I absolutely LOVED THIS! It was truly an amazing experience. I don't think I've ever hated a character more in my life than Julius King. The way he was portrayed in this story was just sooooo good. His actions, his motives, everything about him made my blood boil. But at the same time, I couldn't help but be drawn to his character. There was something about him that was just so captivating. It made me want to keep reading to see what he would do next. The author did an excellent job of creating such a complex and interesting character. I can't wait to see what else they have in store for us.

My new favorite author has just dropped a new work. This is truly exciting news for me. I have been eagerly anticipating this moment ever since I discovered this author's previous works. Their writing style is so unique and captivating that it always manages to draw me in and keep me hooked until the very end.

Their characters are vividly portrayed, and the storylines are full of twists and turns that keep me on the edge of my seat. I can't wait to get my hands on this new book and immerse myself in the world that the author has created.

I'm sure that this new work will be just as amazing as their previous ones, if not better. I'm already imagining all the wonderful things that I'll discover and experience while reading it. This author has truly become one of my favorites, and I can't wait to see what they have in store for us next.

You could read this novel again and again and again, and yet you would never get tired of it.

Every time you pick it up, you find yourself hungrier than ever for the next line, the next page.

The characterization within its pages is nothing short of ideal and perfect. The characters come to life, their personalities and motives so vividly drawn that you feel as if you know them personally.

The plot, too, is awfully innovative, intelligent, and captivating. It weaves a web of mystery and excitement that keeps you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.

This novel truly stands out as one of the best ever written, a masterpiece that will be cherished by readers for generations to come.

It has the power to transport you to another world, to make you laugh, cry, and think.

If you haven't read it yet, you're missing out on a truly unforgettable literary experience.

All the Iris you could hope to Murdoch!

She is like a grimmer yet more exuberant Muriel Spark. The social pettiness in her works is transformed by Shakespearean grandiosity into something rich and strange. There is that odd, unpredictable, mystical Anglo-atheistic streak running through her writing.

It's not a perfect success. However, after reading "The Sea, the Sea", I always sense what her stories are striving for with every fiber of their being. I appreciate them for those numerous moments when they almost achieve that goal.

It's strange that something so precise can also be so messy. But I enjoy that very aspect. It makes her works all the more fascinating and engaging, drawing the reader in and making them experience a range of emotions and thoughts.

Her writing style is unique, a blend of different elements that come together to create something truly special.

This book ties with \\n  A Severed Head\\n as my favorite Iris Murdoch work.

The characters in this book are extremely well-developed. They come to life on the pages, with their own unique personalities, flaws, and desires.

Moreover, the relationships between the characters are nuanced and complex. The author has done an excellent job of portraying the various emotions and dynamics that exist between them.

The dialogue is also fantastic. It is realistic, engaging, and often humorous. It adds to the overall charm and appeal of the book.

Of all the characters, Simon is definitely my favorite. He is so endearing and likable. His innocence and naivete make him a truly charming character.

However, I have mixed feelings about Julius. I don't find him charming or compelling as a villain. He seems a bit one-dimensional to me.

The reveal at the end of the book left me flabbergasted. It was completely unexpected and added an interesting twist to the story.

Overall, I enjoyed the book a great deal. The pacing was consistent, and I was thoroughly invested in the story from beginning to end. It is a great read for anyone who enjoys character-driven novels with complex relationships and engaging dialogue.

I would rate this book more like a 4.75 out of 5.

Although it hasn't surpassed "The Sea, The Sea" in my opinion, I truly liked it.

Never before have I dog-eared so many pages just because a particular sentence caught my fancy.

The characters in this book are truly great. Iris Murdoch is really a master of characterisation.

She has the ability to bring the characters to life and make them seem so real.

I am extremely glad that I discovered this author whom I enjoy so much.

I can't wait to pick up another book written by her and embark on a new literary journey.

I'm sure it will be just as精彩 as this one.

I'm already looking forward to it with great anticipation.

It took me an incredibly long time to read this book. I repeatedly picked it up and put it down, which is highly unusual for me.

The degree to which I can tolerate most British fictional characters is inversely proportional to the age of the book. This is a relatively modern novel, set in the 1970s. So, the characters were somewhat less ridiculous and insufferable to me than, for instance, any of Austen's. They were still very British, but I really enjoyed the way Murdoch recognized and explored that quality as being essential to the events in the novel.

For example, at a very tense and awkward dinner party where the hostess is being overcome by the belief that her beloved husband and sister are having an affair, the character Simon thinks to himself how adept British people are at hiding their true feelings.

