A review of the insidious and pervasive nature of corruption

Corruption is like a cancer that slowly eats away at the fabric of society. It is insidious, lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike. It is pervasive, touching every aspect of our lives, from politics to business to everyday interactions.

However, within this dark and gloomy picture, there is a glimmer of hope in the form of a little bit of redemptive love. This love has the power to heal the wounds of corruption and bring about a change for the better.

The prose in this work is naturally rhythmic, flowing like a gentle river. The vocabulary is rich and diverse, painting vivid pictures in the reader's mind. The descriptions are evocative, pulling the reader into the story and making them feel as if they are a part of it.

However, I found the characters universally unlikeable. Their actions and motives were often questionable, and it was difficult to empathize with them. This, in turn, undermined the theme's impact, as it was hard to see how their actions could lead to any sort of redemption or change.

Overall, while the prose and descriptions were excellent, the unlikeable characters detracted from the overall message of the work.

A New Favourite

I have discovered a new favourite, and I must say, I adored it from the very first moment. It has become an essential part of my daily life, bringing me joy and excitement.

This new find has a unique charm that sets it apart from everything else. Its features are not only practical but also aesthetically pleasing. I love how it makes me feel whenever I use it.

Whether it's the way it functions or the way it looks, this new favourite has exceeded my expectations. It has become a source of inspiration and motivation for me, and I can't imagine my life without it now.

I highly recommend this new favourite to anyone who is looking for something special. It's truly a remarkable item that will bring a smile to your face and add a touch of magic to your day.

Of the three Iris Murdoch novels that I have read recently, this particular one is by far my least favorite.

The blurb on the cover makes it seem as if it would be an incredibly fun and engaging read. However, once I delved into the story, I quickly realized that the various elements simply do not click together in a harmonious way.

The main issue, in my opinion, is that the novel is overly ambitious. It attempts to juggle a huge cast of characters, but unfortunately, none of them manage to be truly compelling or memorable.

Moreover, the novel fails to actually explore the difference between the nice and the good in a way that is satisfying or thought-provoking. It feels as if this central theme is merely touched upon, rather than being fully developed and analyzed.

Overall, while I had high hopes for this novel based on the blurb, it ultimately fell short of my expectations.

A year after the publication of ‘The Nice and The Good’, Iris Murdoch published an essay titled: “On God and Good”. In the essay, she posed thought-provoking questions such as: “What is a good man like? How can we be good? How can we make ourselves morally better?” However, as Wittgenstein stated: “it is impossible to say anything as a philosopher about the concept of “good” or “ethics”.

In this book, Murdoch attempts to “show” us the concept of the good by drawing comparisons between the nice, the bad, and the good. She achieves this through the character of John Ducane, a middle-aged man who is having a platonic affair with Kate, the wife of his boss, Octavian. Surprisingly, it’s not a secret, as Kate openly shares everything with her husband.

Ducane is also trying to break up with Jessica, an art teacher and artist who is still deeply in love with him. Ducane is burdened by his shame as he keeps these affairs secret from both women, a fact he is later blackmailed with in the second half of the novel.

In addition to this complex personal problem, Ducane is ordered to investigate the suicide of Radeechy, which leads to even more moral quandaries when he discovers that a colleague he dislikes is connected to the case. Furthermore, the people around him consider him a good man and ask for his intervention in the problems of almost all the people living in Trescombe, the beach house of Octavian and Kate.

The suicide of Radeechy, upon investigation, turns out just that - a suicide. Radeechy was burdened by guilt because he was responsible for the death of his wife (in a fit of rage, he pushed her out of a window, resulting in her breaking her neck). Richard Biranne, Ducane’s colleague, was present and witnessed the act, as he had been having an affair with Radeechy’s wife. He attempted to blackmail Radeechy, which led to Radeechy’s decision to end his own life. All this information is discovered in the suicide note, which Richard removed from the scene.

Throughout the book, various small and large problems arise, but most of them are resolved by the end of the summer. Ducane’s issues are resolved when the blackmailer sends the two letters he stole from Ducane’s desk to the concerned parties: Jessica’s letter to Kate and vice versa. And Ducane ultimately falls in love with Mary, a long-standing widow and old friend of Kate’s, who also resides in Trescombe with her teenage son Pierce. Jessica falls for Willy, the Holocaust survivor living in the cottage. Paula, who is divorced from Richard Biranne and has twins, reconciles with her husband with the help of Ducane. It is this couple who are connected with the Bronzino picture featured on the book’s cover.

In the end, most of the problems in Trescombe are resolved. Ducane’s chauffeur runs off with Judy, a free spirit and the wife of the blackmailer, who then becomes Ducane’s new chauffeur. A teenage quarrel between Barbara, the daughter of Kate and Octavian, and Pierce, the son of Mary, concludes with their first intimate experience under a full moon.

