What do you think?
Rate this book
The Wrong People
Set against the seedy backdrop of 1960s Tangier, The Wrong People (1967) is the story of Arnold Turner, a repressed English schoolmaster on holiday in Morocco, where he meets Ewing Baird, a wealthy American expat with a dark secret. Ewing lavishly entertains him and even provides him with a young lover, but as Arnold becomes more and more involved with Ewing he realizes only too late that he has been lured into a dangerous trap – and his only chance of escape is by helping Ewing to carry out a sinister plan. Drawing in part on the author’s real-life efforts to expose the African sex trafficking trade, Robin Maugham’s first explicitly gay-themed novel was both a critical and a commercial success, being reprinted several times – including in the important Gay Modern Classics series – and was optioned for a film version by Sal Mineo ( Rebel Without a Cause ). This edition includes a new foreword by Maugham’s longtime partner William Lawrence. ‘I can only think of a handful of novelists who can play the reader like a hooked fish with comparable ingenuity and suppleness.’ – Francis King, Sunday Telegraph ‘A very well-told story, every move nicely calculated and undeniably shuddery.’ – Daily Telegraph ‘A gripping thriller. Storytelling at its best.’ – Sunday Express
182 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1967
11 people are currently reading
244 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
February 12, 2020
3.5, rounded up.
Robin Maugham is most famous for being the nephew of W. Somerset and for writing the novella that the iconic film 'The Servant' was based on - but this curious item from his mid-career is ripe for re-evaluation (and has recently been republished by my buddies at Valancourt Books). Although it often veers into purplish prose and relies to a great extent on melodramatic effects, it is also a ripping good yarn, as they used to say, somewhat in the exalted vein of Patricia Highsmith, and provides a fascinating glimpse into the queer ex-pat populace in Tangiers after WW2.
Although it never degenerates into graphic depictions of sex acts (undoubtedly could not have been published if it had - though it was originally published anonymously), and relies solely on innuendo, it does center on relationships between older English gay men (the titular 'wrong people') and some very young boys - which if one didn't know that Maugham himself was a staunch crusader against human and sex trafficking, COULD make one a bit squeamish (although the book in no way CONDONES pedophilia). And there is also some implicit casual racism here as well, since relations with the native Arab boys do not cause as much concern as the main character/villain's desire for a lush fair-haired English lad; and there is a horrific scene in which a 'Negro' brutally ravishes a fair-skinned Berber boy.
But if one can dismiss these as par for the course for the time in which it was written (mid-60's), the book moves quickly, is quite involving, and has a terrific 'Casablanca-ish' denouement and coda. Indeed, if it wasn't for the taboo subject matter, this would also make for an 'interesting' film.
Robin Maugham is most famous for being the nephew of W. Somerset and for writing the novella that the iconic film 'The Servant' was based on - but this curious item from his mid-career is ripe for re-evaluation (and has recently been republished by my buddies at Valancourt Books). Although it often veers into purplish prose and relies to a great extent on melodramatic effects, it is also a ripping good yarn, as they used to say, somewhat in the exalted vein of Patricia Highsmith, and provides a fascinating glimpse into the queer ex-pat populace in Tangiers after WW2.
Although it never degenerates into graphic depictions of sex acts (undoubtedly could not have been published if it had - though it was originally published anonymously), and relies solely on innuendo, it does center on relationships between older English gay men (the titular 'wrong people') and some very young boys - which if one didn't know that Maugham himself was a staunch crusader against human and sex trafficking, COULD make one a bit squeamish (although the book in no way CONDONES pedophilia). And there is also some implicit casual racism here as well, since relations with the native Arab boys do not cause as much concern as the main character/villain's desire for a lush fair-haired English lad; and there is a horrific scene in which a 'Negro' brutally ravishes a fair-skinned Berber boy.
But if one can dismiss these as par for the course for the time in which it was written (mid-60's), the book moves quickly, is quite involving, and has a terrific 'Casablanca-ish' denouement and coda. Indeed, if it wasn't for the taboo subject matter, this would also make for an 'interesting' film.
January 16, 2026
As Frank N. Furter would say, "One from the vaults!" A very old-school homosexual (as opposed to gay) melodrama. Quite purple in its way; not without merit and often well-written.
