This was yet another book I delved into as I aimed to complete the entire Penguin Top 100 Classics list. I must confess that I approached it with a certain degree of trepidation. Firstly, I had never read any of this author's work before, and the blurb didn't exactly set my heart on fire. Secondly, it had won the Booker Prize, and my past experiences with such 'winning' books had mostly been ones of disappointment. However, to my pleasant surprise, this one turned out quite differently.

Renowned theatre actor and director Charles Arrowby has finally made the decision to retire. He has purchased a house on the cliffs near a small coastal village in England,渴望着 total isolation and the opportunity to pen a novel/journal/diary chronicling his life and loves. At first, he relishes being alone and having an abundance of time at his disposal. But soon, he tires of swimming in the sea, strolling along the cliffs, and attempting to curry favor with the locals, who seem unimpressed by his celebrity status. He waxes lyrical about his former life and the women with whom he has had relationships, despite never having married. Charles attributes this to his first love, schoolgirl Hartley. They had a platonic yet loving relationship, and both promised to marry when they turned 18. But when that time came, Hartley got cold feet and refused to marry him. She eventually vanished without a trace and married someone else. This disappointment haunted Charles throughout his life and is the reason he cites for never tying the knot. So, it comes as a total shock when he discovers that Hartley and her husband live in the same village. Despite the decades that have elapsed since their first encounter, he becomes convinced that he and Hartley are meant to be together and sets out to undermine their marriage and steal Hartley away from her husband.

Simultaneously, several of Charles's former colleagues from the theatre, including women he has been involved with, and his somewhat estranged cousin James, all converge on him in scenes that recall a West End farce. As Charles becomes increasingly delusional about his love for Hartley and hers for him, his attempts to persuade her to join him verge on the farcical at times. Yet, there are also violent incidents, attempted murder, and even death as the story unfolds. Overall, although it was a bit on the long side, I did enjoy the read and will be on the lookout for more from this author. I'd rate it a 9/10.

Among the many Murdoch books I have read, after "A Severed Head", this one became my favorite. It is a perfect example of a farce; almost all the characters are like caricatures of themselves. First of all, there is the narrator Charles. The famous actor Charles buys a house by the sea to listen to his head. The hallucinations he saw at first, and then his encounter with his childhood love, turn his life upside down. Charles, who develops an addiction-like dependence on his childhood love Hartley, tries to disrupt her marriage and take her away. Since all the characters and events are told from Charles' self-centered and narrow perspective, we don't even know how much we should trust what. All the characters enter and exit the stage just like in a theater play, and Charles interprets them all with his egocentrism.

I never get bored of Murdoch, but the only criticism I can make of "The Sea, the Sea" is that the story dragged on a bit too much. Other than that, it is a book that gives the pleasure of reading with its Murdochian extreme characters, absurd events and unexpected turns.

I had the distinct feeling that I had been engrossed in this particular piece of reading for what seemed like half of my adult life. It was a rather disconcerting realization when I discovered that I was, in fact, less than halfway through.

Apparently, there are supposed to be some truly great treats in store for those who have the perseverance to stick it out until the very end. However, I found myself disliking the narrator to such an extent that I simply wasn't willing to invest another twenty or thirty evenings in his company.

As a result, I made the decision to DNF (Did Not Finish). It was a tough call, but sometimes you have to know when to cut your losses and move on to something else that might be more enjoyable and engaging.

I can only hope that the next book or reading material I pick up will capture my interest and hold my attention from start to finish.

The Sea, the Sea is the well-deserved 1978 winner of the Booker Prize. It is a masterful and incisive exploration of the full spectrum of human frailty, presented in all its unflinching detail. Every emotion that plagues the soul is forcefully brought to the forefront of consciousness and vividly displayed, making the reading experience at times rather uncomfortable. Very few books that feature a despicable, self-centered cad as the main character have managed to earn a five-star rating from me, but this one is an exception.

Charles Arrowby, a renowned theatre artist in his sixties, has retired to Shruff End, a "seaside paradise" he owns, with the intention of writing a memoir and ostensibly "repenting of a life of egotism." His intended subject is his love affair with Clement Makin, a deceased, older actress and mistress who had a profound impact on his professional and personal life. Hailed in the popular press as a "tyrant," a "tartar," and a "power-crazed monster," Charles is both adored and feared by the actors and actresses whose careers he can make or break. From the very beginning, however, Charles' writing plans are disastrously and irreversibly derailed. He reveals that "something happened which was so extraordinary and so horrible that I cannot bring myself to describe it even now after an interval of time..." The memoir that Charles ultimately writes is the book we are reading. It is an account of his life, particularly his obsessive pursuit of a childhood love that represents for him an ideal so pure that nothing must be allowed to stand in the way of its revival.

