I must be suffering from a bout of bad luck in what books are concerned. Could it be a problem of mine, or are indeed the books not that good?

Anyway, I believe I’ll give Iris Murdoch another go, in the future. However, this particular book bored me senseless. I didn't like Jake, or any of the other characters for that matter. I constantly found myself confusing Madge and Anna.

And what was this story all about? Jake is an adult who behaves like a child and keeps making dreadful, incomprehensible decisions. It was truly frustrating to follow his actions.

I regret to say, but this book is probably the worst reading decision of 2021. I had high hopes for it, but it failed to deliver. Maybe I just need to find the right book by this author to truly appreciate her work.

It was long overdue for me to give a Murdoch a try.

And since I was in the mood for something comic, this particular work seemed like a decent choice.

However, perhaps it wasn't the best option for a first-time Murdoch reader. Maybe I should have opted for one of her award-winning books instead of her very first one.

The initial 30 or so pages held the promise of a Bertie/Jeeves kind of experience, which was okay with me. But the writing style struck me as annoyingly arch and overly wordy rather than truly clever.

I didn't manage to get far enough into the book to encounter the philosophical references and explorations that she is renowned for.

No doubt they would have sailed right past me anyway. After all, I'm just an ordinary person reviewing a highly celebrated and clever author. So, your mileage may vary.

\\n  \\"Toda teorización es una huida. Debe dirigirnos la situación en sí, y eso es inexpresablemente concreto. Desde luego, es algo a lo que nunca podemos acercarnos lo bastante, por mucho que intentemos, por así decirlo, meternos bajo la red\\".\\n

This is the most humorous work I have read so far by the author, someone I deeply admire and whose words I savor no matter what she talks about. And here, in her first novel, she has talked about some of the things that matter to her and that she has already talked about in her later works.

On these pages, I have once again enjoyed her intelligence and art, the apparent lightness with which she talks to us about this nothingness between two voids that is ultimately our life, or the incompetence of language to express ourselves and how it wraps around us and shapes us like a net, or the uselessness of the theories that we inevitably configure about everything, including the people we relate to, including ourselves although in reality “nunca sabes que querrás hacer cuando llegue el momento”. And this is despite the fact that the story that surrounds everything has interested me much less than on other occasions. It doesn't matter, in Murdoch we will always find wonderful pearls like this one that I bring here:

\\n  “Los acontecimientos se suceden ante nosotros como estas multitudes, y el rostro de cada uno de ellos se ve únicamente un instante. Lo que es urgente no lo es para siempre, sino efímeramente. Todo el trabajo y todo el amor, la búsqueda de la riqueza y la fama, la búsqueda de la verdad, la vida misma están formadas por momentos que se convierten en nada. Sin embargo, el impulso de esas nadas nos lleva hacia adelante con esa milagrosa vitalidad que crea nuestros precarios habitáculos en el pasado y en el futuro. Así vivimos; un espíritu que cavila y vacila por encima de la muerte continua en el tiempo, el sentido perdido, el momento no recuperado, el rostro no recordado, hasta el golpe final que termina con todos nuestros momentos y zambulle ese espíritu en el vacío del que procede.”\\n

Without any premeditation, I followed up her reading with that of Beckett's Murphy, a book that is not mentioned by chance in Murdoch's novel. In that one it is said:

\\n  \\"Así era el amor de Neary por Miss Dwyer, la cual amaba a un cierto teniente Elliman de la aviación, que amaba a una cierta Miss Farren de Ringsakiddy, que amaba al Padre Fitt de Ballinclashet, quien con todas sinceridad se veía forzado a admitir una cierta inclinación por una tal Mrs. West de Passage, que amaba a Neary. El amor correspondido –dijo Neary- es un conrtocircuito.”\\n

A sentimental tangle of this kind is what occurs in Murdoch's novel, and it is not the only coincidence with Beckett's book. Apart from the humor and the importance that a hospital has in both plots, its main character, Jake Donaghue, is an individual allergic to work who manages to live at the expense of his lovers and acquaintances.

