Liza of Lambeth

by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham

"Liza of Lambeth" by W. Somerset Maugham is a novel published in 1897. Set in working-class Lambeth, it follows eighteen-year-old factory worker Liza Kemp through four fateful months. When Liza begins a secret affair with Jim Blakeston, a married forty-year-old father of five, their relationship becomes increasingly dangerous as gossip spreads through Vere Street. Maugham's debut novel depicts the harsh realities of late Victorian London, where passion collides with poverty and social constraints lead to devastating consequences.