After forty long years, Mary Hartley Smith still holds a special place in Charles' heart as his one true and only love, or so he claims. In comparison, other women are mere shadows. Or so he also claims. Charles has a low opinion of women, using them for his own pleasure and discarding them at will. His relationships are marked by irrational jealousy, vampiric possessiveness, and a guiltless delight in破坏他人的婚姻. His former flames - Lizzie and Rosina - show up at his seaside cottage, vying for his love despite having endured humiliation and heartbreak. The husbands of these actresses also make an appearance. Their interactions are tense yet hilariously entertaining. Charles has no qualms about exploiting each of his adoring colleagues until he unexpectedly encounters Hartley in the village. This encounter with his lost love sets off a series of devastating events that spin out of control. The heart of the story is Charles' descent into increasing horror and tragedy, as he is so determined to seize happiness at the expense of others' misery.

Murdoch describes the pain of longing, confusion, jealousy, possessiveness, deception, manipulation, and servitude with remarkable candor and insight. The internal turmoil finds a literal echo in the tempestuous sea, whose wildness and beauty are captured in countless flashes of color and delight. It takes Murdoch over 500 pages to carefully sift through the main character until he is finally able to distinguish the truth from the falsehood that has accumulated over time and allow the reader to perceive the essence of truth.

The characters in the novel are larger than life, which is understandable given their profession as actors. They leave a lasting impression as friends who matter, despite their imperfections. They become a source of light for Charles in the murky mess he has created for himself. Lizzie, whom I felt most affectionately towards, writes to Charles: "My love for you has always had a sad face. Oh the weakness of the power of love." And yet, she makes one of the most touching pleas to Charles for his kindness: "Tenderness and absolute trust and communication and truth: these things matter more and more as one grows older."

Read The Sea, the Sea. Like the unfathomable sea, this novel has depth and profundity that promise to inspire a deeper understanding of the natural impulses that drive both the best and worst in human behavior.

Without doubt, this is the best book by Iris Murdoch that I've read so far. It is balanced, beautifully written, witty, and not overly burdened with philosophy. The story revolves around Charles Arrowby, a theatre-director who is extremely egocentric and manipulative. He has lived a life in the glare of the media spotlight. In his sixties, he retires to a remote little house by the sea to write his memoirs and reflect on life. There, he unexpectedly stumbles upon his former youth love, Hartley, who happens to live in the nearby village. She left him when he was only 18, leaving him with a lifelong trauma. The woman is now old and rather ordinary, but for him, she becomes an all-consuming obsession. Only after a long series of surprises and dramatic incidents does he realize that he has become the victim of his own manipulative approach to reality.

This seems like a very interesting plot, especially for the older among us. However, I'm giving this book a doubtful rating. This is because Murdoch has turned this story into a real "vaudeville" with never-ending twists and turns. While this gives it a very theatrical flavor, it undermines the credibility of the story. It's a pity that what could have been a great exploration of human nature and relationships is somewhat marred by this over-the-top treatment. (2.5 stars)

**Title: The Complex Journey of Charles Arrowby**

Charles Arrowby, a celebrated figure in the theatrical world, decides to retire. He purchases an isolated house by a rocky shore in the north of England, envisioning a life of solitude, cold water swims, and home-cooked wholesome foods. He hopes this will inspire him to write an intimate journal/memoir/novel that will earn more acclaim. However, he fails to realize that wherever he goes, he takes himself along, and the troubles of his past are of his own making.

The sea, which he initially views as a source of inspiration and solace, soon becomes a backdrop for his inner turmoil. He obsesses over the lack of letters and visitors, and even starts to worry about the house being haunted. The arrival of various women from his past, each with their own baggage and motives, further complicates his life.

Despite his claims of not being a philanderer, Charles' actions suggest otherwise. He has seduced multiple women and shown no inclination for fidelity. His memoir reveals a disconnect between the image he has of himself and the reality others see. He wants life to be like a play, carefully scripted to achieve a happy ending, but he fails to consider the feelings and preferences of others.

Cousin James, a voice of reason and wisdom, tries to make Charles aware of his delusions. He offers free psychoanalysis, but Charles is too obstinate and self-obsessed to listen. In the end, Charles' actions lead to a monumental defeat, and he is left to face the consequences of his choices.

The novel explores themes of love, power, self-discovery, and the relationship between art and life. It challenges the reader to question whether Charles is a demonic force of self-interest or just another lost pilgrim in search of love. The final verdict is left up to the reader, as the author throws the ball back at us, teasing us with a final revelation by the shore of the sea.
In conclusion, "The Sea, the Sea" is a complex and thought-provoking novel that delves deep into the human psyche. It is a true milestone in literature, offering valuable lessons about love, life, and the power of art.

