Somerset Maugham, no lightweight when it comes to writing fiction, is supposed to have said, “There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” That attribution astounds me. When I first came across Maugham’s quip, I thought, “Good God! I don’t have a chance!” Of Human Bondage is one of only two novels that I read cover to cover without stopping except as nature required and to make a brief call to my employer pret...