Of Human Bondage
by William Somerset Maugham · first published 1915
56% recommend38% neutral6% critical
Why HN recommends it
Long, character-driven novel following a young man's life, with engrossing characters and a slow-burning personal arc. Readers who want a life story over plot-driven action find it rewarding.
Common criticism: One commenter calls it indulgent and overlong compared with Maugham's edited work.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Of Human Bondage is a moving exploration of loneliness, obsessive love, and a young man's search for meaning and direction in life. Written in the third person, it tells the story of Philip Carey, a self-conscious orphan with a club-foot who learns medicine. Not only is this a significant work in the Bildungsroman tradition, but its largely autobiographical basis gives it a special interest in view of the exceptional public success that Somerset Maugham was to enjoy over several decades.
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Fiction: tie between Of Human Bondage by W.Somerset Maugham or The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky Non-Fiction: Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond Business: Rework by Jason Fried - one of the best in a long time
on “Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?” ↗If you liked Razor's Edge I would highly recommend Maugham's magnus opus, Of Human Bondage. That book blew me away.
on “The greatest role of Bill Murray’s life has been playing Bill Murray” ↗…from a Stoic (Seneca). The pursuit of happiness is meaningless, focus on the pursuit of wisdom. Poor Charlie's Almanac (Charles T. Munger). A library of mental/thinking models can take you a long way. Of Human Bondage (Maugham). What is the meaning of life?
on “Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?” ↗This point was also deliberated in "The Righteous Mind". May be worth a read. Plus, I like the observation from Maugham's Of Human Bondage: The submission to passion is human bondage, but the exercise of reason is human liberty. https://www.amazon.com/Righteous-Mind-Divided-Politics-Relig... https://www.amazon.com/Of-Human-Bondage/dp/B004N59WMK/
on “Is reason the slave of the passions?” ↗…because it opened up a world of psychology and psychoanalysis and significantly altered my view on how humans think. Among the classic fiction the best so far were: T. Dreiser - The Bulwark, S. Maugham - Of Human Bondage, L. Tolstoy - The Kreutzer Sonata and E. Zola - l'Oeuvre & Germinal.
on “Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?” ↗I'm not even sure if I would like it if I were to reread it today, but reading Of Human Bondage when I was 21 led me to rethink a lot of my life and make some pretty impactful changes (e.g., got out of an unhealthy relationship, decided to pick up a practical skill (programming) on the side while…
on “Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?” ↗Cutting a long list short, the _best_ thing I read this year was W. Somerset Maugham’s Of Human Bondage. It’s not a book where the world changes greatly or great things are done, but honestly that’s kind of nice: It’s a compelling story of a life, the characters were engrossing (one in particular stands…
on “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” ↗…Could Only Fly or Nina Simone sang Stars or Bardot sang Je t'aime or Morricone wrote Se telefonando or Vermeer painted Zicht op Delft or Orozco painted his Epic of American Civilization or Maugham wrote Of Human Bondage or Stoppard wrote Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead or Cheever wrote The Swimmer there was a magnificent concentration of real feeling and a real reason that each of these things were made. Could you…
on “AI Generated Music Barred from Bandcamp” ↗Of Human Bondage by Somerset Maugham Gold by Isaac Asimov
on “Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?” ↗…video games. I don't really play video games any more (nor do I watch many movies or read much fiction), but playing the original Zelda on NES as a little child was as formative an experience as reading Of Human Bondage.
on “An Apology for Roger Ebert (2011)” ↗…nonfiction? There's a lot to learn from putting yourself in a character's shoes, seeing life through their eyes and witnessing their life unfold. I'm currently reading 'Steppenwolf' by Hermann Hesse, and 'Of Human Bondage' by Somerset Maugham. Both novels are fictional representations of the author's life.
on “Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?” ↗Money is like a sixth sense without which you cannot make a complete use of the other five. - W. Somerset Maugham, 'Of Human Bondage'
on “Top Motivators For Developers (Hint: not money)” ↗Practical Cryptography - Schneier/Ferguson Algebra - Artin Of Human Bondage - Maugham Malware Analyst's Cookbook - Ligh et al.
on “Ask HN: What are you reading right now?” ↗or from somerset-maugham's, of human bondage, we have the following: "Money is like a sixth sense without which you cannot make a complete use of the other five."
on “If money doesn't make you happy, you probably aren't spending it right [pdf]” ↗…be found in many places, including literature such as Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, Howards End by E. M. Forster, Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray, Of Human Bondage by William Somerset Maugham and The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy and in economics."
on “Billions in bearer bonds could be lost due to Hurricane Sandy: sources” ↗