This was a disappointment for me. Up to now, every book I have read by Iris Murdoch, I have given four stars. That this received the Booker Prize in 1978 blew my mind. It is Murdoch’s better novels that attention should be drawn to!

The Sea, The Sea is a fictitious memoir written by a retired, unmarried English playwright and theater director named Charles. He leaves London for an isolated abode on a rocky promontory at the coast. He says he wants to be by himself, think over his life and write a memoir of sorts. He is sixty. What is recorded is not a finished book; we are given his thoughts, his musings. He moves to his newly purchased house on the sea, and who does he there meet but his first love, a girlfriend from his adolescence. A long stream of coincidences begins. He idolizes and fantasizes about his long lost friend. She, by the way, is married. The two had left each other years ago when they were just kids. They have lived completely separate lives. Charles, writing his memoirs, has had many other love interests since her. He had in fact intended on writing about another one of his loves. He has had so many, it is at time hard to keep straight the details of each.

What is Charles fantasizing about? His first love or his own youth? Clearly, it's a complex mix. His memories are clouded, and he seems to be lost in a web of his own creation.

Do not think this is a story about a quiet stay by the sea. It is anything but! There are a few pretty lines describing the landscape, but the primary focus is instead on people, their motivations and convoluted relationships. Ghosts, a poltergeist and mysterious, spooky events occur. The writing is theatrical, full of drama, often melodramatic in tone. Keep in mind, Charles’ whole life has been spent in the theater.

As a stage director, it has been Charles’ job to tell others what to do. Ordering people around and expounding his views have become essential elements of his personality. He is self-centered and egotistical too. Charles’ indiscriminate use of the word love in describing his relationships with woman after woman makes the word love in his mouth meaningless. I cannot imagine anyone liking Charles or believing what he says.

The novel reads as a theater performance, and as such it does mirror Charles’ world, but flipping between different characters, topics, events and themes, the flow of the tale stops and starts. What is told is disjointed and jerky. Characters come on stage, disappear into the background and reappear again later. There are many characters to keep track of! There are clashes of drama that peak into violent crescendos. Maybe you like melodrama. I don’t; I prefer realism.

I find both the characters and the events implausible. Coincidental too. Many voices are raised. Divergent views are expressed. With so many versions being told, it is difficult to know what is true. The confusion that arises, rather than arousing my curiosity, had me fed up. Characters’ personalities become blurred. Why bother analyzing characters’ words and thoughts when that which they say is exaggerated, false or without meaning. These are problems I had with the novel.

Also, the story is too long and drawn out. It could have been tightened up and made more concise.

The book ends with a long postscript, also written by Charles. The problem here is that although he has gained understanding of himself and others, readers have not watched him gradually learn, change and grow wiser. Charles has now suddenly understanding and wisdom that he lacked previously. We have seen no gradual growth in understanding. I have a hard time believing that he has changed.

Richard E. Grant narrates the audiobook very well. He does English, Scottish and Irish accents excellently. His narration captures the humor that the author has put into the lines. Charles’ temporary chauffeur, Gilbert, is sure to leave you laughing. Four stars for the audio narration.

There are some good lines, but I see so much that could have been better. Don’t read just this by Murdoch. You can find better.

********************

*The Black Prince 4 stars

*A Fairly Honourable Defeat 4 stars

*The Sandcastle 4 stars

*The Sea, The Sea 2 stars

*The Good Apprentice TBR

*The Bell TBR

*The Unicorn TBR

*The Time of the Angels TBR

*The Flight from the Enchanter TBR

Congratulations, Ms. Murdoch!

You are not only a brilliant novelist, but you have also managed to do something truly remarkable. You have matched, no, surpassed your male peers in creating relationships that are so claustrophobically bilious between characters who are so utterly hateful.

The intensity of these relationships is truly nauseating. In fact, I almost puked all over page 203 just now. The emotions and interactions you have crafted are so powerful and disturbing that they have a physical impact on the reader.

However, instead of continuing to endure the discomfort, I chose to bail. I simply couldn't take it anymore. But despite my decision to stop reading, I have to give you credit. Well done!

Your ability to create such vivid and repulsive characters and relationships is a testament to your talent as a writer. Bravo!

What a deliciously loathsome, hilariously ridiculous character our hero is!

He is a truly unique creation that both repels and attracts the reader. The author has masterfully crafted a personality that is both despicable and yet strangely endearing.

I wasn't sure it was possible, but I love this book even more than I did when I read it the first time, forty years ago.

Over the decades, my perspective has changed, and yet this story still manages to capture my imagination and touch my heart.

The vivid descriptions and engaging plot keep me turning the pages, eager to see what will happen next.

It's a testament to the power of great literature that this book has endured the test of time and remains as relevant and enjoyable today as it was all those years ago.