The novel captures the essence of the late sixties, with a strong emphasis on the free love vibe of the era. I was only ten years old when this book came out and living in a small village in Belgium, so I don’t have any concrete memories of the roaring sixties. But I found this to be a captivating and informative read.

PS. It’s been a long time since I had to look up some words in the dictionary: valetudinarian: Hypochondriac, comes from valēre, a Latin word that means "to have strength" or "to be well. A valetudinarian might actually be sick, as one definition of the word is “a person suffering from poor health”. Rebarbatively: in a way that is unpleasant and unattractive.

This story had all the classic Murdochian elements.

In the opening pages, a cast of thousands was introduced, including civil servants, people wealthy enough to have actual servants, and teenagers naked swimming in the sea.

There were also bizarre deaths, a European intellectual, and everyone grappling with the concepts of being good, not being good, not knowing whether they ought to be good, not knowing whether they were being good, and not knowing what good even meant.

However, I didn't feel it was up to her usual standard. It wasn't half as enjoyable as "A Fairly Honourable Defeat" by Iris Murdoch.

My favorite line from the story was: "The room smelt of summer dust and roses."

This simple description managed to evoke a vivid image and a sense of nostalgia, adding a touch of beauty to the otherwise complex and often confusing narrative.

Overall, while the story had its moments, it didn't quite live up to the high expectations I had for a Murdoch novel.

This book truly made me deeply ponder on the notions of “nice” and “good”. At first glance, one could easily assume that they are interchangeable without giving it much thought. But upon closer examination, are they really? Does being good necessarily imply being nice and vice versa?

If we refer to the dictionary, nice means pleasing, agreeable, delightful, but it also implies showing tact, care, or delicacy. So, being nice is often a form of showmanship, a way to make others like you, a performance put on for the eyes of others. Good, on the other hand, means morally excellent, righteous, of high quality, and is thus an intrinsic quality that one either has or does not have. One can be good at heart but not seem particularly nice to others as they may not conform to what social norms have made people accustomed to. "Nice" is a conscious decision, while "good" stems from the heart.

Murdoch presents the concepts of “nice” and “good” in a highly humorous and witty manner. Although I don't recall the exact plot of “A Midsummer Night's Dream” clearly, while reading this book, I constantly had it in the back of my mind. However, I don't think there are other connections between the two works of literature aside from perhaps the humorous tone (I haven't delved deeper to determine if I'm correct). The mise-en-scene is executed as intelligently as in the aforementioned Shakespearian comedy. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book; every part of it is extremely well-written. Even though the ending is a bit too conventional for my taste and perhaps a touch too abrupt, it doesn't manage to undermine the overall quality of what occurred within the novel.

There are numerous characters in the book (I actually took notes during the first two or three chapters to ensure I could keep up with the plethora of characters that Murdoch was introducing). And, of course, there are far-fetched events that they are involved in (this time, magic). Relationships are analyzed, psyches are explored, and the story is a bit eccentric (but this is characteristic of Murdoch's style, and again, it doesn't detract from the reading experience). Those who initially seem good turn out to be merely nice, and those who don't appear to fit within social standards prove to be truly good. Well, I don't want to include any spoilers in my review, but Murdoch's conclusions make one think and understand the true nature of the two concepts (of nice and good).

I finished this book wondering: is it more desirable to be surrounded by truly good people or by nice people? Good people might speak hard truths, while nice people would go to great lengths to avoid the truth in order to be thought of as nice. For my part, I prefer good people. Which do you prefer? Well, the boundaries between the two categories can seem rather模糊 if not explored in depth, and Murdoch does an excellent job of delineating them through her story and character choices.

One of the quotes I really liked from the book:

\\n  “There are mysterious agencies of the human mind which, like roving gases, travel the world, causing pain and mutilation, without their owners having any full awareness, or even any awareness at all, of the strength and the whereabouts of these exhalations... So it is that we can be terrors to each other, and people in lonely rooms suffer humiliation and even damage because of others in whose consciousness perhaps they scarcely figure at all.”\\n

(The enhanced version of this review can be found here: http://elephantsonclouds.blogspot.com...)

This is my first encounter with Murdoch's work, and it might very well be the last.

In an interview, when the interviewer pointed out that her philosophical writings and novels seem to be penned by different individuals, the author expressed her desire for it to be so. Well, perhaps it could be the case in terms of style. However, if that's the case, then her philosophy might be stylistically brilliant because this novel is disgracefully inelegant, especially considering the awkward Latinisms like "slightly dependent breasts". But when it comes to content, philosophizing seeps so deeply into the text that the plot becomes indistinguishable.