Still, as we're told in the intro, author Robin Maugham found himself in a quandary when he tried to get the book published - just prior to the time that homosexuality was decriminalized in the UK (in 1967). Being the nephew of W. Somerset Maugham, Robin was somewhat high-profile and, 'TWP' - his first decidedly gay work - was likely to taint his reputation.
But the same year it was finally ok to be gay in the UK, Robin published the novel in the US - under the name David Griffin. And it would go on to become one of his most popular works.
Given new life in 2019 by Valancourt Books, 'TWP' is described as "an exciting story which, as much as anything, must now be viewed as a piece of historical fiction about a gay way of life now almost extinct." The life referred to takes place in Tangier - at a time when it was commonplace to have sex with teenage boys.
(The setting was captured to some degree in the 1987 film about playwright Joe Orton, 'Prick Up Your Ears'.)
'TWP' is a story with, basically, two types of men who desire men: the ones who are deeply guilt-ridden about it (but nevertheless indulge), and the ones who refuse to live in accordance with moral constraints. The two types here rather slide off each other like globs in a lava lamp.
None of the characters could be called all-that-likable - though the protagonist (a repressed British schoolmaster named Arnold Turner) is largely to be pitied, and two young boys are merely pawns; the latter one ultimately altering in an unexpected twist.
The author hatches his actual plot somewhere midway. Prior, we gradually get a long-winded backstory (told to Turner upon meeting in a bar) from Anglo-American ex-pat / ex-military Ewing Baird, best described as a well-off but miserable, cagey queen. What makes Baird intriguing, along with his intelligence, is the fact that his motive is suspect. Baird wants sympathy - and Baird wants to re-invent (then re-live) his past. For this he wants Turner's help.
Through Baird, Maugham offers up aspects of desire not often explored (at least, less at the time):
Largely dialogue (at times, monologue)-driven, 'TWP' is never less than lavish in its intensity. I'm not sure there was intention for the reader to ever giggle but occasionally I couldn't help it (esp. when Turner claims to fall in love immediately). Overall, 'TWP' remains a curious curio.
Still, as we're told in the intro, author Robin Maugham found himself in a quandary when he tried to get the book published - just prior to the time that homosexuality was decriminalized in the UK (in 1967). Being the nephew of W. Somerset Maugham, Robin was somewhat high-profile and, 'TWP' - his first decidedly gay work - was likely to taint his reputation.
But the same year it was finally ok to be gay in the UK, Robin published the novel in the US - under the name David Griffin. And it would go on to become one of his most popular works.
Given new life in 2019 by Valancourt Books, 'TWP' is described as "an exciting story which, as much as anything, must now be viewed as a piece of historical fiction about a gay way of life now almost extinct." The life referred to takes place in Tangier - at a time when it was commonplace to have sex with teenage boys.
(The setting was captured to some degree in the 1987 film about playwright Joe Orton, 'Prick Up Your Ears'.)
'TWP' is a story with, basically, two types of men who desire men: the ones who are deeply guilt-ridden about it (but nevertheless indulge), and the ones who refuse to live in accordance with moral constraints. The two types here rather slide off each other like globs in a lava lamp.
None of the characters could be called all-that-likable - though the protagonist (a repressed British schoolmaster named Arnold Turner) is largely to be pitied, and two young boys are merely pawns; the latter one ultimately altering in an unexpected twist.
The author hatches his actual plot somewhere midway. Prior, we gradually get a long-winded backstory (told to Turner upon meeting in a bar) from Anglo-American ex-pat / ex-military Ewing Baird, best described as a well-off but miserable, cagey queen. What makes Baird intriguing, along with his intelligence, is the fact that his motive is suspect. Baird wants sympathy - and Baird wants to re-invent (then re-live) his past. For this he wants Turner's help.
