Bruno's Dream

Iris Murdoch is engaging in a rather interesting game of intertextuality here, as Robert Irwin proclaims in his introduction. Whether this news makes your heart soar or sink truly depends on your tolerance for literary navel-gazing.

Apparently, the novel is a semi-farcical reworking of The Death of Ivan Ilyich. I could clearly see the farce part. You could simply read Tolstoy and your life would not be any poorer for having missed this one. And I haven't even begun to mention the occasional snippets from the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, nor the endless byplay that Murdoch attempts to attach to a stamp collection that perhaps symbolizes everything. Or maybe it symbolizes nothing at all.

However, it must be said that the book was well-written and Murdoch shows great inventiveness with the incidents. So, I give it two stars. But it will be a very long time before I decide to pick up another book by this author.

This belief that something has lost its value can, to some extent, revert and cleanse the small worldly love experiences and resolve those dilemmas. However, it cannot

He has lived the reality of death and felt that it has made her nothing, stripping her of fame, and yet love still exists, the only thing present

Aires Merdoux always (with two books in truth) manages to amaze me.

Love is a complex and mysterious emotion. Sometimes, we may think that certain experiences or events have diminished its value. But as we see in the words above, even in the face of death and the loss of worldly status, love persists. It is the one constant that remains. Aires Merdoux's works seem to have the power to capture this essence of love and present it in a way that astonishes the reader. Her writing perhaps makes us reflect on the true nature of love and how it can withstand the harshest of circumstances. We are left wondering about the depth and durability of this emotion that continues to exist despite all odds.

Continuing my journey through the remarkable works of Iris Murdoch, my fifth stop was the captivating Bruno's Dream, which was shortlisted for the prestigious Booker Prize. This novel is truly outstanding. It presents an extremely poignant and visceral portrayal of old age through the character of Bruno Greensleave. Bed-ridden and distorted by age to the point where the other characters can scarcely recognize him as human, yet his mind remains keenly aware and inclined towards philosophical ponderings about the "dream" that his past life now seems to have become in hindsight.

The other characters, consisting of various members of Bruno's family and household, revolve around him. They come and go, caught up in the clutches of their own "dreams", behaving like maniacs and fools, as is the human tendency. They fall in love with wild and inappropriate abandon, wound each other both inadvertently and perhaps even advertently. They scheme against one another, lie, steal, cheat, and astonishingly, even attempt to kill one another.

Despite its numerous moments of pathos, it is actually a rather comic novel, bordering on farcical in the Shakespearean manner that all of my favorite Murdoch novels thus far seem to share. And yet, it all concludes on a transcendent note of seriousness, compassion, and great beauty. This work is right up there with The Black Prince and The Sea, the Sea. I highly recommend it!

This particular Murdoch book is not my all-time favorite.

However, it still manages to offer a rich and fulfilling reading experience.

The story is filled with interesting characters and complex relationships that keep the reader engaged from start to finish.

What really stands out, though, is the ending.

It is both unexpected and satisfying, tying up loose ends in a way that leaves the reader with a sense of closure.

While it may not have reached the heights of some of Murdoch's other works, this book is still well worth reading for fans of her writing.

It showcases her talent for creating vivid worlds and exploring the human condition in a thought-provoking way.

Overall, it is a solid addition to her body of work.

Fascinating

At 09.00, a truly fascinating scene unfolds. The world seems to wake up with a newfound energy. The sun peeks through the clouds, casting a warm glow over everything it touches. Birds chirp merrily, as if celebrating the start of a new day. People are going about their morning routines, some with a sense of purpose, others with a more relaxed demeanor.

The city streets are bustling with activity. Cars honk, buses rumble, and cyclists weave in and out of traffic. Shops are opening their doors, and the smell of fresh coffee and pastries fills the air. It's a time of new beginnings, a time to embrace the opportunities that the day has to offer.

Whether you're an early riser or someone who struggles to get out of bed, there's something undeniably captivating about 09.00. It's a moment when the world is full of potential, and anything seems possible. So take a moment to soak it all in, and let the fascinating beauty of the morning inspire you.

This was indeed a rather challenging piece. There were some truly beautiful passages within it, passages that could make one's heart skip a beat. However, there were also some utter absurdities that left the reader scratching their head. It felt as if it was a shorter, denser work that had been padded out with a few too many of Murdoch's regular tropes. One couldn't help but wonder what on Earth she was up to with this particular writing.

But then, there were those last pages. They seemed to hold a certain magic, a power that pulled the reader in and made them reevaluate everything that had come before. It was as if Murdoch had saved the best for last, using those final pages to turn the entire work on its head and leave the reader with a sense of wonder and awe.

Despite its flaws, there was something undeniably captivating about this piece, something that made it worth reading and rereading, trying to解开 the mysteries that Murdoch had hidden within its pages.

The inferences made about illness and death were nice.

However, generally speaking, it was a romance based on love triangles and quadrangles, and this irritated me a bit.

The character of Nigel was my favorite character. I think all the quotes I liked from the book were his sentences, and for this reason, I gave the book 3 stars.

I hope my next Murdoch book will be more satisfying.

Overall, while there were some aspects that I enjoyed, such as the inferences about illness and death and the character of Nigel, the focus on love triangles and quadrangles detracted from the overall reading experience for me.

I look forward to seeing if Murdoch can deliver a more engaging and fulfilling story in the next book.

One of my absolute favorite novels by Iris Murdoch is set in the vibrant city of London. In this captivating story, the characters find themselves completely overwhelmed by and seemingly incapable of understanding the powerful force of Eros, and perhaps other forms of consuming love as well. The novel is beautifully written, with a masterful use of language that draws the reader in and keeps them engaged from beginning to end. It is full of drama, but not the kind of over-the-top melodrama that can sometimes feel artificial. Instead, the drama unfolds naturally, as the characters struggle to come to terms with their own desires and the complex web of relationships that surrounds them. Overall, it is a truly remarkable work of literature that I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a good story about love, loss, and the human condition.