As she turned around, she caught a glimpse in the tall mirror. She was barefoot and dressed in Paul's shirt, with the sleeves rolled up and the neck open. The shirt barely covered her thighs, revealing her long and strong legs. Dora looked at the reflection in the mirror in surprise. She noticed the vigor of her tanned neck and the straight line of the strands of hair that fell to her shoulders. She threw her head back and looked herself in the eyes with boldness. The image in the mirror sent her an encouraging message of confidence. She continued to look at the woman in the mirror, unknown to Paul. How much strength there was, in fact, in her, Dora! And no one was allowed to destroy her.

This is the first novel by Iris Murdoch that I have read. It was the author’s fourth novel, published in 1958.

The story kicks off with young wife, Dora Greenfield. She had left her husband, Paul, but is now coming back to reunite with him. Paul Greenfield is staying at Imber Court, where he is studying fourteenth century manuscripts at Imber Abbey, a Benedictine Convent.

The lay community at Imber Court is led by Michael Meade. The group of people staying there includes a young student, Toby Gash. There is also James Tayper Pace, who was once a youth group leader in East London. Catherine Fawley, who plans to become a nun, and her twin brother, Nick, are part of it too. Nick has a drinking problem and a history with Michael. Then there is the rather bossy Mrs Mark and others.

The Abbey is about to get a new bell to replace the missing one from the bell tower. There is a tale that the original bell flew from the tower into the lake, and this event is the central thread of the novel's story. However, the novel also delves into the relationships between the characters of the lay community. It's that 'buffer state' between the Abbey and the world, for those who can't fully live in or out of the world.

As Dora and Paul work through their marital issues in front of an audience, Dora soon realizes that their past is well-known to the other community members. Meanwhile, other relationships start to form and develop. Michael, bothered by Nick's brooding presence as he drinks in the lodge by the lake, is drawn to young Toby. Then Dora and Toby become embroiled in a drama of their own, related to the bell.

At first, I struggled to get into this novel. Some of the characters really annoyed me and I almost gave up. But the writing was good enough to draw me in. Gradually, I got used to the pace of the novel. It has the atmosphere of a hot, sultry English summer, where time seems to stand still and nothing ever changes. I have been part of communities like this when I was younger, during my school days. I thought the novel was very well-written and realistic, with all the suppressed passions, undercurrents, resentments, and petty quarrels that are bound to occur among any group of people living together. I'm glad I persevered with the book and eventually really enjoyed it.

After several months of separation, Nora returns to her husband. Paul is staying at the Imperial Court, next to the Abbaye Imperial, a women's monastery. The Imperial Court is a religious community created by Michael and consists of people who want to live close to nature while also having the guidance of the leader. Nora's arrival brings a new breeze, although she is worldly and innocent for some of them. The community is preparing for the arrival of the new monastery campaign by organizing a festival that they can use to find donors. Each member of the community has taken on a certain position, they discuss various topics that arise on a weekly basis and are free to perform their religious duties with freedom. However, each of them is different and has their own secrets and hidden passions. The arrival of the visitors brings chaos - will they all be able to manage it?

In this book, Murdoch does not focus on religion and its place in this particular community but also talks about the hidden desires of people that come to light, the guilt that some feel for their desires, as well as how different our perspective on the same topic can be. With her intricate writing, she presents the moral dilemmas of the characters and how these affect the personality of each in relation to the environment in which they have grown up. Although there is quite a contradiction in the decisions, it is only in Nora that it becomes very clear.

The introduction by A.S. Byatt brings the reader closer to Murdoch's writing, giving him the opportunity to understand and love it...

"Our actions are like ships that we watch sail in the sea without knowing when or with what cargo they will return to the port."

I truly wanted to have a deep affection for this book. When my book club selected it, I was filled with joy as I had never read Iris Murdoch before and the word was that this book was humorous.

However, I must admit that my opinion of this book has been significantly influenced by my recent reading experience of another book. I had thoroughly enjoyed the sheer vitality, imagination, movement, and humor of The Nix by Nathan Hill, a contemporary work of a different nature. After reading Hill's book, I found Murdoch's narration, which details every single thought that people have and describes "how they feel," to be even more tiresome than I might have otherwise perceived it.

To be completely honest, this is one of my personal issues. A good friend of mine has a habit of going into excessive detail when telling me anything. She describes every action she took, every thought she had during every interaction, and even every possible imagined thought of the people she was dealing with before finally getting to the point, which is usually something like "I moved my money into a mutual fund." Moreover, she has no memory of the information she has already told me, and since I have a memory for conversations similar to an eidetic memory for visual stimuli, I often have to suppress the urge to cover my ears and scream for mercy. All of this goes to show that I have a low tolerance for Murdoch's storytelling style.

Nevertheless, this is a good book for readers who do not share my intolerance. I was unable to overcome my aversion to this kind of storytelling or adjust my mindset from the previous book I read to fully appreciate Murdoch's style and the analytical and over-analytical melodrama about the life and death of a spiritual community on its own terms.

Great characters and an eventful plot make for a very good read.

It's about a group of characters who live in a large house, 'Imber House', next to an abbey and lake in the English countryside in the 1950s.

Dora Greenfield, in her 20s, decides to go back to her husband Paul after being separated for six months. He is an academic and has temporarily moved to Imber House.

At Imber House, Michael Meade, the owner, has decided to form a religious community to make the Imber estate a self-sufficient farming business.

A number of people are at the property, including Catherine and Nick, 20-something twins, and Toby, a 15-year-old lad there to work during the summer before starting an engineering course.

All the characters are well developed. The story discusses issues such as religious beliefs, marriage, homosexuality, and relationships.

If you are new to Iris Murdoch, this book is an excellent novel to start with. It is highly recommended.

What does the sound of the monastery courtyard evoke? Love and peace, which together with a harmonious life, bring together different types of people in one space. For them, the only way to solve their own problems is through religion, whether it is the beliefs based on the acquisition of the monastery walls that look inward at the current events? Perhaps for everyone. This should have been the inspiration for Airis Merdok's work when, instead of the usual, often male-viewed history, she presented a story that initially had the charm of a romance, but then was burdened with problems of religion, gender, homosexual or family relationships.

It is a complex and thought-provoking exploration that delves into the human condition and the various aspects that shape our lives and interactions. Through her work, Merdok invites us to consider these issues and perhaps gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and those around us.

The sound of the monastery courtyard thus becomes a symbol of both the unity and diversity that exists within our society, a place where different voices and experiences can come together and be heard.

I truly have no idea why an abundance of people are so fond of The Bell when Murdoch has penned far superior books.

I perceive The Bell as being cumbersome and devoid of soul.诚然, the characters are not too bad, but Murdoch later became far more adept at creating fully developed individuals while simultaneously interweaving philosophy.

The story revolves around a group of rather unpleasant individuals who embark on a retreat at an abbey. However, they become embroiled in each other's lives, with the bell serving as the central aspect of their existence and perhaps their means of redemption from being overly materialistic and harboring impure thoughts.

It is rather clumsy in certain areas, but I suppose it serves as a signpost indicating what Murdoch would accomplish over the subsequent three decades.

Wow.

This is a remarkable short novel that delves deep into the themes of passion, unwavering devotion, heart-wrenching betrayal, and the confining strictures imposed by society and religion.

There is a palpable frenetic energy coursing through the pages, and Iris Murdoch masterfully ensures that there are few lulls in the narrative. She deftly switches from one character to another, propelling the plot along a thrilling and unpredictable trajectory.

Similar to her work The Sea, The Sea, some of the characters in this novel are magnified in scope beyond what might be considered realistic. However, this heightened focus does not in any way detract from the overall impact and allure of the story.

This would无疑 be an excellent choice for a bookclub. I am truly having a splendid start to the reading life of 2018 with this captivating novel.

