Iris Murdoch never ceases to amaze me. Her works are always filled with profound insights and unique perspectives. And "A Fairly Honourable Defeat" is no exception.

She takes what could be a tragic story of deception, unrealized dreams, and marital infidelity. In this novel, she turns the tables in a remarkable way. The victims seem to deserve all they receive, while the aggressors appear innocent of any wrongdoing. It's a complex and thought-provoking narrative that challenges our traditional notions of right and wrong.

Murdoch's deft touch still provides some room to sympathize with the weaker characters on the losing end. We can't help but feel sorry for their misfortunes and the unfairness they experience. However, overall, the novel is an entertaining ride. It explores what happens when bad things happen to good people, and it allows the reader the space to cheer for those responsible for the pain and suffering. It's a captivating and engaging read that keeps you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.

Virtues and flaws are two sides of the same coin when it comes to human nature. Kindness is a virtue that can bring out the best in people, while cruelty is a flaw that can have devastating consequences. It is a fact that humans are flawed by nature, and this is something that we must come to terms with.

However, just because we have flaws does not mean that we cannot strive to be better. We can work on cultivating our virtues and minimizing our flaws through self-reflection and self-improvement. By being kind to others and showing compassion, we can make a positive impact on the world around us.

At the same time, we must also be aware of the potential for cruelty within ourselves and others. We need to be vigilant in recognizing and addressing any signs of cruelty, whether it is in our own behavior or in the actions of those around us. By doing so, we can help to create a more just and peaceful world.

In conclusion, while humans may be flawed by nature, we also have the capacity for great virtue and kindness. By working to cultivate our virtues and address our flaws, we can strive to be better individuals and make a positive difference in the world.

I have truly relished this book. It has been an absolute delight, filled with humor that has kept me thoroughly entertained from beginning to end.

The story predominantly centers around character portrayal rather than a complex plot. It revolves around nine main characters, with no subsidiary figures to detract from their stories. We are introduced to Rupert and Hilda Foster, celebrating their twentieth wedding anniversary. Their marriage is solid, and they have a son named Peter, who is studying at Cambridge.

Hilda's younger sister, Morgan Browne, and her jilted husband, Tallis Browne, along with Tallis' elderly father, Leonard, who has an ache that might be arthritis, are also part of the picture. Rupert's younger, homosexual brother, Simon Foster, and his partner, Axel Nilsson, complete the family members.

The ninth character, Julius King, is a biochemist and can be considered the disturbing outside element. All nine characters inhabit the world of academia, including university lecturers, a student, writers, authors, a scientist, and individuals interested in the arts and design, philosophy, literature, semantics, and philology. Their conversations often involve philosophizing and theorizing, sometimes bordering on the esoteric.

The reader's attention is drawn to understanding each of the nine characters, their personalities, and the intricate web of relationships that exist between them. No relationship is simple or uncomplicated, and each character has their own opinions about the others. It is up to the reader to decipher what is true and what is not. The focus is on how each character behaves and the reasons behind their actions.

One can question the realism of the plot events. While the characters' words and actions seem reasonable and natural in the given situations, the consequences are often disastrous. The story as a whole can seem unbelievable at times.

One aspect of the story that I did not particularly like was the revelation at the very end that Julius had been incarcerated at the concentration camp Bergen-Belsen during the war. If this is meant to explain his bizarre behavior, it is not developed enough.

The humor in the book is one of its strengths. Simon, in particular, is sure to make you laugh with his unique personality. The author creates funny situations through the dialogues.

Overall, the prose is outstanding. The characters' words perfectly reflect their personalities, and the descriptions of physical attributes, places, and objects are done with great flair. Adam James' narration of the audiobook is superb, although it can be a bit difficult to follow at the start until you get used to the voices.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys good writing, humor, and plenty of food for thought. I only wish I had not put off reading Iris Murdoch for so long.

Iris Murdoch is my absolute favorite writer.

For a long time, I have been carefully saving this particular book, which happened to be the last one among her works that I hadn't yet read. And let me tell you, it is, in a single word, magnificent.

