A novel of love and betrayal set during a cholera epidemic from the acclaimed British author of Of Human Bondage, "a great artist, a genius" (Theodore Dreiser).

"[Theodore Dreiser] is the modern writer who has influenced me the most." -George Orwell

Arriving in Hong Kong in the 1920s, newlywed Kitty Fane soon learns that being the wife of a British government bacteriologist gives her no particular social status. It only adds to her dissatisfaction with her life and her husband, Walter. Her marriage has been nothing but a mistake. But she soon embarks on an affair that transforms her very being. There is passion. There is hope. There is a future full of possibility.

When Walter must go deep into mainland China to help treat the victims of a cholera epidemic, Kitty refuses to accompany him. To force her hand, Walter threatens to expose her affair. But Kitty, sure in her lover's whispered promises, pushes for a divorce. Her impulsive decision will throw a stark light on the truth and her own desperate illusions, thrusting Kitty into unfamiliar territory-both in the world around her and the soul within...

The inspiration for the film starring Naomi Watts and Edward Norton, " The Painted Veil with its sadness, its moral tension, its irony and compassion, its building evocations of lust and terror and remorse is a work of art" ( The Spectator).

"Reveals many of Maugham's strengths: an understanding of women, meticulous craftsmanship and raw emotion." - Daily Mail

"This short masterpiece tells of love, treachery, and a search for real substance in life." - DigBooks