Cake and Ale is an outstanding and protuberant novel. We can call it biographical fiction, it is very close to the truth life.
The story deals with the William Ashenden, middle-aged writer that in that way earns to his living and Alroy Kear, a prominent author who would like to lunch with him. William cannot understand the reasons for their meeting. He isn’t rich and he hasn’t big money. It turns out that Alroy Kear was asked by Mrs Driffiels to write the biography of her husband. Kear figures out that Ashended knew Mr. Driffield in his early age, before he becomes a famous writer. He knows his wife Rosie in his adolescence and Kear wanders about it.
Many years ago Ashenden lived with his aunt and uncle in Blackstable, a small town that doesn’t like visitors. His uncle was a vicar at the church and his aunt was a woman of strict rules. There he was befriended with the Drieffields. Ted Driefield taught Ashenden to ride the bicycle and Ashemden, by-turn, was impressed by his wife Rosie, a blond woman with her “joie de vivre”.
Young Ashenden was shocked when he learned about the reputation of Rosie, but he was more astonished when later discovered about her relations with George Kemp, who had a wife and three children. William visited the Dales regularly at the holidays, when his uncle and aunt approved him do it, because the Dales were of lower social class than they. When the next time he returned to the Blackstable, he got to know that the Driefilds moved away to London with many local creditors.
Alroy Kear inquires about the Dales’ life, because he knows nothing about it and asks Ashendon to tell him as much as he can. William gives him general details about the relationships between Driffield and his first wife, Rosie.
Then we find out unexpected events and surprising plot to the last page of the book. It is the first satirical novel that tells us about the world of a writer. The conversational style, structured and humorous plot entertains us during the reading. Maugham is the master of the word. It is noticed from the first passages.
This novel was popular earlier and will be popular in the future. It’s a classic literature that will never die. This good, satirical novel shows English society, a writer’s life, his surroundings from different social levels. During reading the book, many readers begin to consider that the story is about the Rosie, but in fact, it is a novel about Rosie, Driffield and Willie. They are talents in their own way.
About the author: Paul Smith has a big writing experience. He publishes his articles in various blogs, moreover, he is engaged with essay writing and you can ask essay from him.
