Ashenden Audiobook By W. Somerset Maugham cover art

Ashenden

 Preview

Audible Standard 30-day free trial

Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection of titles.
Yours as long as you’re a member.
Get unlimited access to bingeable podcasts.
Standard auto renews for $8.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Ashenden

By: W. Somerset Maugham
Narrated by: Barnaby Edwards
Try Standard free

$8.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $20.66

Buy for $20.66

A celebrated writer by the time the war broke out in 1914, Maugham had the perfect cover for living in Switzerland. Multilingual and knowledgeable about many European countries, he was dispatched by the Secret Service to Lucerne - under the guise of completing a play.

An assignment whose danger and drama appealed both to his sense of romance and of the ridiculous. Ashenden is a collection of stories rooted in Maugham's own experiences as an agent, reflecting the ruthlessness and brutality of espionage, its intrigue and treachery, as well as its absurdity.

Public Domain (P)2024 SNR Audio Espionage Spies & Politics Suspense Thriller & Suspense
All stars
Most relevant
Very enjoyable characters and compelling story.
Love Somerset Maugham’s books in my youth and again at 75.

I love the dry humor

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The Preface is fascinating. In it, Maugham explained his philosophy of writing novels. He said he preferred to write books with plots that follow story lines. He contrasted this with the style of writers like Chekhov, who he said focused on descriptions and highlighted atmosphere.

Yet ironically, this book is essentially a series of vignettes—some long, some short—in which Maugham focused heavily on descriptions of atmosphere and sensations. The language, of course, is beautiful and extremely evocative.

Beautifully written

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Terrific story telling. The story with Fritz the dog will stay with me always. Also last chapter.

Great narrator

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.