I can't wait to share it with others and introduce them to the wonderful world of this deliciously loathsome hero.

The sea... The sea... The sea until the end of the world.

The sea within the heart, and the sea throughout life, and the sea until the end. This is how Iris Murdoch wanted the sea to be an extension of lives and ages, of humans and speeches, of love and loss, and of madness and regret.

Murdoch writes a long book for a man in the last stage of his life, who decides to write his diaries in seclusion by the side of the sea. She plays the tape of memory not just for the sake of remembering, but for settlement and renewal of ties with relationships, and for understanding. The writer creates an atmosphere of psychological entanglement between the essential personality and the secondary personalities that come to stay with their charm and fascinating madness, and then leave, leaving behind a chaos of wild thoughts and lingering emotions, and also leaving unfinished relationships that belong only to their owner, like a sad seal that oozes with the last solitude.

Murdoch is a genius, a delicate artist in a way that makes you stop dumbfounded between one line and the next, whether it is a story or a speech, or an attempt at understanding that is skillfully crafted with a delicious and amazing intelligence.

She works on the work with an extended ability to create from it a manageable psychological entanglement, capable of disassembling and reassembling itself to its extreme. She has a power that is envied because she can entangle diverse, crazy, and passionate personalities that embark on their relationships and events to end the day with a strange feeling of satisfaction and lack at the same time.

This book is a treasure, in the true sense of the word. It reminds me of the books that I loved excessively and could not surpass, or even cross. Books like: Stoner and Peace and a Full Life. Books that are very close to my soul in a special and affectionate way.

For two days now, and I can't get past the orbit of this genius! Murdoch! Murdoch! Murdoch!

Curses on you, Murdoch!

This is a five-hundred-page diary of a madman. Vain, heartless, jealous, rude; all of these, and more, apply to Charles Arrowby, the central character of the novel.

Charles is a retired actor who has left London and purchased a house (Shruff End) right by the sea. His intention is to pen a memoir about his career, life, and loves. However, lo and behold, he encounters his childhood sweetheart, Hartley, who resides nearby. Suddenly, his small self-centered world goes completely off the rails.

He then sets out to persuade her to abandon her husband and elope with him, and this is the situation that unfolds throughout most of the novel. Murdoch might be one of the few writers capable of creating such an unlikable cast of characters while still maintaining the reader's interest in the story. There is no doubt that she is a good writer.

The novel was overly long, but I liked it well enough to award it four stars.

It was the winner of the 1978 Booker Prize.

The story unfolds through a series of diary entries penned by Charles Arrowby, a complex and deeply flawed individual. He is misogynistic, egocentric, impulsive, narcissistic, and selfish, all while harbouring a saviour complex. Charles has an inflated sense of himself, displaying extreme self-conceitedness. The most concerning aspect is that he firmly believes he is always in the right and never doubts his own intentions. His imagination runs wild, leading him to project a lifetime of drama and fantasies onto others through his machinations and scheming. Sadly, Charles is also self-destructive, and his actions have the potential to annihilate not only himself but those around him as well.

Turning to the writing, it is truly brilliant. The book is filled with philosophical discussions that engage the reader's mind and great characterization that brings the story to life. However, it must be noted that we can mainly focus on the narrator's character since everyone else is seen through his eyes, and his point of view is highly unreliable. In fact, throughout the 500 pages of his narration, there may be very little truth. He even admits to being an unreliable narrator.

This novel is a captivating study of obsession, the power of the past, love, and jealousy. It conveys a wealth of emotions and presents a diverse cast of characters, each with their own unique traits. The descriptions of the sea and the scenery are truly spellbinding, adding an extra layer of beauty and drama to the story. Every page is infused with tension and excitement, making it a page-turner from start to finish. Additionally, there are many great quotes and meditations on love, jealousy, life, and death that add depth and meaning to the narrative.

One such passage that stands out is: "Falling, what the child fears, what the man dreads, is itself the image of death, of the defencelessness of the body, of its frailty and mortality, its absolute subjection to alien causes. Even in a harmless fall in the road there is a little moment of horror when the faller realizes that he cannot help himself; he has been taken over by a relentless mechanism and must continue with it to the end and be subject to the consequences. ‘There is nothing more I can do.’ How long, how infinitely expansible, a second is when it contains this thought, which is an effigy of death. A complete fall into the void, something which I had often imagined on aeroplanes, is of course the most terrible thing of all. Hands, feet, muscles, all the familiar protective mechanisms of the body are suddenly useless. The enmity of matter is unleashed against the frail breakable crushable animal form, always perhaps an alien in this hard mineral gravitational scene." This passage beautifully captures the fear and vulnerability associated with falling and death, adding a touch of philosophical depth to the story.