Through Baird, Maugham offers up aspects of desire not often explored (at least, less at the time):
"... I discovered in the Services there were simply hundreds of men from every walk of civilian life - but mainly, I must tell you, from the working, not the middle classes - who had exactly the same emotions as I did. Gradually I came to realize that I wasn't an almost unique, rather odd product of an effete society. Ordinary common-or-garden men who before the war had been miners or bus-drivers, factory workers or mechanics had pretty well the same sexual desires as I did. Up till then I'd always thought of queers as being unfortunate, and handicapped - people born on the wrong side of the tracks as it were. I now realized that we might be on the wrong side - but there were an awful lot of us. I can tell you it was a great discovery. It changed the whole of my life."As a reader, one can quibble about the dubious machinations of various self-serving characters but Maugham certainly knows how to boil the pot - esp. in the novel's final, almost breathless third.
Largely dialogue (at times, monologue)-driven, 'TWP' is never less than lavish in its intensity. I'm not sure there was intention for the reader to ever giggle but occasionally I couldn't help it (esp. when Turner claims to fall in love immediately). Overall, 'TWP' remains a curious curio.
July 19, 2025
A UK school teacher in the 60s is smitten by a Moroccan youth, and the story becomes a Tangier thriller. Despite public sex performances, can a kid make a getaway to the fish n' chips griddle of smelly ol England? God is Love. Eh? Poor thing. Why do the wrong people travel? Sal Mineo wanted to do a film version. Unk Willie praised the local color, but stormed: don't publish this dirty book. Watch out, Unkie...you rich old fuck.
October 31, 2023
I rate this book quite highly - and I also rate the author - poor old Robin Maugham - very highly. Whatever help being the nephew of the great Somerset gave him in his literary career was in the long run more a curse than a help. He probably would have had plenty of success because he was a good and interesting writer. What 'uncle Willie' gave Robin, or at least helped or did not hinder him from acquiring, was a fatal attachment to alcohol. Robin never developed his uncle's discipline in his writing habits but he ended up way too often replicating Maugham Sr.'s the many alcoholic wastrels in his stories and novels. Somerset was an acerbic and talented dissector of the society he knew and was innovative in the subjects he dealt with. He wrote about the world of his day. By the time Robin was writing that the world was moth eaten, tawdry and part of a past that was being supplanted by a new the antithesis of what had gone before. Unfortunately he remained to often, in his novels, replicating the type of book his uncle had written, but he could dissect it or shine a light on its dark corners, because it was a world that was past.
Overall Robin would probably have a better reputation and wider readership if he had had no connection to the old closet queen of British 20th writing. Somerset's advice to Robin with regards to this novel is instructive. He advised him not publish, that it would harm him and his career. Fortunately Robin ignored the advice. It did him no harm, particularly as the novel reflected the rather sordid reality of Tangier's in 1960's rather the 'sophisticated' retreat of discreet well healed bohemian aristocrats that Maugham Sr. would have known.
I think this a good novel that holds up well and is still worth reading - although the story is rooted in a Britain that has changed beyond recognition - his insights into class and aspects of queer life and desire as well as character and motivation is true and real and that is what gives this novel staying power.
But the greatest strengths of this novel is that it's coruscating demolition of the shallowness, selfishness, superficiality, greed and general unpleasantness of almost every character is a wonderful demolition of the world Robin knew and had grown up. Robin eviscerated the post world Britain as devastatingly as Maugham Sr. had skewered the pretensions of Britain's colonial class. In 'The Wrong People' the only character who displays any sense of honour, decency, self sacrifice and general decency is an uneducated boy, a not particularly attractive boy, a boy who is nothing, except a person motivated by simply decency who puts to shame all those who considered themselves his betters. Robin Maugham in those novel demonstrated the real talent he had for fiction and what he might have done.
Overall Robin would probably have a better reputation and wider readership if he had had no connection to the old closet queen of British 20th writing. Somerset's advice to Robin with regards to this novel is instructive. He advised him not publish, that it would harm him and his career. Fortunately Robin ignored the advice. It did him no harm, particularly as the novel reflected the rather sordid reality of Tangier's in 1960's rather the 'sophisticated' retreat of discreet well healed bohemian aristocrats that Maugham Sr. would have known.
I think this a good novel that holds up well and is still worth reading - although the story is rooted in a Britain that has changed beyond recognition - his insights into class and aspects of queer life and desire as well as character and motivation is true and real and that is what gives this novel staying power.