It has already drawn me in and kept me on the edge of my seat, eager to discover what lies ahead for the complex and engaging characters.

I can't wait to see where the story takes me next and to share my thoughts and insights with others in the bookclub.

Overall, this is a must-read for anyone who enjoys thought-provoking and emotionally charged literature.

At any moment one can be removed from a state of guileless serenity and plunged into its opposite, without any intermediate condition. The waters of our own and other people's imperfection rise so high about us.

I can envision this book evolving into a truly captivating miniseries. The characters each adeptly carried their own personal histories and justifications for how they ended up at the Abbey. Although Dora is a main character, she isn't the central focus, and I valued the diversity of perspectives.

The group dynamics were astonishingly authentic and engaging. It was quite revealing that each character's inner perception differed significantly from how they were actually perceived.

Initially, I sympathized with Michael's struggle between his sexual identity and religion. However, I soon came to loathe him for the harm he inflicted on other main characters when they were vulnerable and in need of protection. I found it difficult to determine if Murdoch grasped the wrongness of his behavior, but the alcoholism and deterioration of one of his victims led me to conclude that he did.

Toby's unearthing of the old bell seemed symbolic to me - suggesting that he and other characters were also uncovering truths and emotions they had attempted to suppress. I truly appreciated that Nick served as a sort of protector for him. The nun who showed Toby grace for sneaking in and recognized he was still essentially a child made me believe that Murdoch was indicating she understood that as well.

In the final few chapters, this book transformed into a comedy of errors, providing some relief from the intense tension the group had built up. I felt deeply immersed in the landscape through which our characters moved and once again admired Murdoch's ability to convey such a taut atmosphere, similar to that in The Sea, The Sea.

Seis estrellas le daría, si pudiera.

This simple sentence holds a world of meaning and longing. It implies a sense of deep admiration and a desire to bestow the highest honor or recognition.

Imagine a situation where someone is so impressed by another person's qualities, achievements, or actions that they would go beyond the ordinary five-star rating and give six stars if it were possible.

It could be in reference to a remarkable performance, an outstanding service, or a truly exceptional individual.

This expression shows the intensity of the person's appreciation and the significance they attach to the object of their admiration.

It makes us wonder what kind of extraordinary thing or person could evoke such a powerful response.

In a world where ratings and evaluations are common, this statement stands out as a unique and passionate declaration of excellence.

It leaves us with a sense of curiosity and a desire to know more about the story behind those six stars that couldn't be given.

**Interrupting Routine**

I am a tutor and librarian at Blackfriars Hall Oxford, the tiniest and most medieval of the University of Oxford colleges, which is also a Dominican priory. A few years ago, Blackfriars obtained a bell to summon the friars to prayer. The sound of the bell indeed creates a distinct atmosphere in the place. Its timing, like that of its larger counterpart at Christ Church College, according to solar time - about six minutes behind GMT, also adds to the unique feel. The midday call to the Angelus can be rather disconcerting for passersby who nervously check their watches. I have come to believe that this slight disruption, this interruption, is precisely the bell's function, whether intended or not. Paradoxically, it is a routine that interrupts routine. One way to interpret Murdoch's novel is as just such an interruption in the lives of its characters.

A.S. Byatt, in her introduction, calls "The Bell" Murdoch's first 'English' novel. And it certainly creates a distinctive atmosphere, one so dense, thick, and humid in the summer heat that it feels like green cotton wool - simultaneously inhibiting and cushioning movement. The characters, mostly middle-class professionals, each might have 'issues', but all are nevertheless cradled in the social solidity of a 1950's bourgeois English culture that hopes against hope that it will remain 1939 forever. They live in an existential routine that seems fixed; they are stuck, largely with themselves.

