Reviews

The Sea, the Sea by Iris Murdoch

theslozat's review against another edition

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

3.25

sidharthvardhan's review

2.0

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.

book_darner's review against another edition

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

5.0

gummybearish's review against another edition

tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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'. 

besedaris's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

strawbbfields's review against another edition

felt like too much for too little

blindferret's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

benbru's review against another edition

reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

fantasynovel's review

3.0

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.

harrahdf's review against another edition

3.0

Does it count as reading if I switched to the audiobook at 2x speed halfway through to lessen the amount of time I had to spend with an intolerable misogynist narrator? Murdoch did a phenomenal job of creating a fully rounded, horrible human being, and I think we’re beyond needing to understand the interior life of a selfish, pretentious pedant. I have exes I can call up for a much shorter version of the same level of insufferability and condescension.