But the greatest strengths of this novel is that it's coruscating demolition of the shallowness, selfishness, superficiality, greed and general unpleasantness of almost every character is a wonderful demolition of the world Robin knew and had grown up. Robin eviscerated the post world Britain as devastatingly as Maugham Sr. had skewered the pretensions of Britain's colonial class. In 'The Wrong People' the only character who displays any sense of honour, decency, self sacrifice and general decency is an uneducated boy, a not particularly attractive boy, a boy who is nothing, except a person motivated by simply decency who puts to shame all those who considered themselves his betters. Robin Maugham in those novel demonstrated the real talent he had for fiction and what he might have done.
June 26, 2015
It is obvious that Robin Maugham is not Dostoyevsky ... he's not even W. S. Maugham but I've read and reread this book because I think it portrays the time and place accurately. I've spent some time leaning against various bars ...Tanger Inn and the Hole in the wall, in Brighton etc. talking to people who were there at the time and they seem to concur with this belief.
January 4, 2011
A well written novel set in one of my Favorite Places.....Tangier! The plot kept me interested
from first to last. The characters are unforgettable....even the not so nice ones! This is a book
I will probably re-read sometime in the Future.
from first to last. The characters are unforgettable....even the not so nice ones! This is a book
I will probably re-read sometime in the Future.
August 7, 2023
3.5 stars
A novel that probably most people reading now will be unsettled by because of the way it depicts relationships between older men and adolescents. Power imbalance, colonialism, racism, exoticism, classism, snobbery etc all there to disconcert modern sensibilities. Yet the power of Maugham's writing allows a certain sympathy to creep in even for his most monstrous character. All are victims of the overtly homophobic society of the day, filled with self-loathing and fear, repressed and unhappy, wanting only to love and be loved in turn. A book that will make you ponder its moral ambiguities and come away perhaps with greater understanding of the issues raised.
A novel that probably most people reading now will be unsettled by because of the way it depicts relationships between older men and adolescents. Power imbalance, colonialism, racism, exoticism, classism, snobbery etc all there to disconcert modern sensibilities. Yet the power of Maugham's writing allows a certain sympathy to creep in even for his most monstrous character. All are victims of the overtly homophobic society of the day, filled with self-loathing and fear, repressed and unhappy, wanting only to love and be loved in turn. A book that will make you ponder its moral ambiguities and come away perhaps with greater understanding of the issues raised.
March 6, 2022
Suspenseful and interesting. Arnold Turner is a teacher in an approved school, i.e. a school for teenagers in trouble. Recently divorced by his wife because she discovered his sexual interest really lies in men, he has come to Tangiers for a holiday in the hope of finally exploring his sexuality. However, impeded by his shy nature, he hasn't actually done anything about it by the time Ewing Baird meets him in a bar - and immediately starts to hatch a plan. Rich, in his fifties, Ewing is bored with hiring young Muslim boys to sleep with. The big love affair of his life ended when Tim, fed up with his domineering manners, ran away from him, and Ewing is now convinced that he can only find happiness with a native speaker of English young enough to be molded by him. Ewing's plan is quite simple: it consists in bribing Arnold to select a young orphan who is desperately unhappy at the approved school, and convincing him to start a new life as Ewing's protégé. Ewing pledges to give a boy a wonderful education and not to force himself on him against his will. At first Arnold is outraged and incredulous, but apart from money and a villa, Ewing is clever enough to dangle in front of him a local boy, Riffi, who quickly has him eating out of the palm of his hand. Eventually, Arnold decides to go along with Ewing's plan, if Dan, a boy who has already absconded once from the approved school, should be prepared to go to Ewing with his eyes open. Dan proves eager to trade a life of humiliations at the school for a glamorous life on yacht with Ewing. However, once they are on their way to Folkestone, Dan reveals that he accepted because he thought Arnold's story was a fabrication. Dan is in love with Arnold himself and it's with him he anticipated living. When Arnold disabuses Dan of this notion, Dan makes him promise that he will come to his rescue if Ewing turned out to be an unbearable master for him. As soon as Arnold receives word from Dan, he flies out to Tangiers. There he leans that Riffi, who was paid to wait for his return, has happily left with another, wealthier man. Crushed by Riffi's treachery, Arnold has no other choice than to complete his rescue mission, in full knowledge of the fact that long years in prison await him for his part in the scheme to abduct a minor. Sadly, he can't even find solace in Dan's unwavering devotion to him and promise to be there for him when he comes out of prison. In the last scene, we see Ewing, who's managed to escape extradition to Britain, on the prowl again in the same bar. Maugham seems to know a lot about homosexuality, pedophilia and sex trafficking. Arnold's dilemma is brilliantly rendered. Since Dan is not only bullied but sexually abused in school, it isn't surprising to me that Arnold should cross the line and allow himself to believe that the boy would be better off with Ewing after all. I really can't see why this gripping and thought-provoking novel has been out of print for a long time.
