Pioggia

Blurb

Human nature and sexuality are not easy to overcome, to say the least. Anyone who has tried to uphold beliefs and ideals that went against the nature of what their own bodies would require - from nourishment to sex, and everything in between - failed quite miserably. This is precisely the point that W. Somerset Maugham seeks to make through his Rain Stories.This collection includes a few of Maugham's most famous and well-received short stories, such as Rain - the tale of two couples stuck on a Pacific Island and quarantined during the wet season. Due to the presence of a young American prostitute, it's only a matter of time before the mild-mannered doctor and his wife, as well as the missionary couple residing in the same building, will start to experience a few alarming challenges.Maugham's other stories, such as Pool - the tale of a colonial and his native wife - or Mackintosh - the story of a colonial master who rules with an iron fist - all speak about the flawed approach of colonial leadership in its futility in attempting to subdue and control human nature in the form of natives who have developed their society and customs to integrate, rather than suppress, their natural impulses.Rain, as well as all the other stories in this collection written by W. Somerset Maugham are a powerful reminder of the extraordinary force that human nature has, even when one attempts to oppress it through flimsy rules acting as laws, rigid religious beliefs and a backward understanding of natural existence in and of itself.Whether you are a fan of Maugham's writings or not, you will feel compelled to think a little deeper with each new story you read.