacAdam, The End of the Flight and The Force of Circumstance.
©2014 Audible, Inc. (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Rain and Other Stories cover art
Cakes and Ale cover art
The Moon And Sixpence cover art
Plain Tales from the Hills cover art
The Somerset Maugham BBC Radio Collection cover art
The Man Upstairs [Classic Tales Edition] cover art
Lord Jim cover art
Staying On cover art
The Lemon Table cover art
The Heart of the Matter cover art
Hannay: His 5 Adventures cover art
The Constant Nymph cover art
North and South cover art
A Tale of Two Cities cover art
Uneasy Money cover art
The Forsyte Chronicles, Vol. 3: End of the Chapter cover art

What listeners say about Far Eastern Tales

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    137
  • 4 Stars
    48
  • 3 Stars
    14
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    145
  • 4 Stars
    17
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    113
  • 4 Stars
    37
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Lovely, and Long 'Short' Stories

This collection is great. It captures the art of what I think WSM did best - rather extended short stories. They are mostly long enough to really build the plots, create many characters, and lead you through a proper story, but end with you wanting a bit more. This collection covers a lot of ground: love, marriage, honour, and adventure - often with a bit of humour.

The narration from Robert Powell perfectly matches the period and the settings. Very good.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful Writing

It is so pleasing to get such wonderful writing and storylines; the narration was great.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Simply superb!

Somerset Maugham has complete mastery over the written word & over the art of story telling. Robert Powell reads these stories faultlessly, with such consummate fluency & skill it is a joy to listen to his voice.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Lovely insight into the Empire!

These stories were amusing, tragic and interesting from a historical perspective. Well written and read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

just great

Loved it a great experience well read just good quality collection of stories well done.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Perfect

Has there ever been a better storyteller than Somerset Maugham? And these are substantial short stories which, if you have the slightest interest in short stories, are gripping.
And the narrator is perfectly suited to delivering them, adapting just the right voice for the different characters.
The only caveat is that many of Somerset Maugham‘s stories are a little bit grim! So if you don’t find suicide and depression in the slightest interesting or entertaining then perhaps try something else!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Trip down memory lane

I really enjoy WSM’s characters (having grown up in the Far East I can sympathise with some of them). Robert Powell reads them all so well, including great accents
Real shame the chapters don’t correspond to the stories - makes finding them very difficult so down a star for that.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

depressing stories wonderfully read

these stories show some of the strengths and weaknesses of Maugham as a writer. the weaknesses come out more in this collection, most notably the way in which his own unhappy marriage colours and distorts the marital relations in these stories. The result is depressing, ending in suicide or breakup. The stories also have elements that are unbelievable, e.g. the story of the pearls. but Robert Powell's narration is superb.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Can't beat Somerset Maugham for story telling

Each story transports the listener to a time when the British ruled an exotic part of the world.
beautifully read by Robert Powell

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautifully narrated, a real storyteller

I love Somerset Maugham he tells stories so beautifully. I don't care if they're out of fashion or non PC. They are of the time and therefore historically interesting and well crafted. Ultimately they tell the story of the human condition with all its failings and frailties. I first read Maugham over 40 years ago and they are still captivating. Robert Powell is a brilliant narrator. His voice is pure magic and he enunciates clearly and with great emotion. I enjoyed it so much I looked for other readings from him but there were none that interested me.

Sit back and enjoy and be transported to the Far East in another era.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful