I truly have a deep affection for Iris Murdoch. Her works are like captivating treasures that draw me in with their unique charm. However, towards the end, it seemed to take on a rather unexpected turn. It was as if it transformed into something similar to "Gossip Girl", where all these characters who were the best of friends ended up getting married to each other.

It was quite a strange and almost comical development. I had expected a more profound and complex resolution to the storylines, but instead, it became this web of intertwined romantic relationships among the so-called bffs.

While it added an element of surprise, it also left me a bit disappointed. I had hoped for a more original and thought-provoking conclusion that would have done justice to the wonderful world Murdoch had created.

Nevertheless, despite this flaw, I still appreciate the overall beauty and depth of her writing, and I will continue to explore her works in the future.

My charitable review:

For my rather literal mind, there seems to be an excessive amount of symbolism and metaphor in this work. It makes it a bit challenging for me to fully grasp and appreciate the intended meanings.

My uncharitable review:

There are just too many self-indulgent and twee individuals here who seemingly don't have to work. One can't help but wonder, maybe if they had to wake up early and leave the house four or five days a week, like the rest of us, they would come to the realization that their problems aren't as numerous or as significant as they believe them to be.

It's almost as if they live in a bubble, completely detached from the real world and its daily grind.

This disconnect makes it difficult for me to have much sympathy for their supposed woes.

Perhaps a dose of reality would do them some good and help them gain a more balanced perspective on life.

The only Murdoch I've read so far is this novel and "The Unicorn."

Her stories, although vaguely set in the "present" day, seem to operate on a timeless plane.

I came across a few comments that questioned the realism of the dialogue, especially that between the young adult characters in this novel.

This is certainly a valid observation.

However, I think that the titles of her novels serve to place the book in a semi-mythical realm, which requires a certain suspension of disbelief.

The philosophical themes and mythical allusions she explores (and there are numerous) are both fundamental and, as trite as it may sound, eternal.

This type of literature may not be to everyone's taste, but it definitely appeals to me.

I find myself drawn to the unique world she creates and the profound ideas she presents.

It's a reading experience that challenges my thinking and takes me on an intellectual journey.

While some may struggle with the lack of strict realism, I believe that Murdoch's works offer something more valuable - a glimpse into the deeper recesses of the human psyche and the eternal questions that have plagued us throughout history.

A veritable feast of language and of story!

It is truly a remarkable experience to encounter such a rich and engaging combination of language and story. The words seem to dance off the page, captivating the reader's attention and drawing them into a world filled with vivid characters and exciting plotlines.

Each sentence is crafted with precision and care, painting a detailed picture that allows the reader to fully immerse themselves in the narrative. The story unfolds gradually, revealing new layers and surprises along the way, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat.

Whether it is the beautiful prose, the engaging dialogue, or the well-developed characters, every aspect of this work contributes to making it a veritable feast for the senses. It is a literary masterpiece that will be enjoyed by readers of all ages and backgrounds.

Iris Murdoch's portrayal of London in the 1990s is truly unique.

She describes a city where young people don unusual attire such as vests, woolly tights, and pyjamas. They sing madrigals and exclaim things like "Good Heavens!" and "Oh Lord!". Strangely, they don't watch TV.

Her London is both familiar and yet has an oddly different zeitgeist. It's like a parallel universe version of the London we all know, with the same river, places, and landmarks.

If one can set aside their initial astonishment and embrace this strange vision, they are in for a wonderful read. The plot is so engaging that it's best not to give it away here. The narrative is masterful, maintaining its vibrancy and momentum throughout.

It's remarkable considering it's her penultimate novel and there are supposed to be hints of the effects of dementia within it. Nevertheless, it's simply a brilliant work of literature.

This had a plethora of the essential elements for a remarkable Murdoch story, and there were indeed a few glimmers of sheer brilliance. However, on the whole, this particular work completely failed to hit the mark.

The characters all landed somewhere along the continuum between being unrelatable and downright intolerable. The writing often gave the impression of immaturity and self-indulgence. The exploration of concepts seemed cursory and muddled rather than incisive and profound. This is precisely the opposite of what one would anticipate from Murdoch, whose writing, right from her very debut, was so vibrant and brilliant. To witness that brilliance dwindle to just occasional flashes was truly disappointing.

And yet, I can easily forgive Murdoch for this misstep. By the time she penned The Green Knight, she was well into her 70s. The fact that she could still produce something with any moments of brilliance at that stage of her life is worthy of significant note.

One of the most significant issues with the novel is how incongruous it felt being set in the mid-90s. There were two summers of love between 1958 and 1993, yet Murdoch was still writing about sex and relationships in almost the same manner as she did in The Bell from that earlier year. Indeed, throughout the entire novel, it felt as if a liberal intellectual group from the 50s had time-traveled to 90s London. What had once felt radical now felt extremely out of place in a city filled with rave music and the HIV epidemic. I can't fault Murdoch for losing touch, but that does little to salvage The Green Knight.

I have been thoroughly caught up in the dramas of Lucus and Clement and their brush with murder. Additionally, Bellamy's wish to become a monk adds another layer of complexity to the story. I truly enjoy Iris's way with words. So far, everything has been going well.

I have now finished reading the story. Iris weaves a good narrative that kept me unable to stop turning the pages. However, there is one flaw. One of the characters dies suddenly, and I suspect that Iris simply killed him off to bring the story to a conclusion. This is because no other character actually questions why he died or how he died. As a result, while the other characters have resolutions to their problems, the catalyst (the character that dies) is just forgotten. It seems a bit of a letdown that this important aspect of the story is not explored further.

Overall, despite this one flaw, I still found the story engaging and well-written. Iris has a talent for creating interesting characters and a captivating plot. I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

I picked this book up in Oxfam.

At first glance, it seemed like the kind of book I would love. It's a long, twisty family drama with multiple characters and points of view.

However, as I delved deeper into the story, I found myself struggling to truly engage with the characters.

Their actions and motives sometimes felt a bit flat or predictable.

Moreover, the ending wrapped up far too neatly for my taste.

It felt a bit rushed and lacking in the kind of emotional depth and complexity that I was hoping for.

Don't get me wrong, the book is well written and not unenjoyable.

The author has a good command of the language and the story does have its moments.

It just didn't light me up in the way that some other books have.

I think there might be better Murdoch's to try.

I’ve reached novel #25, and at this point, I simply can’t help but respond subjectively.

This particular novel had such a profound impact on me that it actually reduced me to tears at one point, a mixture of both happiness and sadness.

There is another wonderful dog in the story, and interestingly, we get to see from his point of view at one stage. There is hair, which might seem like a small detail but adds to the overall texture of the narrative.

Eventually, there is a raging sea, which brings a sense of chaos and adventure. There is also a surfeit of enchanters, adding an element of magic and mystery.

However, there are also some very annoying (albeit beautiful) adolescents, who bring a different kind of drama.

There are much-mourned, dead husbands, which adds a layer of grief and loss. And there are incursions of the supernatural, which keep the reader on the edge of their seat.

A later age might call it a novel drenched in Murdochian fan service. But for me, I loved it.

Perhaps because there is only one more novel to go in this series, I did not want it to end. I was completely engrossed in the story and didn't want to leave this fictional world just yet.

I AM THE WEAKEST OF YOUR KNIGHTS, AND THE DULLEST-MINDED,

SO MY DEATH WOULD BE LEAST LOSS, IF TRUTH BE TOLD.

- Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

If you ever attempt to read this late novel by the remarkable Iris Murdoch, it is essential to fasten your seatbelts first. Be prepared to extricate your mind from some perniciously sticky imaginative spiderwebs. Once you enter this winding labyrinth with its suggestions of lurking ogres everywhere, hopefully, you will mark your progress on its walls to ensure a safe exit!

By far, the best way to convey the deeply atmospheric and intense plot-line of the book is by quoting Baudelaire (English translation to follow):

La nature est un temple où de vivants piliers

Laissent parfois sortir de confuses paroles;

L'homme y passe à travers des forêts de symboles

Qui l'observent avec des regards familiers.

Nature is a temple where living pillars

Sometimes give voice to confused words;

Man passes there through forests of symbols

Which look at him with knowing glances.

Do you perceive the intense, rich, brooding atmosphere? THIS is The Green Knight.

The Green Knight was that pernicious and deceitful adversary of the noble Sir Gawain in the medieval Anglo-Saxon Romance. And THIS Green Knight was the commencement of Murdoch's troubled descent into Alzheimer's Disease. It is terrifying to read in more ways than one. Someone once conducted a word count of Murdoch's last works and discovered that the number and complexity of the words she used decreased DRAMATICALLY towards the end of her writing career.

Murdoch was a specialist in contemporary philosophy who was becoming lost in its Dark Wood. For without attaining a full and exhaustive knowledge of oneself, the entire raison d’être of metaphysics crumbles. As Socrates suggests, we engage in philosophical thought not only to understand the world as a whole but also to DISARM THE DEVILS of our everyday life. However, Murdoch was lost in the metaphysical labyrinth because total self-knowledge was unbearable. The underworld was prevailing. Exhausted, she activated her imagination's autopilot switch when writing this: A FATAL mistake for anyone - because then, the devils WIN.

It is an edge-of-your-seat challenge to complete the novel. It is very similar to reading the early John Irving: if something CAN go wrong, it WILL - so be cautious! It is very much a HAUNTED work. Personally, I could not reach the end, although I bravely continued reading until well past the mid-point. For those of us who know the Might of Erebus, it is just too filled with shadowy, half-glimpsed fears. Like engaging in pitched battle with hobgoblins! And there was a LOT to contemplate when I finally put it down.

One thing I considered then was the way Murdoch's husband described her final years in his wonderful Elegy for Iris and Iris and Her Friends. He states that his wife - the eternal philosophy professor - never abandoned her search for truth, and that he successfully maintained her spirits with his jokes and loving care until almost the end. It is almost as if, in her own mind, she was Penelope or even Ulysses, embarking on a Second Odyssey... For her final destination and resting place was almost in sight. She was simply attempting to maintain an even keel and still striving, like old Tennyson:

"To strive, to seek, to find - and not to yield."

Exquisite dialogue, well-crafted characters, and a profound gravity that compels the reader to look deep within oneself.

Each time I read this, it seems to improve. However, it does place a significant demand on its reader. So, be forewarned.

—"How terribly quickly things fade into the past and people morph into ghosts, initially vivid ones, then pale ones, then mere names, and finally – nothing."—

This piece of writing truly stands out for its ability to engage the reader on multiple levels. The dialogue is so masterfully constructed that it feels as if the characters are real and alive, having genuine conversations. The characters themselves are well-developed, with their own unique personalities and traits. And the underlying theme of the fleeting nature of time and the loss of people and memories is both poignant and thought-provoking. It makes the reader reflect on their own life and the importance of珍惜 the present moment and the people in it. Overall, this is a remarkable piece of work that is sure to leave a lasting impression on anyone who reads it.

One of my all-time favorites is this book that I re-read every few years.

The setting of the story is contemporary, yet it doesn't give the impression of being 'real'.

Many people complain that the dialogue and characters don't seem realistic, but that's not the intention.

This isn't realist literature. It's like complaining that Monet's 'Water Lilies' are all blurry.

Also, the plot revolves around a 'murder mystery', but most of the book isn't directly focused on this aspect.

Instead, a great deal more attention is paid to character development and the inward meaning.

The author seems to be more interested in exploring the human psyche and the deeper themes that lie beneath the surface of the story.

Overall, this book is a unique and engaging read that offers a different perspective on life and literature.

It challenges the reader to look beyond the obvious and to discover the hidden beauty and meaning within.

Despite its flaws, it remains one of my favorite books and I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for something a little different.