A review by ls_cl
A Fairly Honourable Defeat by Iris Murdoch, Peter Reed

challenging dark emotional funny reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A good introduction to Iris Murdoch - an exploration of the nature of love and hard decisions that is both grounded and philosophical and nice amounts. I loved the intertangled messiness of all the relationships, how they keep shifting, and the intensity with which the relationships come to life in her writing. Some beautiful (and drily funny) descriptions of characters and locations, with a deeply tense build, despite moments of sagging. I also really liked the nuanced romantic relationship between two central men - quite inspiring that it was written only two years of the legalisation of  homosexuality in the UK!