Liza of Lambeth (1897) was W. Somerset Maugham's first novel, which he wrote while working as a doctor at a hospital in Lambeth, then a working class district of London. It depicts the life of Liza Kemp, an 18-year-old factory worker who lives together with her aging mother in Vere Street (obviously fictional) off Westminster Bridge Road (real) in Lambeth. A lively, sociable young woman, Lisa is adored my all in the neighbourhood, but when she starts an affair with a married man she falls from grace in the eyes of those around. Her actions finally have and consequences she cannot control. All in all, it gives the reader an interesting insight into the everyday lives of working class Londoners at the turn of the century.
Liza of Lambeth
SOMERSET MAUGHAM
First published in Great Britain by William Heinemann Ltd 1897
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1926. It may be copyrighted outside the U.S. (see Help:Public domain).