The part of this novel that I am truly grappling with is the identity of Julius King and, to a lesser extent, of Tallis. Julius is a wolf in sheep's clothing throughout the book. He is clearly identified as being evil through the use of common literary devices; he is a spiritual vampire or a devil. For that reason, the revelation of his hidden Jewishness troubles me. The fact that his parents converted to Christianity and changed their name from Khan to King seems to further the wolf in sheep's clothing motif in a whole new and disturbing way. The fact that he found their conversion unacceptable and broke off ties with them takes it even further. And the concentration camp tattoo completes the whole thing. What is Murdoch trying to convey? Am I wrong to interpret this as antisemitism?

It seems as if there is a strongly implied idea that Tallis and Julius represent good versus evil, yet it appears to be only Julius who is aware of this. He speaks to Tallis as if he is a true Christ figure, almost mythically so, but Tallis does not pick up on or respond to this. Is Julius delusional? He talks about his relationship with Tallis as if they exist on an epic scale. And why does he behave so kindly toward Tallis in the end?

I think the best part of this book, and the most devastatingly accurate, is the development of Rupert and Morgan's "affair." The description of Rupert and Hilda's marriage and the ways in which it is destroyed by the spread of white lies is spot-on, and Morgan and Rupert both act as ridiculously as most people would.

It also bothers me that we never have direct contact with Hilda after Rupert's death. We only know some details of her new life through Tallis's thoughts on her letters and the conversation between Simon and Axel. This feels like a cop-out to me, since Hilda is the character who is the most innocent but has also lost the most.

This was my first encounter with an Iris Murdoch book, and I think I may have fallen head over heels in love.

The story is a complex social drama that is not only filled with incisive psychological and philosophical insights but also richly detailed descriptions.

Unlike many modern novelists who seem to write just to showcase themselves, Murdoch chooses to tell a good story. She creates lively and engaging characters who are as introspective as they are flawed.

Overall, I found this to be a brilliant and darkly humorous novel. It has a lot to say about the value of stark honesty and the problems that arise when we attempt to spare the feelings of others with innocent lies and omissions.

Murdoch is clearly a genius when it comes to social observation, and she has a sharp wit to boot. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun read that also has some quality intellectual content.

It's a book that will make you think and laugh at the same time.

Iris Murdoch's novels demand that her readers put in the effort to read.

Although her works are entertaining and often characterized as comic, there is always something intricate happening beneath the surface. Namely, what drives her characters? They constantly act irrationally, yet she demonstrates that human motivations are actually quite limited and foreseeable.

In this particular novel, the amoral Julius views himself as "an instrument of justice," deceiving both his friends and foes into ruining their own relationships. He mocks them as they descend deeper and deeper, scoffing at their puppet-like and predictable behavior. He attributes all relational errors to vanity, stating, "People are never too unwilling to believe themselves valued. Ordinary natural vanity led them into this maze." Even when his little experiments result in tragedy, he shows no remorse, freely admitting that he caused the entire situation. He remains unaffected by what he has wrought because he doesn't believe he is at fault; it is their vanity that led them to their current state.

We catch a glimpse of Julius's own motivations when we discover that he "has a strong sense of history" and "what has happened is justified somehow." Without disclosing what he means (which is revealed at the end of the novel), we can see that Julius himself is not impervious to vanity. We don't have a precise understanding of his motivations, but we can make educated guesses. After all, he is human too.

My favorite part of the book occurs when Morgan, the most unhinged and irrational character of them all, breaks down when she finally has to admit to herself that she regrets having an abortion. That scene, the only time she is truly honest with herself and not spouting crazy nonsense about loving everyone, is one of the most realistic and emotional scenes I've encountered in a novel in a long while. There is a lengthy scene where she chases a pigeon around the Underground, and we begin to understand just how desperate she has become.

This is a truly challenging review to pen.

The plot, to put it simply, is composed of a group of characters (a total of nine of them) colliding in the most unforeseen, imaginative, and at times, absurd manners. This is the second book by the author that I have read. The first one was "The Bell," and I had a greater affinity for that particular work. When I say greater, I mean that "The Bell" had such a profound impact on me that it now ranks among the top three of my all-time favorite books (the other two spots being occupied by "The Catcher in the Rye" and "The Charioteer"). After reading "The Bell," it was only natural for me to decide to read all of Iris Murdoch's novels. And so, I purchased "A Fairly Honourable Defeat."