April 27, 2023
SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL
The author of this disturbing novel, Robin Maugham (1916-1981) was the nephew of acclaimed gay writer Somerset Maugham, a member of the British aristocracy, World War II hero, and one of Britain's most popular writers in the latter half of the twentieth century. He was also homosexual like his uncle. This book, at the urging of his famous uncle, was first published anonymously two years before Stonewall in 1967 and it's easy to understand why. It is easy to understand why as the subject is pederasty. At that time, the general population saw little, if any, difference between being gay and lusting after teen boys.
Pederasty is not pedophilia. The former is inappropriate sexual relations with young teen boys which has also been called "Greek love." It should not be confused with sexual assault perpetrated against children. Both, of course, are illegal in modern society and rightly so. The Wrong People caused such a reaction when published that Maugham came to use its notoriety to launch a public relations campaign to successfully crack down on child trafficking; which remains a social problem to this day.
As distasteful as the subject may be, the book is exceptionally well crafted. It involves an extremely wealthy Angl0-American man's efforts to "rescue" a young British boy from his wretched existence in London and bring him to Tangiers where he can be educated, cared for, and lavishly raised. If it were not for the addition of an expected inappropriate physical relationship by his benefactor between the boy and himself, it would equate to true salvation for the young lad. This, of course, is the moral dilemma Maugham presents. Which is worse, the boy to exist in England, physically and mentally abused, living in squalor, or to be the benefactor of everything this rich Moroccan can offer him?
Subject aside, the plot and characters created by Maugham are rich and engaging. Cover material for the book mentions a film was proposed shortly after the book was published which ultimately never materialized, however, there is presently new discussions about one being made. The plot is intricate and it's clever, and the characters are impeccably fully human. There are no two-dimensional cartoon characters in this story. None of the characters are completely evil nor completely saints, so true of real life. Even the rich Moroccan, the biggest villain in the story, has his good side, despicable as he might be.
Assuming you have a healthy aversion to pederasty, what I found disturbing was Maugham's ability to create sympathy in me for the schoolteacher's plight. The world does not exist in blacks and whites, but in living color.
The author of this disturbing novel, Robin Maugham (1916-1981) was the nephew of acclaimed gay writer Somerset Maugham, a member of the British aristocracy, World War II hero, and one of Britain's most popular writers in the latter half of the twentieth century. He was also homosexual like his uncle. This book, at the urging of his famous uncle, was first published anonymously two years before Stonewall in 1967 and it's easy to understand why. It is easy to understand why as the subject is pederasty. At that time, the general population saw little, if any, difference between being gay and lusting after teen boys.
Pederasty is not pedophilia. The former is inappropriate sexual relations with young teen boys which has also been called "Greek love." It should not be confused with sexual assault perpetrated against children. Both, of course, are illegal in modern society and rightly so. The Wrong People caused such a reaction when published that Maugham came to use its notoriety to launch a public relations campaign to successfully crack down on child trafficking; which remains a social problem to this day.
As distasteful as the subject may be, the book is exceptionally well crafted. It involves an extremely wealthy Angl0-American man's efforts to "rescue" a young British boy from his wretched existence in London and bring him to Tangiers where he can be educated, cared for, and lavishly raised. If it were not for the addition of an expected inappropriate physical relationship by his benefactor between the boy and himself, it would equate to true salvation for the young lad. This, of course, is the moral dilemma Maugham presents. Which is worse, the boy to exist in England, physically and mentally abused, living in squalor, or to be the benefactor of everything this rich Moroccan can offer him?
