A STRING OF BEADS, A Short Story by Somerset Maugham

In "A String of Beads" by W. Somerset Maugham, Laura recounts an intriguing story at a dinner party. Miss Robinson, a governess, wears a string of pearls that Count Borselli, an expert on precious stones, values at fifty thousand pounds. The pearls, which Miss Robinson claimed she bought for fifteen shillings, turn out to be .......

[@guidofaria6721]

I love the way the readings are presented. The thumbnails, and the music opening and closing the stories... Everything is so well taken care of. These stories have helped me flee this time and enter another realm where everything is magic. It is so good to escape from this life sometimes. Thank you very much for all the postings. The reading might be AI, and it is excellent.

[@landgreen4050]

I like music in this series. Beautiful.

[@TheLadyPonders]

Hahahaha, "You see, I've already written a story about a pearl necklace, and one cannot go on one's whole life writing stories about pearl necklaces."
WHERE DID HE COME UP WITH THESE UNIQUE THOUGHTS AND LINES?!! BRAVO!!!

[@littlebrookreader949]

Good old Mr. Know All! 🥰

[@toma5153]

@@littlebrookreader949 My thought exactly. I was beginning to think the story was partially recycled. At least he's poking fun at himself.

[@annasundlof2282]

Ah, another gift that seemingly just keeps on giving itself - thank you for the evening delights, swimmer in these neural networks...

[@AlgorithmEngagementEntity]

The pearl clutching morality of the aristocracy, spotless

[@Edo9River]

He’s only combining the appetite we’ve already accommodated our taste and to. Pay attention to the other setting cues in the room, people!😅😅😅😅

[@kauffrau6764]

Full, but moral. That’s my life now. I flirted with the opposite and frankly, this way is actually more satisfying. Introvert advantage. ❤

[@ruth_southernstar]

Good for her!
Women can be so catty. Wonderful stuff!

[@JudeNance]

Catty is pathetic

[@ruth_southernstar]

@@JudeNance But sadly true. You are rather pathetic yourself.

[@TheLadyPonders]

YES, THIS IS NOT THE SAME STORY AS MR. KNOW-ALL!!

[@pippilongstocking.]

something the world is losing more and more is moreals.

[@kellym.9453]

I have been listening to a lot of narrated, "Arabian Nights", or the "1000 Nights and a Night", audio stories in which it is often the case that a pretty young woman is being sold or gifted to someone and it seems to me perfectly horrible.
So when listening to this story I find it is about a pretty young woman who is, in a way, marketing herself. And it seems that the attitude toward that, is that, it is rather horrible, as well.
Then I think that the, "The Colonel's Lady", is somewhere in the middle of those two extremes .
Rather than sorting Maugham 's stories alphabetically or chronologically it might be interesting to sort them in order of how women are portrayed. 🌰🐿

[@sparklemotion8377]

So, no stories about Victorian workhouses, asylums and baby farms? You need them Arabs for horror?

[@marciabrink9015]

I've enjoyed discover8ng Somerset Maugham and the variety and (mostly) excellence of his stories. So, thank you to the host of this channel. But unfortunarely the frequency of commercial breaks -- was it maybe 4 or 5 in this 20-minute recording? -- have finally become more of a nuisance than the enjoyment is worth.

[@Shineon83]

….Laugh-out-loud funny 😂

[@SunnySmile-fr5yg]

In the illustration above, the AI left out a piece of the necklace :)

[@fiddlersthree8463]

Just like the AI reading leaves out a piece of the soul.

[@SunnySmile-fr5yg]

@@fiddlersthree8463 Everything has its pros and cons. There are human-read stories on other platforms/apps, but you have to pay for them. Or, on free LibriVox some human narrators are so bad that I cannot understand them. AI can be very good, perhaps doesn't have all the soul you require, but at least AI enunciates the words.

[@ginagabriel2613]

🙏🙏🙏💕

[@libbyneves5457]

Nothing wrong with using the opportunities life presents.

[@EGChurchofChrist]

This is not one of his best works but it kept me interested 😊

[@alidabaxter5849]

Strange that, as he himself says, he has already written a story about a pearl necklace (Mr. Know All) and I prefer the less moral path the girl chose for her future when she'd gone to the South of France. Good for her!

[@idreamtiwasbackatmanderley414]

Deauville is not the south of France, it’s more or less right across the Channel. Still fashionable!
And I agree with you, being a rich « cocotte » is definitely more fun.

[@dianal.clausen8118]

This, is commonly referred to as a SPOILER. Tisk, tisk. at least conclusions are for me.

[@alidabaxter5849]

@@dianal.clausen8118 I do apologise - I thought people would listen to the story before reading comments. Sorry.

[@marcia3302]

😅

[@carolleenkelmann3829]

The writer has to write and, having writ, moves on.