The Circle

Dorset, 1921: thirty years ago, Lady Kitty abandoned her husband and young son to run away with politician Lord Porteous. Kitty returns from exile in Italy, worn down by age but clinging to her glamorous past. At the family reunion, she discovers that her daughter-in-law is tempted to embark on an affair leaving Kitty, as events turn full circle, to decide whether or not to encourage the elopement. In The Circle, an elegant and entertaining social satire, Somerset Maugham explores the conflict between romance and responsibility with his characteristically shrewd understanding of human nature.