Of course, I have never disliked any of her books. However, this one truly ranks near the very top.

Regarding Murdoch, John Updike once said, “Our actions, our decisions, our vows do matter; what can fiction tell us more important than that?”

I am deeply in love with her intricate and complicated plots, her mysterious and enigmatic characters, and their often outrageously interesting interactions. But most of all, I adore her dialogues.

She has an uncanny ability to use dialogues to delineate her characters better than any other writer I can think of.

Thanks a million, Dame Murdoch, for providing us with decades of truly great reading experiences.

I guess it's time for me to start all over again and re-read my favorite works of hers.

Who knows what new insights and joys I will discover this time around?

In my humble opinion (INMHO), the novel written by Iris Murdoch is truly the best. She is not only a great philosopher but also an outstanding novelist.

This novel is truly groundbreaking. It presents gay protagonists in an extremely natural manner. There is absolutely no judgment or any attempt to make a point about their relationship. Instead, it portrays their connection as if it were the most ordinary and natural thing in the world.

This novel is far ahead of its time. It challenges the traditional norms and expectations regarding relationships and sexuality. It shows that love and connection can exist in various forms, regardless of gender.

Iris Murdoch's work is a testament to her boldness and creativity as a writer. She敢于突破常规 and explore new themes and ideas, making her novel a truly remarkable and influential piece of literature.

This is a lark. It's a little bit frustrating as its characters are middle-class people in search of the meaning of life. However, it's still extremely fun.

Morgan is seeking the meaning of life and she believes that Julius validates her. She feels that he makes her a whole person. So, she leaves her saintly husband and departs with Julius to the States. At the start of the book, their affair has ended and Morgan and Julius are back in London, causing chaos and challenging everything their family and friends hold dear.

Julius is by far the most interesting character. He's like a sort of Mephistopheles playing with the inane Faust that is Morgan.

One good reason for reading this book is the relationship between Axel and Simon. Their encounter in the Athens museum is particularly enjoyable. It adds an extra layer of interest and charm to the story.

The book is filled with complex characters and their entanglements, making it a captivating read. It explores themes of love, identity, and the search for meaning in a lighthearted yet thought-provoking way.

Rupert and Hilda seem to be a perfectly matched couple.

However, their otherwise idyllic life is marred by two concerns. One is their drop-out son, and the other is Hilda's sister Morgan, who has just returned from America and is rather unstable.

Then enters Julius, Morgan's ex-lover. He is determined to give Rupert and Hilda's seemingly unbreakable marriage a bit of a shake. But he discovers an unexpectedly feisty opponent in Morgan's husband Tallis.

This story can be seen as a battle between two forces, one good and one evil. In the end, the evil one prevails, but the defeat of the good is a rather noble one.

This was my first encounter with the works of Iris Murdoch. I don't want to reveal too many details here. Let's just say that it is a very captivating and dark story that I thoroughly enjoyed. The characters are extremely well-developed, each with their own unique qualities, and the tumultuous relationships among them maintain a high level of interest throughout the narrative.

It makes for a truly engaging read that keeps you hooked from start to finish.

Behind this drama centered around relationships and family in late-1960s London lies the forest from A Midsummer Night's Dream. We have two distinct couples. Rupert and Hilda, who have been married for a long time, are happy and prosperous, yet a bit complacent about the good life they've attained. Simon and Axel, in love and committed, carry the painful burden that comes with being gay men in that era and place. Additionally, there's Hilda's sister Morgan, a Tom and Daisy Buchanan-like figure, careening around, causing damage by crashing into others and taking no responsibility for it. Julius is the Puck-like trickster, but he seems more malevolent than Puck and far less capable of undoing the harm his mischief has wrought. While Puck has magic and a fairy king to assist him in resolving things at the end of the play, Julius thinks (or claims) he can reverse things whenever he pleases, but in reality, he can't. And perhaps, he doesn't truly want to.