What continuously astonishes me is the author's writing style and her remarkable ability to analyze her characters with such depth that it seems almost miraculous. She is truly one-of-a-kind. However, and this is what her critics often point out, in terms of the plot, she has a tendency to veer off course. The situations she creates sometimes border on being excessive, soap opera-like, and difficult to believe. Don't misunderstand me; I have no aversion to a wild ride through a tunnel of misunderstandings, with obnoxious characters, incredible outcomes, crazy, unjustifiable, and ridiculous behaviors, etc., as long as the author can maintain control of this improbable "circus du soleil" throughout and until the end. And she accomplishes that in "The Bell." I'm not so sure about it in this book. It feels as if she let it go a bit too far and stretched the reader's suspension of disbelief a bit too thin. Additionally, it lacked a certain sense of place; it read very much like a comedy set in a drawing room.

There is, however, one chapter that is set along the sunny banks of a disused railway line, and it is simply stunning. It is one of the most exquisitely beautiful pieces of literature that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. I'll admit that I have a weakness for a sun-bleached scene set in a luxurious natural landscape, where ennui and awakening desire, fueled by the delirium-inducing summer heat, create the perfect setting for a lovers' meeting (as seen in such scenes in "The Charioteer" and "Call me by your name"). If not a lovers' meeting, then the sunny landscape, where time seems to stand still, has also been used to represent the self-indulgence of a character feeling in perfect communion with nature (as in "The Bell" and "The Go-Between").

But I digress. "A Fairly Honourable Defeat" is a character-driven novel, and most plot descriptions would also be considered spoilers. Suffice it to say that there is a Machiavellian villain named Julius, an utterly insufferable character named Morgan, a self-centered and conceited couple named Hilda and Rupert, a stern and jealous character named Axel, a naive and lovable character named Simon, a confused and smug young man named Peter, a pitiful and compassionate man named Tallis, and an old, embittered man named Leonard. And... well, things happen. Couples are formed, broken, invented, put back together, and everything else you can imagine probably occurs. The ending, in particular, I felt was taking it a bit too far and was not necessary in my opinion. All in all, I still firmly believe that Iris Murdoch is a genius.

This is my third Murdoch book of the summer. It's one of her later works and it seems to synthesize many of her recurring themes.

There is a large and diverse cast of characters. Hilda and Rupert are a bourgeois, slightly self-satisfied middle-aged couple. Their son Peter is a spoiled Oxford dropout. Simon, the husband's sweet and insecure younger brother, has a slightly aloof partner named Axel. Morgan, Hilda's extremely neurotic sister, has just returned from the States, and her completely hapless ex-husband is Tallis. Tallis's bitter and nasty elderly father also makes an appearance. Then there are Leonard and Julius, a manipulative, vaguely evil-yet-charismatic academic who toys with everyone. He literally refers to himself as a "puppet master," and the entire book revolves around his attempts to break up the couples and manipulate everyone's lives, with varying levels of success.

As with all of Murdoch's work, there is a great deal of philosophy. However, in this case, it functions more as an underpinning for the storyline rather than a series of overly intellectual interludes. There's a satan and a Christ character, numerous Shakespearean machinations and crossed signals, and some intensely evocative (and very deliberately doled out) settings.

I wouldn't precisely call it a feel-good novel, as bad things befall decent people and the worst characters manage to carry on with their lives. But there's a tiny (two or three sentences, blink and you'll miss it) revelation towards the end that completely alters the reader's perception of one of the central characters. It's also remarkable for her portrayal of the central gay couple as the most sympathetic, stable, and in a sense, decent of the lot, especially considering it was written only three years after the decriminalization of homosexual relations in Britain. Maybe it wasn't remarkable for Murdoch, but I imagine it was a refreshing breath of air for many readers in 1970. Overall, this was a highly entertaining, albeit often dark, read, filled with intrigue, twisty explorations of good and evil, and as a side note, an interesting testament to the ephemerality of words on paper.

These individuals were truly dreadful and rather irritating as well (except for Simon, who was merely annoying and not truly horrible).

Consequently, when they were toyed with, it was disconcerting from a humanitarian perspective. However, I wasn't precisely emotionally attached.

In some respects, it was philosophical, yet in others, it was just a bit tawdry. Additionally, when even I could guess the plot points, you know that the plot is a bit too predictable.

It seems that while there were certain elements that held a modicum of philosophical depth, the overall presentation was marred by a certain trashiness. The predictability of the plot also detracted from the overall experience.

Perhaps a more original and less foreseeable storyline would have enhanced the impact and made it a more engaging read.

Nevertheless, it still managed to raise some interesting questions and thoughts, even if it didn't fully deliver on all fronts.

Overall, it was a somewhat mixed bag, with both its strengths and weaknesses.