Dryly witty, with a splinter of ice at its heart

Maugham is a master of social observation and controlled exposition. Here he puts his talents as an author to work to write about his activities as a British Secret Agent during the First World War. There is little in the way of Bond-like derring-do in this collection of separate tales as Maugham was serving more as a spymaster safely ensconced in Switzerland for the duration. He speaks of his agents and the various schemes he became involved with, usually at the instigation of his piratical Chief, the redoubtable "R", who reminds one of the half-mad Brigadier Ritchie-Hook in Evelyn Waugh's "Sword of Honour" trilogy. He works to uncover double agents working in Switzerland or to lure dangerous enemies in Germany by enticing them with patient trickery to cross into Allied territory - where they are promptly snapped up by the waiting authorities and just as promptly executed. Maugham allows himself a little regret over this, but very little. and not for long. There is a marvellous sequence towards the end where Maugham finds himself despatched to Russia with enormous amounts of money in an attempt to prevent the government from collapsing and seeking a separate peace with the Germans. The characters are no doubt based on real individuals he encountered which adds considerably to the piquancy of these tales.

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“My name is Somerville,” said Ashenden.

Would you listen to Ashenden again? Why?

Yes. The stories were left open and intriguingly ambiguous.

What other book might you compare Ashenden to, and why?

John Le Carre's "Secret Pilgrim" has a similar structure of linked stories about the underside of espionage, in Le Carre's case during the the Cold War, and in Somerset Maugham's case, during World War 1. The geography of the two novels and their views of Europe at a time of crisis also bears comparison.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

The downbeat capture of a German spy at a lakeside port in France.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The above scene because the implication is that no one really wins in the spying game.

Any additional comments?

Somerset Maugham uses a technique, which is common in formula-fiction, in which character can be read off from external features and, especially, the eyes. And yet the stories that make up “Ashenden” are more subtle and open-ended, than one might expect. Possibly, the spy genre, to which Maugham makes such an important contribution in “Ashenden”, assists him in such indirection. There are the epistemological conundrums and double- and even treble-agents; but, more unusual for an age brought up on John Buchan, Dornford Yates and Sapper, these spy stories are downbeat and morally ambiguous. Stories end, sometimes as a chapter might end – up in the air or apparently in the middle of something. These moments are memorable and the form of loosely-linked stories contributes to the uncomfortable feeling of uncertainty that runs through the book, outweighing the surface characterisations, some racist or at least crass. Somerset Maugham is far less middlebrow than he liked to make himself out to be. And, in his use of Ashenden as a spy whose cover is that of a playwright collecting material for his plays, he remains as good as any writer in bringing geography into fiction, here Europe during the years of the First World War. Hotels, trains, steamers, frontiers, and towns and cities in supposedly neutral countries, notably Switzerland, which are full of spies and secret police. As in John Le Carre’s espionage novels, the routine of intelligence gathering and channelling it to the spy-masters is suddenly pierced by violence.

5 people found this helpful

The narrator gets the wrong tone....completely

I have listened to quite a few WSM books recently. A witty clever writer and masterful story teller. Very much of his age - the non PC mores and tropes have to be taken with a pinch of salt. 'Cakes and Ale' was one of the best, 'The Moon and Sixpence' was fantastic - Robert Hardy's reading got it just right. WSM's tone is a tricky one to get - there's a degree of sardonic self mockery and wry self knowledge....but always the hero is a likeable and erudite guide throughout the journey. The reader of this volume gets it COMPLETELY wrong. There is an all pervading tone of supercilious snobbery and mockery - the reader simply isn't paying attention to what is written on the page. With a better reading this could be - and would be I am sure - an intriguing story. But after an hour and a half I simply can't go on..... Greatly disappointed. I wonder if Audible has an editor who turns down work for being substandard....? About one in ten novels I find mangled and ineptly tackled (despite reading reviews) - and feel as if I've been sold substandard good. ....on the other hand nine out of ten are very enjoyable and of these two or three are memorable gems. So I would suggest a firmer editorial hand would be a help......?