The net that Jack projected over himself returned the image of a volatile being moving randomly from one point to another and only requiring the company that can be found in any pub. The lack of faith in his own work as a writer pushed him into an infinite series of dreamily sterile reflections in which he was the center of the universe and to waste his talent on irrelevant translations of French novels that he actually made fun of.

With these antecedents, the novel will unfold in a kind of crazy comedy of formation and growth in which Jake finds himself involved in a countless number of grotesque adventures full of impossible coincidences, of absurd plans that always fail, of behaviors outside all logic, all theory, that will cause him a change of perspective, of net, that will cause a Copernican turn in his beliefs about his environment, about himself and about his supposed great life disasters, such as having let slip away the one he thought would have been his great love, Anna Quentin, and having betrayed and abandoned his friend Hugo Belfounder, whom he met in a medical experiment in which both served as guinea pigs, after writing a book with such a revealing title as The Silencer based on the philosophical ideas that Hugo transmitted to him and that impressed him so much.

Like any self-respecting comedy, Murdoch's novel has a hopeful ending for Jake. The change in the net with which he explained the world has managed to awaken in him that joy proper to “la mañana del primer día”, a new existence that he approaches with a force that is even better than happiness. Good journey, Jake Donaghue.

\\n  \\"¿Cuándo conocemos a un ser humano? Tal vez sólo cuando uno ha comprobado la imposibilidad de conocerlo y ha renunciado al deseo de ello y al final ni siquiera siente su necesidad. Pero lo que uno consigue ya no es conocimiento, es simplemente una especie de coexistencia; y esa es también una de las máscaras del amor\\".\\n

At the beginning, I was truly enjoying this semi-farcical/semi-philosophical novel.

I had a great affection for the ridiculousness of the entire plot and the characters. It was like a unique world that initially captured my attention and imagination.

However, after a while, something changed. It just seemed to lose its charm and became a bore.

Once I reached the last hundred-page stretch, it felt like a real struggle. I found myself picking up the book, reading only ten pages, and then putting it down again ad nauseum.

It was not an easy task to finish this part. But, thankfully, this one experience has not put me off Murdoch's work.

I still believe there is more to discover in her writings, and I will definitely be revisiting her again sometime in the future.

I look forward to exploring other works of hers and seeing if they can recapture the magic that this one initially had.

Maybe the next book will be a completely different and more fulfilling experience.

**UN AMORE VERO**

Iris Murdoch's first novel marked her literary debut in the mid-1950s. Born in Dublin, she was in London just twelve months later. I began reading her, surely because I often saw her named while reading Arbasino. And I started right here, perhaps due to the dedication: “To Raymond Queneau”. Murdoch was friends with Queneau for decades, probably in love (at least judging from the intense correspondence) but not reciprocated. It's said to be a platonic passion. In any case, a great feeling, a great story, and a great admiration for the French writer.

Set in 1950s London, the protagonist is a translator who wants to be a writer, a rogue and bohemian, eccentric and extravagant. His life, like that of his friends, is a bit chaotic, zigzagging, and clumsy. They go to the pub, drink, talk. Jake, the narrator and protagonist, chats, has thoughts, philosophizes about literature, while his dear friend Finn listens without saying a word, seeming very intelligent. It was probably the life Murdoch led at the time, as a philosophy teacher at Oxford.
The novel can be seen as a coming-of-age story. The meditations aloud, the dialogues, and the rants are sharp, funny, and profound. It made me continue to explore Murdoch's works, and she published twenty-six novels in total. The title is likely a citation of Wittgenstein, who was Iris's teacher at the university. I don't know if he was the one who guided her towards philosophy, to which she remained always connected, writing and teaching it.

