First Lines: W. Somerset Maugham - Ashenden

It was not till the beginning of September that Ashenden, a writer by profession, who had been abroad at the outbreak of the war, managed to get back to England.

First Lines: W. Somerset Maugham - The Razor's Edge

I have never begun a novel with more misgiving.

First Lines: W. Somerset Maugham - Of Human Bondage

The day broke grey and dull.