Ashenden

Ashenden, a writer who is asked by Alroy Kear, another writer and a friend, to contribute his reminiscences of the younger days of still another writer, Edward Driffield, about whom Kear is planning to write a biography. Ashenden was a friend of Driffield and his first wife when they lived in the Kentish town where Ashenden lived, as a boy, with his uncle. Ashenden met the Driffields again in London when he was a medical student and became Driffield’s wife’s lover. Driffield’s wife, Rosie, ran off with another man, however, and Driffield divorced her. Ashenden was hurt that she would run away with someone else.

Alroy Kear

Alroy Kear, a novelist who is writing the official biography of an eminent Victorian author, Edward Driffield. He invites his friend Ashenden to lunch in order to get Ashenden’s impressions of Driffield in his younger days. Kear is not satisfied with Ashenden’s material, since it would tend to embarrass Driffield’s widow.

Rosie Driffield

Rosie Driffield, Edward Driffield’s first wife, a former barmaid. She had a great love of life and could not deny love to anyone. Ashenden became her lover, and for a time she visited his rooms regularly, but her great love was George Kemp. When she ran away with him to New York, Driffield divorced her. Years later Ashenden saw her again, a wealthy widow in New York. She confided that of all her lovers Kemp had been her favorite because he was always the perfect gentleman.

Edward Driffield

Edward Driffield, a famous English writer of the Victorian era. When Rosie ran away, he divorced her and married his nurse.

George Kemp

George Kemp, a contractor with whom Rosie was unfaithful to Driffield and with whom she finally ran away. She went with him to New York, and they were married.

Amy Driffield

Amy Driffield, Driffield’s nurse during his convalescence from pneumonia. She became his second wife.

Finding a novel more representative of a roman à clef than Cakes and Ale is a challenge. Many critics believe that two of the main characters are modeled after well-known individuals: Driffield on Thomas Hardy and Kear on Hugh Walpole. However, Maugham refuted this, asserting that his characters were composites inspired by numerous sources, including himself. The argument for Hardy can be questioned despite striking resemblances: Driffield's esteemed reputation mirrors Hardy's; both authors depicted a child's death that shocked readers (present in Driffield's Cup of Life and Hardy's Jude the Obscure); and both had notable second marriages.

The case for Walpole is more straightforward and widely accepted. Although Maugham initially claimed that Walpole was not the inspiration for Alroy Kear, he admitted in 1950, nine years after Walpole's death, that Walpole had significantly influenced the creation of Kear. Additionally, several minor characters are based on lesser-known figures Maugham encountered or knew of when writing Cakes and Ale. The novel, published in 1930, two years after Hardy's death, reinforced the belief that Hardy was the model for Driffield. While these secondary and tertiary characters hold little significance, the inspiration for Rosie does.

For many years, the real-life inspiration for Rosie remained uncertain, though it was known that she was a woman with whom Maugham shared a close friendship. In his preface to the novel, Maugham describes Rosie as "the most engaging heroine I have ever created." Only years after Maugham's death was her identity confirmed as Ethelwyn Sylvia Jones, the second daughter of playwright Henry Arthur Jones. Ethelwyn was a talented actress and likely met Maugham in the theater. Although she differed from Rosie in social status and education, she shared Rosie's warmth and emotional honesty.