He himself has lived a less than genteel life. William as a teenager is befriended by Ted before he becomes famous and while he is married to a former barmaid, Rosie. He wants, however, to see the whole picture in order to make the creative decisions himself. Amy has collected a great deal of information that fits her view of how Edward (Ted) Driffield should be portrayed, and Roy agrees to omit or downplay less than savory elements. Roy has been asked by the widow of a truly famous novelist, one year departed, to write a biography of her husband. William rightly suspects an ulterior motive in Alroy Kear, a man who has done well on moderate talent. The narrator of Cakes and Ale, William Ashenden, a writer not currently in vogue, is approached by a colleague with whom he has had little recent contact. The novel deals with the craft of writing and the foibles of those who do it. Somerset Maugham tells the story of author William Ashenden's series of contracts over decades with a greatly renowned novelist, and the need of his would-be biographer for details that William alone can provide.
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