All the characters embody (not grapple with, but completely incorporate) moral dilemmas or conundrums, and the author forces the solutions so forcefully that some of them, having reached the uncanny valley, then plunge into an abyss of camp that resembles postmodern parodies of school romance.

There is no perceptible rhythm. I sometimes devoured a chapter or two filled with thrills and erotica, only to then sink into the shifting sands of desultory reasoning that took me weeks to traverse. And the detective story hinted at in the first sentences goes nowhere in every sense.

I did find some - possibly unintendedly sexual - descriptions of the human body enjoyable. The less virtuous a character appears, the more detail is provided. This correlation is a philosophical takeaway.

I'm not having the best experience with Iris Murdoch's work. "Under the Net" was a bit too much for me to fully understand. "The Bell" was an enjoyable read. And this particular novel lies somewhere in between. There were moments when I was glad I was reading it, even whole chapters. However, on the whole, I found myself struggling through it and constantly checking how many pages were left.

It starts off quite well. I thought we were going to be thrown right into a murder mystery within the walls of a government department. But soon we were at a house in the country with what seemed like a commune of characters that I couldn't keep straight. There are numerous love triangles and quite a few sex triangles. In fact, it seems she had a difficult time keeping any of her characters out of bed.

The novel jumps around a bit too much for my taste. I wasn't sure until about halfway through who I was really supposed to be focusing on. And, aside from a rather well-written scene involving a cave at high tide, I wasn't really captivated at any point.

This novel was nominated for the Booker Prize, which made me wonder why. Usually, Booker Prize winners have deeply developed characters who experience a range of inner and outer conflicts. And, as it turns out, Ducane is just such a character. You can feel his conflict as he leads a double life for most of the novel. However, the other characters didn't really come alive for me.

All in all, I don't think this is one of her best works. I would recommend reading "The Bell" instead.

Much of the drama and action unfolds in a beach house situated on the Dorset coast.

A married couple with children, along with several other unrelated individuals, all reside together. This is because the woman of the house has a penchant for taking in those who are lost or in need of a place, and she treats them as family. An uncle also lives in the house, and in an outbuilding, there is another man who was released after the war from the Dachau concentration camp.

All these eccentric personalities, along with those of the cooks and maids, interact and bounce off each other within the hustle and bustle of the household. With three women in the house, as well as female children, the main character playfully refers to his home as his “harem.” The crowded beach house setting strongly reminds one of Virginia Woolf’s novel To the Lighthouse.

The main theme of the book appears to be: can we make ourselves morally better? The main character takes pride in being a good person and bases his actions on what he deems to be the RIGHT thing to do. However, as the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. So, the author places Mr. Righteous in the unfortunate position of being in love with a married woman, and she, in turn, has some feelings for him too. Their solution is to spend as much time together as possible; there is no physical intimacy, but they meet in the woods and exchange more or less chaste kisses. The question then becomes, how long can this situation endure?

Meanwhile, his other moral dilemma involves breaking up with a woman friend in whom he has lost interest. But she is deeply in love with him. So, he sort of partially breaks up with her, seeing her only once a week. As one can imagine, this soon becomes a disastrous situation.

Another major character is presented as the opposite of the main character. He is not only disliked by everyone but is also involved in demonic activities. He dresses in priest’s robes, conducts black masses over the bodies of nude women, and sacrifices pigeons.

Like other Murdoch novels, which critics have complained about for their “bizarre plot twists,” this one also features a suicide or perhaps a murder, and possible drownings (a hazard of beach houses). The novel opens with a gunshot. It seems that an office worker has committed suicide, and the main character is put in charge of the investigation to keep it out of the press. Another character attempts to blackmail several others.

Some snippets that I liked include:

“We’ve got to simplify things. One has got to simplify one’s life.”

“I don’t see why. Suppose life just isn’t simple?”

“Well, it ought to be.”

A boring character (the uncle) attracts no notice from others. “…this lack of interest seemed to be caused in some positive way by Theo himself, as if he sent out rays which paralyzed other people’s concern about him. It was like a faculty of becoming invisible… as when someone said ‘There was nobody there. Oh well, yes, Theo was there.’”

“Kate, eternally and unreflectively happy herself, made Mary want happiness and startled her, by a sort of electrical contact, into the hope of it.”

“Chance is really harder to bear than mortality.”

I enjoyed the story; it may not be her best novel, but it is a good read.

This is the fourth novel by this author that I have read, and I mostly enjoyed it very much.

The story has two main settings. One is a house by the Dorset coast, which has a bucolic charm. The descriptions of the beach, the area around the house, and the sense of heat and summer are truly mesmerizing. The other setting is London, where the investigation of a suicide involving black magic, the occult, and blackmail takes place. This criminal subplot is very gripping.

