情迷佛罗伦萨 = Up at the Villa

美艳动人的玛丽·潘顿一年前失去了她深爱的浪荡子丈夫,好在丈夫因为车祸死得早,还为她剩下了点财产,加上她手头的一些珍贵首饰,倒也足可逍遥度日了。埋葬了丈夫,清理完家产后玛丽来到佛罗伦萨,租下近郊小山上的一幢美丽的古董别墅休养身心。玛丽多年的仰慕者、"大英帝国的建造者"埃德加爵士多年来飞黄腾达,即将荣任孟加拉总督,在受命前特地赶来佛罗伦萨向她求婚。但是一天深夜,只不过由于玛丽的一时情难自已,却导致了一出梦魇般的暴力事件。危急关头她不得已求救于声名远播的浪荡子劳利·夫林特,而通过他,她终于认识到否定了爱情——以及包蕴于其中的所有激情与冒险,也就等于否定了生活和生命本身。毛姆最为成熟的小长篇,故事情节引人入胜,人物塑造鲜活生动,对人性的洞察更是入木三分。(The pretty and dazzling Mary·Panton lost her devoted rounder husband one year ago, fortunately her husband died early because of the car accident and left some property for her, she can life a free and unfettered life with some precious jewelry. She buried her husband and clean the family property, Mary went to the Florence, rented a beautiful antique villa on a small mountain of the outskirts of city to recuperate body and heart. The admirer of Mary, "British empire builder" Edgar knight was successful in his official career for many years and was about to attend governor-general of Bangladesh, he specially went to Florence to show his love to Mary before receiving instructions. But at one late night, on account of Mary cannot control her feeling at one moment, and resulted in a nightmare incident of violence. At a critical juncture, she had to cry for help for the widely known rounder Laurie Frint, though him, she finally realized to deny the love—-and all passion and adventure in it, it means denying living and life itself. Maugham's most mature long literary piece, the story plot is attractive, the characterization is fresh and alive, and the insight of human nature is penetrating.)