Reviews

Il suffit d'une nuit by W. Somerset Maugham

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selma2202's review against another edition

4.0

Dit boek vond ik in de kast van de co-living. Vermakelijk en vlot verhaal, dat zich rond 1940 afspeelt onder de Britse middle upper class in Toscane.

pegish's review against another edition

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5.0

fiendlust's review against another edition

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emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

This book is short, but it unravels like a slow-burn disaster you can’t look away from. Mary Panton is a young widow living in a borrowed villa in Italy, surrounded by wealth, beauty, and men who want to marry her. On paper, she has options—she could settle for security with an older diplomat, Sir Edgar, or maybe even let herself get swept up in something riskier. But one impulsive night changes everything.

Enter Karl, a broke refugee with nowhere to turn. Mary, out of kindness (or maybe loneliness, or boredom, or something even she doesn’t fully understand), spends the night with him. The next morning, he’s dead—by suicide, right there in her villa. And just like that, Mary’s perfect world starts to crack. Instead of calling for help, she turns to Rowley Flint, a man with a reputation for being unreliable but who, ironically, is the only one willing to deal with this mess. Together, they cover it up, pretending none of it ever happened.

What makes this book so gripping is how detached and unsettling it feels. There’s no dramatic breakdown, no sweeping tragedy—just people making cold, calculated choices to protect themselves. Mary isn’t necessarily heartless, but she is privileged, and that privilege lets her walk away from something that should ruin her. And Rowley? He’s reckless, frustrating, but also the only person who sees Mary for who she really is, not just who she’s pretending to be.

Maugham’s writing is sharp and unsentimental, which makes the whole thing even eerier. It reads like a psychological thriller wrapped in luxury—glamorous settings, quiet danger, people pretending everything is fine when it’s very much not. The ending is unsettling in the best way—no grand moral lesson, just a practical, almost cynical resolution that leaves you wondering if Mary really learned anything at all.

Not a comforting read, but if you like morally ambiguous characters, quiet tension, and that feeling of watching something beautiful slowly rot from the inside, this one sticks with you.

carolinewhitten's review against another edition

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4.0

“Darling, that's what life's for—to take risks.”

Excerpt From
Up at the Villa
William Somerset Maugham
https://books.apple.com/us/book/up-at-the-villa/id1552507738
This material may be protected by copyright.

mkstiff's review against another edition

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4.0

Wicked little book - takes place over the course of a couple days, read it all in one sitting. Mary, a young widow, is considering a second marriage proposal when a strange set of events befall her during the ride home after an elegant evening out. A number of passionate twists and turns are followed by a surprise ending. Top-notch!

kimbofo's review against another edition

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3.0

An engaging and thinly disguised morality tale about class, sexual desire and marriage — all set in the hills of beautiful 1930s Florence.

To read my full review, please visit my blog.

trashbagtv's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

nancf's review against another edition

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4.0

Up at the Villa is this month's book club selection. I loved this book! It relates the story of Mary Panton, a young English widow, living in Florence. While she considers whether to marry an older suitor, she has encounters with two other men, Rowley and Karl, which, in very different ways, change her life and her future. In some ways, I thought that Mary took on a more typically man's role with Karl, yet she needed another man, either Rawley or Edgar to get her out of the situation.

The writing was beautifully descriptive; the book was a joy to read. I loved the language and the use of conversation.

One of my favorite quotes is Rawley's comment that Edgar was "a great man posing as a great man."

I had not read anything else of Maughmam's before, but I will look for more of his works.

vilovesreading's review against another edition

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emotional reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

nisthac's review against another edition

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4.0

A book which packs a lot of adventure in just a few pages - This book is quite entertaining and has a lot of plot for a novella. Having said that, it reads like a book from a movie and not necessarily something that will happen / one can so easily manage in real life. What kind of dress is the lady on cover wearing?

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