The book also delves into the more philosophical question of the nature of goodness. Does it exist? What would it resemble? Is it possible to live as a good person? The main characters exploring this are Rupert, who has been penning what sounds like a rather fatuous book on precisely those questions, his and Hilda's son Peter, who yearns for goodness in a brainless, idealistic teenager's way, and Tallis, Morgan's abandoned husband, who lives in squalor and serves as a sort of moral touchstone for the other characters.

Warning: The way some characters discuss race in this book can be truly very nasty. The nastiness is not endorsed by the book itself, but it is indeed present.

This paragraph at the beginning of the novel, after the first few lines of dialogue, captures why I love Iris Murdoch so much:

Hilda and Rupert Foster, celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary with a bottle of rather dry champagne, were sitting in the evening sun in the garden of their house in Priory Grove, London. S.W.10. Hilda, a plumper angel now, reclined limply, exhibiting shiny burnished knees below a short shrift dress of orangey yellow. Her feet were bare. Her undulating dark hair showed some needle-thin lines of grey.

Her burly boyish-faced husband, whom she had at last persuaded to stop wearing shorts, sat open shirted, cooking in the sun. He was red, hoping later to be brown.

Murdoch's descriptive powers are truly remarkable. She paints a vivid picture of this couple, their appearance, and the setting with such detail that it comes alive in the reader's mind. The use of colors, such as the orangey yellow of Hilda's dress and the redness of Rupert's skin, adds a sense of visual appeal.

Moreover, the little details like Hilda's undulating hair with grey lines and Rupert's hope of turning brown give depth to their characters. It makes them seem real and relatable. There is no one like her in all of literature!

This is the third time I've gone through it, and it remains one of my absolute favorites.

It's a dark comedy that masterfully showcases the vanity and neuroses of every character.

Among them is Simon, a charming and endearing little fellow. Despite his flaws, there's something about him that makes you simply unable to help liking him.

The story weaves together the complex personalities and their idiosyncrasies in a way that is both hilarious and thought-provoking.

It delves deep into the human psyche, revealing our insecurities and the lengths we go to in order to satisfy our vanity.

Each character's journey is unique, yet they all contribute to the overall tapestry of this engaging and entertaining dark comedy.

It's a must-see for anyone who enjoys a good laugh while also being challenged to think about the deeper aspects of human nature.

I started off *hating* this. The first chapter is almost like a pastiche of Abigail's Party, only with extra wooden characters and stilted conversation.

However, if you can get beyond the turgid beginnings, you're onto a winner.

It's bonkers, mind you, completely unrealistic. And it takes some characters to become more than just Murdoch's motifs, while others don't quite make it.

But those that do start to leap off the page really drive the narrative forward.

The Machiavellian Julius is flat-out awful, but that's what makes him great. His machinations drive the tale, with his finger in every pie and his oar relentlessly stuck into everybody's business.

Pre-empting Big Brother (the TV show by a good 30 years), his stirring mixes up everybody's lives. From the put-upon Hilda to the cardboard sex kitten Morgan, they all freak the hell out. They fall out with each other, make up, and then fall out again.

The only thing really missing is a Geordie voice over and a massively over-elaborate diary chair.

Overall, despite its flaws, this story has its redeeming qualities and can be quite an entertaining read if you're willing to look beyond the initial roughness.

A novel that delves deep into the essence of being human and the inherent flaws that come with it, while also serving as a profound study of relationships and their power dynamics, all set against the backdrop of the white, middle-class suburbia of the 1970s. Murdoch masterfully manipulates her characters, much like a Shakespearean puppet show, with Julius as the main puppeteer. He weaves his web seamlessly, driven by a captivating curiosity about what people will do when under pressure and when marred by vanity, greed, and self-doubt. His lack of conscience and remorse, along with his glib charm, are portrayed with great brilliance. The consequences of his actions have the victims second-guessing their own deeds and responses, while he seems to remain unfazed. However, Murdoch cleverly plants a breadcrumb here, making us eager to understand the motives behind his actions. I did feel that the novel leaned a bit too heavily on the first half, but once I reached the final third, it became a page-turner with a wonderfully open yet sinister ending.