Subject aside, the plot and characters created by Maugham are rich and engaging. Cover material for the book mentions a film was proposed shortly after the book was published which ultimately never materialized, however, there is presently new discussions about one being made. The plot is intricate and it's clever, and the characters are impeccably fully human. There are no two-dimensional cartoon characters in this story. None of the characters are completely evil nor completely saints, so true of real life. Even the rich Moroccan, the biggest villain in the story, has his good side, despicable as he might be.
Assuming you have a healthy aversion to pederasty, what I found disturbing was Maugham's ability to create sympathy in me for the schoolteacher's plight. The world does not exist in blacks and whites, but in living color.
April 11, 2024
This was in many ways a disturbing novel, and it was meant to be. The author was telling a tale against the backdrop of the African sex trafficking of children. He brings to life the atmosphere in Tangier of the early sixties of a tolerance, not just of homosexuality, but of that involving teenage boys. That this was the exploitation of teenage boys was uncomfortable reading for all members. One comment was that Arnold as a teacher was especially culpable. There's a limit as to how young you an go. I found the characters believable. None are wholly evil, not even Ewing. Arnold is caught in a trap, His dilemma whether Dan would be better off left in the school or as Ewing's protégé is realistic. The plot is intricate but unfolds clearly. Ewing, at first credible and smarting from his desertion by Tim, is gradually exposed as a thoroughly nasty manipulator who lures the hapless Arnold, seeking an outlet for his sexual preference in a deeply homophobic era, into his scheme to gain an English boy to use. I found the character of Riffi quite endearing and kept hoping he would see through Ewing and Arnold. One comment was that Arnold fell for Riffi too quickly and that was not realistic. His childlike nature served to add to the sinister undertones. One felt that the character of Arnold was two dimensional. I thought the twist when Dan spoiled the abduction plan by falling for Arnold was cleverly presented.
A comment was that the descriptions were good and set the tome of Tangier at that time leading us into the plot.
It is a provocative story that is probably too close to the truth for comfort. That it is a well written story saves it from oblivion because of the subject matter.
A reader commented that the book ended without a real resolution, there was no retribution, no consequence. None of the characters were worth caring about, there were no saving graces, all were loathsome.
Nevertheless it was a good read, well written with good pace to the narrative.
One reader said that he warmed more to the author when learning of his campaign against child exploitation.
A comment was that the descriptions were good and set the tome of Tangier at that time leading us into the plot.
It is a provocative story that is probably too close to the truth for comfort. That it is a well written story saves it from oblivion because of the subject matter.
A reader commented that the book ended without a real resolution, there was no retribution, no consequence. None of the characters were worth caring about, there were no saving graces, all were loathsome.
Nevertheless it was a good read, well written with good pace to the narrative.
One reader said that he warmed more to the author when learning of his campaign against child exploitation.
January 19, 2022
Robin Maugham was the nephew of the famed Somerset Maugham, a popular author in his own right and a Peer of the Realm who spent much of his time in the House of Lords fighting against human trafficking. In The Wrong People, Maugham turns his pen to indict the common at the time practice of wealthy (and otherwise) Mid-Twentieth century Westerners using Tangiers as a sex tourism location especially to exploit underaged locals. English Reform School teacher Arthur Turner is vacationing in Tangier and looking to escape the repressive English attitudes toward homosexuality at the time (Robin Maugham was openly gay himself) when he falls in with the wealthy and amoral ex-Pat Ewing Baird. Baird has designs on using Arthur to bring about a certain “project” he’s been obsessing over and he won’t take no for an answer. Maugham does a great job of exposing British cultural and racial hypocrisy (our main character is horrified that a British child could possibly fall into the lifestyle that he is happy for the local Moroccan boys to engage in), and how the repressive attitudes in England lead to acts of license abroad (all of the objectionable acts happen off-screen and are referred to by allusion though clearly enough so there’s no question as to what’s happening). Maugham has written a thriller in the style of Highsmith or a Paul Bowles (a Tangiers habitué) but with a more hopeful ending than either of those two would ever create. Evil will still exist but perhaps even the Wrong People can sometimes learn to do the right thing.
