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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"Surely, a moment must come when the amount of fear would automatically make her mine..."
The 500-page diary of a raving lunatic. I am struggling to find the words to describe this book. It is, at its core, a hard look at the human condition. Jealousy, delusion, resentment, regret. Told from the perspective of one guy but with countless memories and interactions used to piece together the story of his life, his actions demonstrating his maddening, sometimes funny and often terrifying journey of the self. Charles is despicable, but I enjoyed every second of my time with him. A perfect mixture of classic prose and true thriller elements. It's long, but worth it.
The 500-page diary of a raving lunatic. I am struggling to find the words to describe this book. It is, at its core, a hard look at the human condition. Jealousy, delusion, resentment, regret. Told from the perspective of one guy but with countless memories and interactions used to piece together the story of his life, his actions demonstrating his maddening, sometimes funny and often terrifying journey of the self. Charles is despicable, but I enjoyed every second of my time with him. A perfect mixture of classic prose and true thriller elements. It's long, but worth it.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I once read a book called worst person ever.
The person in the book was absolutely no match for this awful man.
Good lord this writing is magnificent. I’m so angry. I’ve never wanted to slap someone more.
What an absolute gargantuan pompous piece of work this guy is.
I hate him. I’m furious at these stupid women around him. He’s not real but, he feels real. Horribly real.
I point you to the line ‘what indeed are women but refuges?’ Oh my god. Oh my god you insufferable prick.
And it starts to get more disturbing like. You have accidentally come across the diary of a stalker. It’s…… it’s. I don’t know how she did this.
Why have I never read Iris Murdoch before?
I’m not clever enough to review this book but it made me feel angry and amused and horrified and sad.
The person in the book was absolutely no match for this awful man.
Good lord this writing is magnificent. I’m so angry. I’ve never wanted to slap someone more.
What an absolute gargantuan pompous piece of work this guy is.
I hate him. I’m furious at these stupid women around him. He’s not real but, he feels real. Horribly real.
I point you to the line ‘what indeed are women but refuges?’ Oh my god. Oh my god you insufferable prick.
And it starts to get more disturbing like. You have accidentally come across the diary of a stalker. It’s…… it’s. I don’t know how she did this.
Why have I never read Iris Murdoch before?
I’m not clever enough to review this book but it made me feel angry and amused and horrified and sad.
I really enjoyed this book, I distrusted the main character and narrator of this novel, written in the style of a memoir. Immediately I found him to be an unreliable and egotistic, which makes for a fascinating read. This book involves death, insanity and possessiveness masquerading as love. The book was long and my hold lapsed when I was about halfway through, though I was able to pick it back up rather easily. Though most of the book is rooted in a reality, there are delusions which feel like a comic farce. This was the first book I’ve read by this author and I look forward to reading more.
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Great bedtime reading material…which makes it bad for book club reading I think. But super hilarious at parts.
A truly marvellous read. Murdoch’s vast vocabulary and humorous prose dazzles in this book.
dark
funny
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The novel starts off at a slow pace. Charles Arrowby has given up a career in theatre and moved to a house by the sea. The novel is his "memoir-novel", the narrator himself is not sure what the writing is. We get to know Charles' habits and bits and pieces from his past, notably Hartley, the first woman he loved and loves still.
The plot picks up when Charles realises that Hartley lives in the village near his house. He sets about trying to win her back.
I thought this slow build and then sudden start of the plot worked very well. There was a slow buildup which was then rewarded with the appearance of Hartley. After that, however, the plot was a bit all over the place. Characters turned up at the house and stayed to cause chaos. The later revelations seemed to make less sense as the novel went on. Charles' writing itself also gets less coherent towards the end. This last is, I think, done purposefully to show his state of mind, but I could have done without some of the weirder plot points. Some of them were just bizzare and pulled me out of the story.
The writing is excellent throughout and Charles is an interesting character. Apart from the plot problems I also thought the novel was too long.
The plot picks up when Charles realises that Hartley lives in the village near his house. He sets about trying to win her back.
I thought this slow build and then sudden start of the plot worked very well. There was a slow buildup which was then rewarded with the appearance of Hartley. After that, however, the plot was a bit all over the place. Characters turned up at the house and stayed to cause chaos. The later revelations seemed to make less sense as the novel went on. Charles' writing itself also gets less coherent towards the end. This last is, I think, done purposefully to show his state of mind, but I could have done without some of the weirder plot points. Some of them were just bizzare and pulled me out of the story.
The writing is excellent throughout and Charles is an interesting character. Apart from the plot problems I also thought the novel was too long.
Savored every bit of meandering, unsatisfactory explanation, loose end - such as life so often asks of you.
Murdoch is a master of contradictions, the reality and the unreality. She can show you what a character is thinking or feeling, and how they may act in direct opposition to that. It gives such a deep understanding of very human complexities.
This shows up most to me in the plots (Sea, Unicorn, Black Prince) that include one character believing they can and even ought to rescue another from the circumstances of their life. That despite the resignation or resistance, all it takes is a few calculated steps from someone who believes they know best to undo a lifetime.
Murdoch is a master of contradictions, the reality and the unreality. She can show you what a character is thinking or feeling, and how they may act in direct opposition to that. It gives such a deep understanding of very human complexities.
This shows up most to me in the plots (Sea, Unicorn, Black Prince) that include one character believing they can and even ought to rescue another from the circumstances of their life. That despite the resignation or resistance, all it takes is a few calculated steps from someone who believes they know best to undo a lifetime.
This book wants to be psychological so badly but the psychology is all so artificial and the plot is sooo annoying. I liked it until halfway through and then the plot got too ridiculous for me. It did creep me out at points, to the extent where I was unhappy I was home alone at night. But for the most part I just couldn't believe how ridiculous everything that was happening was.