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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
challenging
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A book about obsession, self-deception, destruction and of course the sea. The vivid prose and an unlikable yet compelling protagonist are classic Murdoch motifs, but the choice of the remote cliff-side setting and the constant blending of reality with fantasy made this an involving read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Kidnapping
dark
funny
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Without doubt, this is the best book by Iris Murdoch, I've read so far: balanced, beautifully written, witty and not too heavy on philosophy. The story is about a theatre-director Charles Arrowby, a very egocentric and manipulative man, who had a life in the spotlights of the media. In his sixties he retires to remote little house by the sea, to write his memoires and reflect upon life. He stumbles into his former youth love, Hartley, who happens to live in the village nearby. She left him when he was only 18 and this saddled him with a livelong trauma. The woman is old now and rather common, but for him she becomes a real obsession. Only after a long succession of supprises and dramatic incidents, he realises he has become the victim of his own manipulative approach to reality. This seems a very interesting plot, indeed, especially for the elder fellow-creatures among us. Nevertheless, I'm giving this book a doubtful rate. This is because Murdoch has made this story into a real "vaudeville", with never ending twists and turns, which give it a very theatrical flavour and undermines the credibility of the story. A pity. (2.5 stars)
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
'Your love for this girl, when she was a girl, was put by shock into a state of suspended animation. Now the shock of meeting her again has led you to re-enact all your old feelings for her. It's a mental charade, a necessary one perhaps, it has its own necessity, but not like what you think. Of course you can't get over it at once. But in a few weeks or a few months you'll have run through it all, looked at it all again and felt it all again and got rid of it. It's not an eternal thing, nothing human is eternal. For us, eternity is an illusion. It's like in a fairy tale. When the clock strikes twelve it will all crumble to pieces and vanish. And you'll find you are free of her, free of her forever, and you can let the poor ghost go. What will remain will be ordinary obligations and ordinary interests. And you'll feel relief, you'll feel free. At present you're just obsessed, hypnotized.'