People 'get on' as if on a trajectory with the defined and relatively narrow limits of Oxbridge graduates in a post-war world they find alien and confusing. Their individual worries, however, don't inhibit their confidence, material or spiritual, in being English. They are, of course, completely unaware of this. How could it be otherwise? But their Englishness is the necessarily unstated subject of the book. The narrator would only spoil the narrative if she gave the game away; introspection is not to be encouraged, as the saying goes, "A belief in Original Sin should not lead us to probe the filth of our minds." Irony is, after all, English group therapy.
The novel opens with a very civilised adultery, leading to an even more civilised reconciliation for which the outgoing lover provides transportation to the railway station. There is no conflict that can't be solved if one just has the patience to wait it out. And for heaven's sake, keep one's mouth shut. Intimate communication is far too perilous a venture. It is much preferable to rely on one's friends to buoy one up without making a fuss, usually with a little G&T, or possibly even a bit of evening Compline before bed.
The High Church tradition, the antithesis of her Irish Presbyterian background, is something Murdoch became intimately familiar with in Oxford. Her College, Somerville, is just past the end of St. Giles’, a street along which John Henry Newman started his career as an Anglican vicar at one end and wound up a Catholic Cardinal at the other. Halfway along, and touching Blackfriars, is Pusey House, named for Newman's colleague in the liturgical revival of Anglicanism (the Oxford Movement in fact). Pusey House is often more Catholic than the local Catholic churches since it can both anticipate the introduction of new ritual or revert to ancient practices without consulting the Vatican (Pusey House also has the best collection of Vatican documents in Oxford).
Some consider High Anglicanism to be a mimicry of Catholicism. It's not. It is true English Catholicism, or better said, Catholicism in the English mode. Many Oxford colleges conduct Evensong and Compline services daily during term, using English Plainsong or Gregorian chant according to preference. These are sensually pleasing, one might call them erotic, events. They employ all the smells and bells of Catholic ritual but also emit a vaguely camp rebelliousness - directed at both Low Church Anglicans as well as the straight-laced (historically Irish) Catholic masses.
This Anglo-Catholicism provides a great deal of the dark green, cotton wool, comfort of "The Bell". The enclosed convent of Anglican nuns in Imber is not an antithesis to the repressed erotic desires of the characters who gather together across the lake in a half-derelict country pile of Imber Court; it is a spiritual celebration of the erotic (One is reminded of Teresa of Avila and her swooning for Christ, her Spouse). I know of at least three similar communities within 15 minutes drive of Oxford. And I lived in one of these while I wrote my doctoral dissertation.
This kind of community is not a place to escape desire but a place in which desire can be explored in a way that is uniquely English: through patient ritual, agricultural and industrial as well as religious. As the medieval philosophers taught: through practice one can act one's way into a moral life. "The great thing about a dog", says one of the residents, "is that it can be trained to love you." And not just dogs. Humans too can be taught to love through practice; but not through conversation, idle or therapeutic. So, "Meals were taken in silence at Imber."
In a sense, therefore, sex is as much a religious practice in Anglo-Catholicism as it is in the Buddhism of the Kama Sutra. It needn't be advertised as such, that would require talk which would compromise the effort fatally. But Murdoch makes the equivalence explicit in her description of the psychic state of her main character, a homosexual: "...in some curious way the emotion which fed both [his religious feeling and homosexual orientation] arose deeply from the same source."
English resourcefulness is to be found in this dance of sex and religion, which is carried out as much to the rhythm of an English country house as of a Benedictine convent. The mustiness of each is additive: "There was a stale smell, like the smell of old bread, the smell of an institution." A concise summary really of the English Baroque. Everything is surface, but brightly lighted surface so that nothing is actually hidden, "All the electric lights were so bright at Imber."
The inhabitants are essentially misfits, and are recruited as such, "people... who can live neither in the world nor out of it. They are a kind of sick people, whose desire for God makes them unsatisfactory citizens of an ordinary life, but whose strength or temperament fails them to surrender the world completely..." Each of these defective characters has a place, a duty really, in the overall choreography of an operatic ballet in Imber Court, a definite role that fits snugly into an overall ensemble.
