"She was outrageously made up, her cheeks rouged to the eyes and her eyelids, upper and lower, heavily blued; her eyebrows and eyelashes were thick with mascara and her mouth scarlet with lipstick. . . . She looked more of a slut than any woman there and I had a suspicion that she was not only drunk but doped."
The Razor's Edge by Somerset Maugham.
That's the mascaraed eyebrows scene that so stuck with me. Even though I didn't remember reading the book, when I got to that scene, I knew I had.
Poor Sophie MacDonald!
Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.
My teaser comes from "Secrets of a Mysterious Older Woman," a humorous memoir which imparts advice to women in her tale of her life post-divorce. It's complete entertainment without having to leave home, with a virtual cabaret act, a love story, a trip to France and a wedding in a Swiss castle, all with lots of laughs.
ReplyDelete[[And with his childlike joie de vivre and looney sense of humor he was a disarming departure from the driven American businessmen I knew. And I was just ripe for the kind of pampering a European man knows how to give, when he’s in the mood.]]
This leads to one of her secrets:
MOW Secret #l5: Beware! French-speaking Swiss professors on sabbatical are supremely seductive.
Great teaser! Sounds like an interesting character.
ReplyDeleteI've never read any Somerset Maugham. Sigh. So many things I haven't read.
ReplyDeleteMy teaser-esque thing is here:
http://teabagsinfusion.blogspot.com/2010/09/not-really-teaser-tuesday-more-on-if.html
Was she new at putting on make-up? My TT: http://www.rundpinne.com/2010/09/teaser-tuesdays-pretty-little-things.html
ReplyDeleteI've always enjoyed Somerset Maugham, and The Razor's Edge is probably my favorite of his works. Don't think Maugham is read much today and that's too bad because he was a fine writer. Wonderful teaser (yes, that scene always stuck with me, too).
ReplyDeleteGood teaser, here is mine http://zetor-mogsblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/teaser-tuesday.html
ReplyDeleteLiz -- The book you are reading sounds great. I like personal memoirs. I'll come over for a visit to learn more.
ReplyDeleteKate -- Yes, Sophie is an interesting, but tragic, character. It was my favorite storyline in the book.
LKT -- The older I get, the more I appreciate Maugham. Thanks for the link. I'll stop by.
Jennifer -- Ha! Thanks for the link to your teaser.
Joy -- I am really enjoying S.M. these days. It makes me want to go back and read Of Human Bondage. That is definitely a book I don't remember.
Zetor -- Thanks for visiting and leaving your teaser link.
I also haven't read Somerset Maugham, which makes me kind of sad. There are so many great books that I may never read...but I'm definitely going to keep trying! Thanks for the teaser!
ReplyDeleteJulie @ Knitting and Sundries
My teaser: http://jewelknits.blogspot.com/2010/09/teaser-tuesdays-september-14-2010.html