Let's dwell on the bucolic aspect for a moment. The descriptions of summer, heat, the sea, and their impact on the characters, as well as the overall atmosphere of the novel, are my favorite things to read. It reminds me of my own fond memories of long, quiet summers. The weather seems to anaesthetize the senses, leading to a sort of peaceful apathy and lethargic boredom. There is a magical appeal and a classical element to it.

There are numerous characters in the novel, all interconnected in the most interesting and sometimes extravagant ways. However, it is John Ducane, the main character, who holds the two storylines together and is the heart of the novel. John is a middle-aged man who desires to lead a rational, morally unflappable, and somewhat puritanical life. He strives to be a good man, but his goal is gradually subverted and distorted by the other characters, his own passions, and the circumstances surrounding the mysterious suicide of a colleague.

Pierce and Barbara's storyline is my favorite. It gives off coming of age vibes, and coming of age novels happen to be my favorite genre. Their interactions, especially the dialogue by the graveyard, are amazing and feel very real. Pierce's struggle with his feelings and his actions reveal a lot about his character.

The sea cave episode towards the end of the book, with John and Pierce as the protagonists, is one of the most evocative and powerful scenes I've ever read. The author's writing style is truly stunning. She has the ability to describe the complex and contradictory workings of the human psyche and heart like no other.

However, I must also come to the criticism part. There are several instances where women are portrayed as waiting for a man to rescue them. For example, Jessica cannot stand to be dumped by John and constantly convinces him not to leave. Another character goes back to her dangerously jealous and violent husband even though he refuses to stop cheating. This portrayal of women can be a bit frustrating to read.

Initially, this narrative seemed to follow the轨迹 of the Famous Five (if we were to substitute Timmy with Mingo) after they had all reached adulthood. The boys had embarked on careers in the civil service, while the girls got married and had children, conforming to the traditional expectations of good girls. However, they continued to live in each other's close proximity and engaged in numerous interior monologues, which set this apart from the original Enid Blyton stories. There is a plethora of characters, and we are granted insights into the inner workings of most of them. Occasionally, the story becomes repetitive, such as when Ducane is constantly preoccupied with his thoughts, doubts, and miseries regarding Jessica. Nevertheless, the use of language is so captivating that this occurs only rarely. The author also has a remarkable talent for描绘 a scene, capturing both the atmosphere and the physical details. This is particularly evident when McGrath leads Ducane into the underground tunnels deep beneath the civil service offices, and one senses that there is something "other" lurking down there with them. Like many excellent works of fiction, it is replete with possibilities and unexplored paths, keeping the reader guessing about the story's direction. At one point, as it was disclosed who was longing for whom, I suspected it might devolve into a sex farce, perhaps a menage-a-six or even sept. But it did not. In fact, it is rather challenging to determine what it ultimately became. Mostly, the characters are intrigued by love - what it is, how it feels, how it manifests, and how people behave when they are in the throes of it. It is intelligent, eloquent, and generally of a high-minded nature. And I found it to be extremely enjoyable.

Hace ya unos meses desde que leí este libro de Iris Murdoch. Y desde entonces, no ha dejado de venir ocasionalmente a mi cabeza. Es lo que suele ocurrir con las buenas historias. Rara vez se olvidan. Pasando a formar parte de ese imaginario de recuerdos que se creen haber experimentado y que, sin embargo, realmente hemos vivido desde algún otro lugar de nuestro ser.

Lo que más inolvidables hacen a estos libros es su trama construida alrededor de unos personajes tan reales y particulares. Que pasan a acompañar durante el tiempo que dura la lectura. Volviendo más tarde a tu memoria como ese amigo o conocido cercano que conociste en algún momento, en cualquier lugar y vuelve a cobrar presencia con el júbilo del pasado.

Es lo que ocurre con esta novela de intriga tipo thriller. Que comienza con la investigación del suicidio de un alto funcionario del Gobierno. Que se mezcla con un curioso fresco de relaciones humanas que se dan entre el extravagante matrimonio de Kate y Octavian y todos los personajes que visitan su casa de Dorset. Y alrededor de las cuales su autora reflexiona sobre el amor y la amistad. ¿Es necesario mirar a los ojos de la muerte para atraverse a proclamar amor donde antes solo se creía amistad?

Quizá sea desconocida la faceta de Iris Murdoch como filósofa. Pero esta no deja de apreciarse en toda su obra de ficción. Donde trató de plasmar temas como el conflicto entre el bien y el mal, la moral, las pasiones humanas o la muerte. Creando unas historias repletas de realismo y de sentimiento. Porque ante todo, esta escritora irlandesa consideraba la buena literatura como una actividad platónica.