Dora is the dim beauty, the soprano of the piece. She has no comprehension of religion and only the most instrumentally sterile view of sex; but she is not malicious, "That she had no memory made her generous." She is a central figure, a sort of goddess of creation (and of course therefore sex), who tends to get lost in Murdoch's narrative turbulence. Paul, Dora's husband, is the operatic baritone, for whom neither sex nor religion is about passion but domesticity. He desires Dora as housekeeper and mother for his children; and religion is part of an ordered family bliss. His lust, such as it is, is paterfamilial and conventional not perverse.
The director/producer is Mrs. Mark (married to Mr. Mrs. Mark), a somewhat beefy person in long skirts, with "well-developed calves." She is a type of English proto-hippie perhaps, an evangelical Mrs Danvers, living a life of gentile, procedural poverty on someone else's dime, never without a 'cause'. Without her, neither sex nor religion could flourish at Imber. She is the liturgical and social hub, the enforcer of strict adherence to the rubrics, "It's not like a hotel and we do expect our guests to fit in – and I think that's what they like best too," she politely commands. She also ensures that conversation never becomes intrusive, "That's another little religious rule that we try to follow. No gossip." What takes place outside Imber, remains outside Imber.
Mrs. Mark is the agent of Michael Meade, the somewhat reluctant leader, whose family estate Imber Court is. In subsequent decades Michael would have been identified as the 'cult leader' of the residents, not as sinister as Jim Jones or as commercial as Werner Erhard perhaps but still of some unaccountably charismatic incompetence. Michael has been inspired by the Abbess of the Benedictine convent to'minister' to folk who are neither clerical nor secular but what now might be called'seekers'. He is a homosexual.
Catherine is the mezzo-soprano and, innovatively, the prima ballerina of the piece who is immediately identified by Dora as a rival. Catherine is imminently to become a postulant in the convent; or, as her twin brother perceives the situation, to be swallowed alive by the institutional monster of religious passion. Toby, Catherine's male sexual counterpart, is the the pious, virginal counter-tenor. He is the unsure novice, spiritually as well as sexually unformed.
The eponymous bell constitutes what Alfred Hitchcock called the McGuffin - a motivating force whose function is to set the narrative in motion but that remains invisible. Essential therefore, although apparently trivial. It is Dora and Toby, at ends of the sexual/spiritual spectrum, who release the bell from the primal waters in which it has been hidden. Driven by the 'event' of the bell, the characters carom around the confines of Imber Court, impelling each other to acts of spiritual lust and material folly in a marvellously English way. And of course interrupting their lives profoundly, not just for them but for all of Murdoch's generation.

* In fact this form of Anglo-Catholic lay community was inspired by the so-called Distributist Movement of the 1920’s and 30’s. This was a Catholic attempt, promoted by the likes of GK Chesterton and Hillaire Belloc, to find a ‘middle way’ between Capitalism and Communism. It’s ideal was a sort of medieval economy dominated by small agricultural producers who owned and worked their own land. A few of Distributism’s ideological remnants still exist in Britain, Canada and Australia.

Several characters make their way to a lay community that is affiliated with a Benedictine nunnery.

This place serves as a haven, a bridge connecting the outside secular world with the secluded, contemplative, and spiritual convent.

The majority of these characters are in search of a certain kind of peace, yet not all of them are able to find it.

This novel is widely regarded as one of Murdoch's masterpieces. I haven't read all of her works, but this particular one is truly excellent.

I reread this book as part of a book group. We had a fascinating discussion about the novel. Instead of adding to my review, I will provide a link to it: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

The characters' diverse backgrounds and motives add depth to the story. Some are fleeing from the chaos and turmoil of the outside world, while others are seeking a deeper spiritual connection.

The description of the lay community and the nunnery creates a vivid and immersive setting.

Overall, this novel is a thought-provoking exploration of human nature, spirituality, and the search for peace.