April 10, 2020
Maugham was a hell of a writer but this book creeped me the fuck out. I realize a lot of that has to do with the current mores of contemporary America but conflating homosexuality with pederasty should be jarring. I think this book has a lot more to do with class and money and power but it gets glossed over in favor of detailed recountings of long conversation.
I kept contrasting this book to A Little Life as I listened to it. They're not the same story in the slightest but almost like two sides of a terrible coin.
Also while it's nice to have an introduction to work from Maugham's long term partner, I wish it was possible to have a 2nd introduction from a more neutral 3rd party. The novel that Lawrence describes in his forward doesn't much resemble what I heard.
I kept contrasting this book to A Little Life as I listened to it. They're not the same story in the slightest but almost like two sides of a terrible coin.
Also while it's nice to have an introduction to work from Maugham's long term partner, I wish it was possible to have a 2nd introduction from a more neutral 3rd party. The novel that Lawrence describes in his forward doesn't much resemble what I heard.
October 8, 2024
If I had read this book in the late 1970s (when I was in my early 20s), I would have had no problem enjoying the grimy decadence of the teenage prostitutes of Tangier. Now, in our woke era, I must admit I felt a bit queasy reading about 13 and 14 year old boys selling themselves to rich white British gay men. Even if the sex is not forcibly coerced, and provides the boys with a needed living, it feels wrong on so many levels, it was hard for me to get past that. The sex is not described graphically; instead, we get a lot of metaphoric language about pressure and heat and such, which in some cases is actually sexier than graphic porn would have been. There is not a likable character or a moral center anywhere in the novel, though the ending is effective, narratively if not morally. Robin does not have the writerly gifts of his uncle, Somerset, but there are occasional echoes.
April 1, 2020
Robin Maugham is best known as the nephew of W. Somerset Maugham. The Wrong People is one of Robin’s better known novels.
The Wrong People evokes the seedy backstreets and bars of Tangiers in the 1960s when Europeans, particularly men from the UK, vacationed to enjoy the pleasures of young men. While neither the novel nor this audiobook version ever graphically describes sexual acts, in many ways making them implicit seems to make them even more erotic. Like other works written at the time, there are shocking examples of racism.
Despite a less than satisfying conclusion to this improbably story, Hannibal Hills does a credible job in bringing Maugham’s characters to life through his narration.
The Wrong People evokes the seedy backstreets and bars of Tangiers in the 1960s when Europeans, particularly men from the UK, vacationed to enjoy the pleasures of young men. While neither the novel nor this audiobook version ever graphically describes sexual acts, in many ways making them implicit seems to make them even more erotic. Like other works written at the time, there are shocking examples of racism.
Despite a less than satisfying conclusion to this improbably story, Hannibal Hills does a credible job in bringing Maugham’s characters to life through his narration.
January 28, 2026
I can see why this has taken 56 years to be adapted for the screen. Maugham's meditation on pedantry is not only in poor-taste, but just plain boring. Almost a fifth of the book is taken up by an extended Anecdote by the 'villain' Ewing that goes absolutely nowhere. We are then rushed to the stories end at breakneck speed, only to be granted with a conclusion that does nothing to criticise or even redeem the perverse men at the centre of this story. It's no wonder an ex-porn director wants to take on this trashy tale: likely as a means to satisfy his own sexual fancies. Let's hope the investors see sense and take their money elsewhere.
April 3, 2020
While often an exciting story in its pacing and intrigue, its characters have boring, sometimes confusing motivations that feel very artificial. They seem to be set up to extend tension and make certain elements more dynamic than need to be; then, balancing this against character monologues that extend for several pages. What happens is a book that, while an enchanting thrill, leaves nothing to reflect upon with fondness. I'm also bored of these stories where young boys are seen as absolutely perfect and grown men are revolting and beastly.
February 27, 2020
An atmospheric, very compelling novella, dealing with the queer ex-pat living in Tangier right after WWII, and the way one of them manipulate a UK school teacher into bringing him a very young English boy to grooming him to be his companion.