1 person found this helpful

Cold narrative. Fascinating insight.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys espionage, thrillers or history. It's both one story and a collection of short stories as Ashenden goes about his intelligence work first in Switzerland then in 'X' (Russia). As opposed to the derring do of Ian Fleming's Bond or the intricate plotting of Deighton or Le Carre, Ashenden shows the warts and all monotony, frustration and tedium of spying, which rather than being dull is brought alive by the clinical, matter-of-fact brilliance of the writing, often with biting humour. Somerset Maugham based the character on his own experiences of spying for Britain, and you get the feeling the author went through many of the events he describes in the book. The descriptions of characters are excellent and Ashenden's own feelings towards the shabbiness of the situations in which he finds himself ordered are captured superbly.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Ashenden?

Difficult to give say without giving too much away. The way he handles and reads the two detectives he finds in his hotel room in the first chapter is a sound introduction to the book's suspense, humour and Ashenden's cool assessment.

Which character – as performed by Christopher Oxford – was your favourite?

Oxford's voice is brilliant for the lead character Ashenden. His depiction of 'R' is good too.

2 people found this helpful

A kind of funnier and mildly camp Carré.

Immediately on finishing, I'm looking for more Maugham. Fictional, but based on Maugham's own wartime experience, at times it seems to lay only a thin veneer of fiction over the truth. Loved it.

An unglamorous spy, with wit

Ashenden is no James Bond. He’s a writer recruited by British Intelligence in WWI, mostly based in neutral Switzerland (where enemies rub shoulders). He has an author’s sharp perception of human nature and absurdity in the midst of crisis. He can see some good qualities in some of his opponents and bad qualities in his superiors. This collection of scenes from his life as a spy is witty, poignant and well-observed.

Wonderful writing, excellent oration

Somerset Maugham is a very stylish writer - probably not to everyone’s taste, as he writes in a style of a previous generation. Ashenden is more a series of vignettes of episodes in the life of the protagonist. This gives Maugham the opportunity to give full rein to his descriptive powers and observations of different people whom Ashenden meets on his journey. Plot is secondary to the colorful characters Ashenden meets - each of whom is wonderfully brought to life in the strangest of circumstances in which Ashenden finds himself. The circumstances also impel the characters to act in ways driven by their own contradiction of emotions, strengths, flaws and peccadilloes. The narration by Christopher Oxford is a marvel. It is the first time I have heard him (I listen to many books and readings). His tone is perfect and comfortable, and the voices he uses for the characters and their emotions are so good that you I became entranced by the book and the way he read it. I am sure when I next read Maugham it will be with his voice in my head. Even his accent for The Hairless Mexican (one of the characters) while nowhere near the real thing was nevertheless so consistent and well-rounded in its own right that I soon forgot it wasn’t an accurate accent. He is also very good at reading the dialogue of female characters too. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Boring and amateurish

How any performer can read a book as badly as he does this is beyond me. Why Audible have it in their library is incomprehensible. Rarely have I heard a poorer performance. Disgraceful. I’m sure Ashenden is a classic but here? It is tosh! Avoid like the plague.

My name is certainly not James Bond

As spy fiction goes this could not be further from the James Bond of the movies or (with the possible exception of Quantum of Solace) the novels. However, that is very far from being a bad thing. Ashenden (aka Somerville) is no action hero, his world is occasionally threatening but mostly dull, the stories are brief, tantalisingly incomplete and extremely light on plot. BUT it works. Maugham conjures an atmosphere that, while not endearing you to any of the characters - most of whom seem implausible - comes over as genuine. This is how things probably were, not how escapist fiction would have us believe. In the introduction Maugham describes how true stories come across; incomplete, unsatisfying and with a tendency to fade and this is exactly how these tales come over. It is as if he is telling us they are true tales from his own past and they most probably are. The world has moved on, people are different but Maugham's writing is still worth a read.

old school spy novel but a lacking story line

OK book did start well but jumped from smaller story to smaller story sometimes found it difficult to follow