1921 New Republic
An unforgettable study of the effect of the South Seas upon the mind, body, and soul of...man.”
Willie: The Life of Somerset Maugham Robert Calder
The Trembling of a Leaf, the first of his collections of Far East stories…[is] an impressive achievement…Maugham had happily discovered that the fragments of experience he encountered on his travels could be easily transformed into well-crafted short stories, and with this volume he began an enormously fruitful period.”
The Secret Lives of Somerset Maugham Selina Hastings
The Trembling of a Leaf…marked a triumphant return to the genre of which [Maugham] was to become a master.”
Saturday Review
Each separate tale is begun by inspiration and completed by artistic perfection.”