The thematic is harsh, but, even when sometimes veers into purple prose, the writing is really good, and the story kept me captivated.
Hannibal Hills does an excellent job with the narration.
The thematic is harsh, but, even when sometimes veers into purple prose, the writing is really good, and the story kept me captivated.
Hannibal Hills does an excellent job with the narration.
July 1, 2024
Well written novelette full of the subtle variations of predation and the lies that each tries to submerge. It’s not sexually explicit, so no worries on that end, but a well woven story based on the extremities of sex and trade, yet still dealing with predation at base, regardless of the desire or justified need. I like that it takes an elephant in the room and reworks it to more general animal natures. Everyone could be the elephant in any number of forms.
September 16, 2020
‘The Wrong People,’ at its most startling point, is strange and contentious. Three stars for the some of the edgy and shocking ideas written here that weren’t quite as prevalent in 1960s literature. Make no mistake, this is a borderline sex trafficking story that was faltered by the messy, inebriated dialogue, and unforgiving characterization.
September 17, 2020
This was hard to keep up with.It was a twisted tale of debauchery.Hannibal Hills was a pleasure to listen to though!I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.'
nf-or-stalled
March 26, 2020DNF 30%
August 3, 2020
This story was delightfully seedy and dark. While I loved the setting in 1960’s Tangier and the plot with its unexpected twists, my favorite thing was its characters. They had depth and provided an excellent example of the dilemmas of being “The Wrong People”. Ewing was perfect as a depiction of amorality, decadence and wealth, while Arnold offered an insightful look into a life of repression and frustration. I am looking forward to watching its film adaptation.
April 24, 2024
3 and a half.
For fans of the underrated Lawrence Osborne and, of course, Patricia Highsmith, this insidious drama/thriller of rotting motives and decadence takes place in 1960s Tangier; it involves the cat-and-mouse game played by two homosexual men, one a school teacher on holiday, the other a rich resident of questionable motive and intention. The book isn't necessarily dated, but the some of the viewpoints and ideas at work here - homosexuality as being inherently suspect - are and rubbed me the wrong way, even though I'm not sure the author, skilled as he is, meant them to come across that way. This was one of Valancourt Press's books, a specialty press that I really like. I would read more of Maugham for sure - his book "The Servant," his most well-known title (though even the phrase "most well-known" needs to be taken with a grain of salt in 2023) was made into a highly regarded 1964 film with Dirk Bogarde. I did like how the ending revealed the hidden moral courage within the protagonist because I largely was annoyed with him throughout. Great sense of place.
For fans of the underrated Lawrence Osborne and, of course, Patricia Highsmith, this insidious drama/thriller of rotting motives and decadence takes place in 1960s Tangier; it involves the cat-and-mouse game played by two homosexual men, one a school teacher on holiday, the other a rich resident of questionable motive and intention. The book isn't necessarily dated, but the some of the viewpoints and ideas at work here - homosexuality as being inherently suspect - are and rubbed me the wrong way, even though I'm not sure the author, skilled as he is, meant them to come across that way. This was one of Valancourt Press's books, a specialty press that I really like. I would read more of Maugham for sure - his book "The Servant," his most well-known title (though even the phrase "most well-known" needs to be taken with a grain of salt in 2023) was made into a highly regarded 1964 film with Dirk Bogarde. I did like how the ending revealed the hidden moral courage within the protagonist because I largely was annoyed with him throughout. Great sense of place.
September 22, 2016
I first read this book when I was about 15, after reading The Servant. At the time the thing that struck me was the seedy atmosphere of Tangiers. It didn't strike me as an attractive seediness, either. I came back to it again out of curiosity. Now it is published as gay fiction, at the time Maugham even used a non de plume because he was advised that writing so openly about homosexuality would damage his reputation. I think it has stood the test of time. I found the story engaging and the characters interesting. In terms of the way people can manipulate others, it reminded me a little of some of John Fowles'' work. Funny to think that this is the type of stuff I was reading!
November 7, 2015
Starts off darkly charming but by the end is simply dark. The nephew Maugham is an inadequate heir to his uncle.
December 6, 2020
Err:509
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews