Charles Arrowby, a renowned director, leaves the world of theater and retires to a village by the sea, where he reunites with his first love. However, this is by no means a novel about love or a return home, but rather about possession, fury, inner demons. Or, as Mr. Arrowby himself puts it: “Of course, this verbose journal is nothing but a façade, the literary equivalent of the daily smile that camouflages the inner ravages of jealousy, brooding, fear, and the consciousness of an irreversible moral failure.”

If I may be permitted the metaphor, since it seems to fit, this book has taken me by surprise and shattered my expectations like a cliff. I did not expect for a moment – nor did I hope, for that matter – for such force. At times, I even had vibes from “Under the Net” – and I say this as a very, very high compliment – perhaps due to the obsessive nature of the characters and the dark atmosphere, in which Iris Murdoch has proven to be a master.

It is indeed a special novel and, I believe, a masterpiece by almost all standards.

My first encounter/confrontation with Murdoch, and I don't know where to start this review. It can be said that it is an unconventional work, that it does not follow known patterns, that at times it moves in circles, that it prioritizes the expression of philosophical ideas over the plausibility of the fiction... so many things can be said, and this is the best demonstration that it is worth reading the 700 pages, with its moments of slump, because this work leaves you a lasting impression, different from other readings.

The character – the only one that really matters since he is the center and the engine of the action – is Charles Harrowby, a well-known playwright who in his middle age escapes the mundane London noise to take refuge in a large house by the sea, in a small coastal town.

The author begins by minutely describing the new environment in which Charles installs himself satisfied: the house and its surroundings, with its breathtaking sea views and its dangerous cliffs, but also the small town, the pub and the few shops. We also get to know in detail the routine that the character develops to enjoy his chosen solitude: long baths in the sea and the unhurried enjoyment of simple but deliciously seasoned meals. At the same time, he reflects on his life and the people who have been important to him, writing a kind of memoirs that are intertwined with the narration of the present.

But as happens with Prospero in The Tempest, this insular harmony that he has developed will soon be disrupted by the appearance of a series of characters, shipwrecks of the past who are washing up on his domains as if by a kind of fatality. All these actors – that's what they seem to be – move on the stages described in the first part and the impression of finding ourselves in front of a play is越来越 powerful, a play in which Charles directs – and perhaps invents – always remaining in the center, despising all feelings that are not his own.

The characters sound false, stereotypes that perhaps are nothing more than projections of Charles' mind, ghosts of the past with which he has to settle accounts, people over whom he has exercised – and exercises – an implacable dominion, the power of his attraction, in relationships devoid of true feelings. Old loves like Rosina or Lizzie, friends like Gilbert or Perry, as well as his cousin James – a kind of double who has been persecuting him since childhood – parade again and again, come and go on the maritime stages.

In this kind of staging of the end of life, the first love could not be missing, and so it happens, when Mary Hartley Fitch appears, whom Charles has not seen since adolescence. Coincidentally, she lives in the town and is married to Ben, an unpleasant man who does not seem – in Charles' eyes – capable of making her happy. Immediately he becomes obsessed with liberating Hartley from a marriage that he considers sinister, going to delirious, tragicomic extremes, with the chorus of Greek tragedy formed by the various guests who come and go in the dilapidated mansion as witnesses. To them is added Titus, Hartley's adopted son, in whom Charles embodies his unfulfilled desires of fatherhood.

There are various allusions to the Tibetan bard, a space where the dead wander – still linked to life – before finding the definitive path to eternity. And I think that is the meaning of this novel, the theater of the end of life, the account that the protagonist gives before plunging into nothingness. As part of this balance, he tries to compensate for his frustrations: the lack of true love, his suppressed desire for fatherhood and finally the non-acceptance of himself embodied by his tortuous relationship with James, his nemesis and his double. At the end of the process, it cannot be said that he has improved as a person in a conventional way, but there has been a certain catharsis through pain, so that Charles' blind egocentrism seems to crack in some points.

A difficult work, full of philosophical reflections (I would quote and not finish), with very beautiful descriptions of the sea (ditto), unclassifiable in a specific genre, at times bordering on the absurd but which in the end acquires meaning. I'll stick with Gabriele Annan's definition: ‘A comedy with portholes for looking out at the cosmos.’

It's strange to think that when I went to live by the sea, I imagined that I was giving up the world. But one frees oneself from power in one way and clings to it in another.

Tan impecable como larga y reiterativa. It is truly impeccable in its length and repetitiveness. This has reminded me in many moments of Javier Marías. There is that meticulous dissection of the motives that drive the characters to act, their emotions, the doubts about making one decision or another, and the consequences derived from their actions. All of this is pointed out very well. However, the problem is that the protagonist is a despicable individual with a behavior that is mostly ridiculous. And the cast of characters that swarm around him constantly pass by as in bad TV series. Everything is very forced and very tragic: extremely hysterical women, very stupid idiots, and overly casual coincidences.

Yes, but no. It has its good points in terms of the detailed exploration of characters and motives, yet it is marred by the unlikable protagonist and the somewhat far-fetched and overdone nature of the supporting cast and events. It's a bit of a mixed bag, leaving the reader with a sense of both appreciation and disappointment.

The lessons learned from this novel:

1. Marriage can destroy your life.

2. Retreat can destroy your life.

And it is a very important novel for those who wish to heal from first love.

I think the name of the house (Endeavour) where the events take place is equivalent to (the House of Madmen) in some translation.

If we move on to the good review, it starts here:

It is a very beautiful novel if you can overcome Charles' dullness in the chapter "Before the History", which is a cold, scattered and boring chapter that makes you think of putting the book aside if the narration is not bad this time, but you later discover that this chapter is very important because it gives you the foundation that shaped Charles' emotional life.

The novel delves into emotional relationships or (love) from Charles' point of view, and while it starts with his announcement of his retirement and his move to the isolated coastal village and the unknown "Endeavour" haunted house, it suddenly becomes crowded with female characters, former lovers, and lovers too! And thus we find ourselves in the middle of a romantic comedy of triangular and intertwined relationships.

A loves B.

B loves C.

C, God knows who he loves or if he even knows love at all!

But the most prominent of these relationships and the one that the story reaches its peak with is Charles' old love from childhood days, the one he lost once in his youth, and now in their old age he meets her by chance, and he "literally" goes crazy to get her back.

This novel reveals a unique kind of what people call love, something they are content with believing in its truth and its importance to them, even when they have lived happily without it for forty years. We see love and passion mixed with lust, madness, naivety and jealousy, and we watch Charles go from the calm of life to the storm of emotions.

The narrative style depends on the detailed external poetic description of every place and every thing to give you the feeling of the place, and it also delves into the depth of Charles' (the narrator) thoughts and feelings skillfully. I felt the events unfold like the waves of the sea that form the setting of the novel, rising and falling, and it seemed like music. I enjoyed being there in the house of Endeavour by the sea.

There is a kind of sarcasm and comedy in the novel that makes you laugh in many passages. And as if all that preceded is not enough, Murdoch adds a metaphysical side to her novel by leaving some questions unanswered in the haze of possibilities beyond nature.

The novel won the Booker Prize and I'm sure I would give it the Booker Prize too if I were asked.

Ah, the sea! That glorious and wonderful spectacle that brings joy to countless people. Whether it's swimming, diving, surfing, fishing, boating, splashing about in waist-high water, or simply strolling along the shoreline hand in hand with your love as the tide tickles your feet. But for some, like Iris Murdoch's fictional character Charles Arrowby, it's a different story. After all, this is the British coast. The former theatre playwright and actor just wanted to escape and retire by the sea, away from London and everyone else, to be left alone. But could he have foreseen the events that would unfold in his life? Seeing a sea serpent, believing a ghost is wandering around his home, running into women from his past - both good and bad, nearly drowning through an apparent attempted murder, and ending up with a houseful of unwanted guests, except for the one he truly wants: Hartley, his childhood love.

This 1978 Booker prize-winning novel was a feast of reading. It had rich, textured, and deep characters, great writing, and a story that kept me intrigued throughout. It was a study of vanity and self-delusion, with Arrowby as the egomaniac narrator. He writes, \\"How huge it is, how empty, this great space for which I have been longing all my life.\\" He would clamber down the rocks and take to the sea for a swim, rain or shine. Arrowby is writing his memoirs, chronicling his successful career in the histrionic arts. He wants to be a hermit, indulging in fine wine and gourmet food while pondering over his history.

But with nothing but his writings, it's inevitable that Arrowby will create some high drama in his boring life. And he does just that by attempting to draw his former lover Lizzie into his new life while trying to destroy the marriage of his childhood sweetheart, Hartley. Other visitors also appear on the scene, congregating at his new abode and shedding light on Arrowby's past and present. Their relationships reveal the shallow ways of his self-knowledge, as well as his ability to be a manipulating bully and a complete belligerent asshole. I always believe that you don't have to love or even like the characters to greatly enjoy and appreciate a novel. In this one, Murdoch adeptly elaborates on a motif that followed her throughout her life: to be good, one must transform the personal into the impersonal and concern oneself with others. Inspired by Shakespeare's The Tempest, The Sea, The Sea brilliantly depicts the risks and self-deceptions of life, the distinction between imagination and fantasy, and the importance of navigating these dangers.

Murdoch's subtly and blackly humorous digs build into waves of hilarity, and Arrowby is a brilliant creation. He's such an intriguing narrator that I couldn't get enough of him, leading to one of the finest character studies in British literature from the second half of the 20th century. But Murdoch also uses a cast of supporting characters to great effect. Hartley, a gray, worn, and distraught woman; the jealous, raging ex-lover Rosina; Peregrine, an old friend with possible ulterior motives; Titus, a young man who turns out to be Hartley's son; and cousin James, who may or may not have some sort of Tibetan superhuman ability - they all add to the story tremendously well. I found this novel to be truly brilliant and it's definitely one of my favorites by a female writer.

I always find myself feeling incredibly stupid whenever I am unable to fully appreciate the writing of a highly acclaimed, award-winning author. And right now, I am experiencing that exact feeling of stupidity.

This novel, without a doubt, was extremely well-written from a technical perspective. However, as a reading experience, I simply disliked it.

Charles has recently retired from his career in the theater and has relocated to a seaside home in a small English village. To his great delight, he discovers that his childhood crush is living in the vicinity. But to his consternation, he learns that this woman has no desire to run away with him.

This novel is filled with the most narcissistic, pathetically needy, and pompous cast of characters that I have ever encountered. The structure of the novel is a combination of a diary and a memoir, in which Charles not only records the events as they unfold but also his internal musings on them.

Charles is the kind of person whom I would consider a complete bore in real life and would avoid scrupulously. And he was no more pleasant when presented on the page.

Anti-hero, an unlikeable protagonist, and an unreliable narrator - Charles Arrowby is drawn incredibly and credibly by Murdoch. She initially makes us inclined to roll our eyes at him. However, as the story progresses, she manages to turn us around and make us sympathize with his all too human foibles. This is quite a remarkable feat. It's not what I had expected from the book. In fact, it's not a reread-able for me. But still, I'm glad to finally get it off my To-Be-Read (TBR) list. I would rate this book 3 1/2 stars. It's a unique and thought-provoking read that challenges our perceptions of characters and their actions. Despite its flaws, it has managed to leave an impression on me.

Took me quite a while to get through this 500-page book. It had several logical pause points, which made it easier to read in pieces. I'm not in the mood to write a lengthy review. Others have already covered the plot, as well as the symbolism and allegory. That's not really my thing. I'm going to focus on my impression of the story.

As a huge fan of quirky characters, I was immediately drawn to Charles Arrowby. Giving up a successful London stage career to live in a Gothic-esque tower by the sea sounded great. But I thought no electricity at all by the 1970s was a bit extreme. The story seemed a bit "timeless" until it was set in the "present day" of 1978 with a reference to Jimmy Carter. The meals chez Arrowby were impressive considering the lack of refrigeration. The first part of the book was a great read for me as it set up how Charles had become the person settling into such a life.

Unfortunately, the second part focused a lot on the One True Love of his life. Her re-appearance made him act like a stalker, even though she was married. Others have labeled Charles an "unreliable narrator," which is true, but not in the way I expected. It wasn't that the facts he relayed were inaccurate, but his interpretation of events was wrong. I ended up skimming through some of the later sections where he was obsessed with getting her back. Moreover, the woman's adopted son played a central role, and I wasn't interested in him either.

What really made the book stand out for me were the secondary characters. James and Rosina were two of the most memorable. Charles was an only child of ordinary middle-class parents. He and his parents would sometimes stay at his paternal grandparents' place. There, he would often meet his cousin James, who was also an only child but from a more privileged background. As Charles made a name for himself in the theatre, James rose through the ranks in the military. Charles loved the sea, while James loved the mountains. Also, Charles was a self-centered hedonist, while James had become a Buddhist. James visited Shruff End, and eventually, the two were reconciled as best as could be imagined.

Years earlier, Charles had stolen Rosina from her husband and then abandoned her. Decades later, she still hadn't gotten over it and vowed to ruin his chances of happiness with any other woman. What interested me about Rosina was her ability to get under Charles's skin, even though he casually dismissed the other people from his past who had also re-appeared. It was Rosina who finally made Charles accept that his distorted perception of his old flame's situation made it impossible for them to have a life together. The highly effective epilogue left Charles a more contented person, no longer running from the past.

Initially, I was disappointed that the audio edition, narrated by Derek Jacobi, was unavailable. But since the middle section was full of love-centered angst, I was okay with that. I gave this book four stars because the setting and characters carried the story so well. I'm really glad I chose this one as an introduction to the author.

Iris Murdoch's novels often explore the thoughts and experiences of central male characters with unreliable narrations. In "The Sea, The Sea," Charles Arrowby, a retired actor, playwright, and director, takes center stage with one of the most concentrated and self-delusional narratives.

The story unfolds in a small coastal village where Charles hopes to lead a peaceful life writing his memoir. However, events quickly disrupt his plans. The old, damp, and mysterious house he has purchased, along with the ever-present vastness of the sea, creates a unique atmosphere. The novel is filled with beautiful descriptions of the sea, sky, and rocks, providing a respite from Charles and his food-obsessed thoughts.
As the story progresses, we learn about Charles' past, including his numerous romantic entanglements that continue to haunt him. We also meet several characters from his past who are inexplicably drawn to him, despite his flaws. The comings and goings of these characters add to the drama and humor of the novel, making it a compelling read.
Charles himself is a complex and flawed character. He is selfish, egotistical, vain, misogynistic, and deluded, yet there are moments when we see a glimmer of his humanity. His search for something outside of himself to change and purify him is a common theme in Murdoch's novels.
Overall, "The Sea, The Sea" is a prime example of Iris Murdoch's writing style, with its dislikable characters, unreliable narrator, humor, drama, tragedy, and wonderful prose. Her portrait of Charles Arrowby is one of her best, offering a fascinating glimpse into the mind of a deeply flawed yet captivating individual.

Introduction

--The Sea, The Sea

The sea is a vast and mysterious expanse that has captivated human imagination for centuries. Its beauty and power are both awe-inspiring and humbling. The waves crash against the shore, creating a thunderous sound that can be heard from miles away. The colors of the sea change with the time of day and the weather, ranging from deep blue to green and even gray.

Beneath the surface of the sea lies a world of wonder and mystery. Coral reefs teem with life, from tiny fish to majestic sharks. Schools of dolphins and whales swim gracefully through the water, their bodies glistening in the sunlight. The sea is also home to many unique and fascinating species that have yet to be discovered.

Despite its beauty and mystery, the sea can also be a dangerous place. Powerful currents and storms can make it difficult for ships to navigate, and many sailors have lost their lives at sea. However, humans have continued to explore the sea, driven by a sense of curiosity and a desire to understand its secrets.

In conclusion, the sea is a remarkable and complex ecosystem that has much to offer. Whether we are exploring its depths or simply enjoying its beauty from the shore, the sea has the power to inspire and amaze us. We must continue to protect this precious resource and ensure that it remains healthy and vibrant for future generations to enjoy.

A Fabulous Investigation into Ego, Vanity, and Sexual Stalking

Charles Arrowby, a theatre director, makes a significant decision to retire to a tower by the sea. His motivation? To be close to his childhood sweetheart. The novel is narrated by Arrowby himself, as he has decided to pen his memoirs. Murdoch has masterfully crafted a brilliant unreliable narrator in Arrowby. As readers, we find ourselves constantly straining to read between his lines, trying to uncover the truth beneath his self-serving accounts.

The story takes a thrilling turn when Arrowby sets out to destroy the marriage of his childhood sweetheart. He becomes like an inverted 20th-century Prospero, blinded by his narcissism and a bullying predisposition to control everyone within his sphere of influence. His actions are both captivating and disturbing, keeping us on the edge of our seats.

This novel is truly a masterpiece, exploring the complex themes of ego, vanity, and sexual stalking. It is my favorite Iris Murdoch novel, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a thought-provoking and engaging read.

**Prospero in the Bardo**

The fictitious autobiographical novel follows Charles Arrowby, a former theatre director and actor. He retires to a solitary house by the sea to live a quiet life and come to terms with his Shakespearean past. Leaving theatre, he realizes its magical yet corrupting power. Now, he believes his only power lies in virtue and aims to become good. Amid his observations of the sea and unique meals, the scene is almost ideal. But memories haunt him, and he is soon visited by former actors, friends, and lovers. In his quest for goodness, he stars as Perseus, determined to save Andromeda. Like Prospero, he uses his moral compass to recast himself and others. But is goodness a power? Will he renounce magic for a true vision?

Iris Murdoch creates an extremely egocentric narrator, but there's an addictive quality to his voice and vulnerability in his confessions. The novel is philosophical, metaphoric, dramatic, and comic, with hidden references to Shakespeare's *The Tempest*. It's a tribute to art and literature. The landscape is masterfully intertwined with the psychological, and the sea represents the infinite universe of human thoughts and emotions. Despite struggling with some themes, this novel made me think and feel, and it deserves five stars in spirit. One day, I'll write a proper review. For now, here are some lines from the magicians.