658 reviews for:

The sea, the sea

Iris Murdoch

3.94 AVERAGE

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
dark funny sad tense 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

If you ask me, there is only one good thing that can be done with food - eat it. I can never understand people talking about food, cooking it or even writing books about it. So Charles rambling for several pages about food was one big put down. And seriously the whole book seems a collection of big rambles. The plot seemed too forced. The coincidences are one too many and, apart from a few rare and scattered quotes, I seriously can't understand what got this book Man Booker prize.
emotional reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I enjoyed it, I had to time when I read it as I felt the suspense and I didn't want it close to bed time! The characters are interesting but unknowable really. Although it's quite psychological. I wanted the main (bad) character to 'win'. 
adventurous dark mysterious tense 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

strawbbfields's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH

felt like too much for too little

adventurous emotional funny medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
reflective tense slow-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

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.