Murdoch was one of the writers I had long desired to meet but couldn't. Finally, I met him. And immediately, I was amazed by him. By his style but especially by his wisdom.

In the book where he underlined many definitions and findings, the really enjoyable part was having the taste of a complete English comedy. Because it is a flavor that I really like.

The book tells the adventures of a translator who gets stuck in the life he weaves for himself and can't even tell himself that he wants to be a writer. But what can I say... If it were a movie, I would watch it with the same pleasure.

I recommend it to those who love fine wit and can manage not to take themselves too seriously.

This is a high 3, but unfortunately, I just couldn't quite stretch it to 4 stars.

It began in a wonderful way, captivating my attention right from the start. However, then it noticeably slowed down for about 100 pages. Considering the book is only 250 pages in length, that's a significant portion of slow-paced content. But to its credit, it finished very strongly, leaving a lasting impression.

Jake, the main character, moves around London quite a bit, and many London neighborhoods are mentioned throughout the story. This might have held great meaning for those who live in that magnificent city. However, for me, it was rather difficult to grasp any significance. I had no way of visualizing those neighborhoods or understanding their proximity to each other.

Thankfully, there were some laugh-out-loud parts in the book. Maybe not huge belly laughs, but certainly more than just smiles. Jake, who has no job, has a freedom of movement that was quite foreign to me. He would start out with a specific purpose, but then run into friends, stop at a pub, and suddenly the purpose of his outing would go in an entirely different direction. There were times when I felt as if I had stopped in the pub with him, because I too would forget the original purpose of the outing.

Thankfully, Murdoch manages to get everything back on track eventually and has some very nice things to say in the process. There are a few more Murdoch titles on the 1001 list, and I'll be more than happy to include them in my reading mix.

Stopped halfway. It had a strong start. And, of course for Murdoch, a strong voice as well. However, despite these initial promising aspects, it quickly became evident that this was not going to hold my interest. In fact, it bored me to death. The story or whatever it was seemed to lack the necessary depth and excitement to keep me engaged. It was as if it was going through the motions without really having anything substantial to offer. I found myself constantly looking at the time, hoping for it to end soon. The strong start had given me some initial hope, but unfortunately, it was not enough to sustain my interest throughout.

The cocky narrator of "Under the Net" is precisely what all true antiheroes are (or should be) made out of.

Roaming the streets of London like some vagabond (though money frequently touches his hands) and interacting with vile people, this is a true perpetual ode to laziness, the exact type of thing to spark my particular interest.

The story is organic, its flow envious. Precious few writers can get away with such subtle themes and sensual undertow. It is eerie, weirdly and mysteriously symbolic. A more faithful rendition of London life had not crossed my eyes ever since Mrs. Dalloway.

This novel is a true treasure. It's as delicious as revenge, as emblematic as Big Ben, and as readable and elegant a read as few books ever are. It invites the reader into a world that is both familiar and strange, a world where the ordinary is transformed into the extraordinary. The characters are vividly drawn, and their interactions are both humorous and poignant.

The language is rich and evocative, painting a picture of London that is both gritty and beautiful. "Under the Net" is a novel that will stay with you long after you have turned the last page.

Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous!!! This piece is so hilarious and filled with such an optimistic spirit that I find myself overcome with a desire to hug Murdoch out of sheer gratitude that she had the talent and creativity to write it. The way she weaves the story, the humorous anecdotes, and the positive outlook she presents are truly captivating. It's as if she has opened a door to a world of laughter and hope, and I can't help but be drawn in. Every word seems to sparkle with life and energy, making it a joy to read. I can't wait to see what else Murdoch has in store for us in the future.

I absolutely adored this book.

I discovered it to be brilliantly hilarious.

After perusing several books where upon reaching the end I pondered, "What was the point?", "Under the Net" was extremely rejuvenating.

The novel has a certain element of mystery, making it difficult to envision where Murdoch is leading her characters until the conclusion is attained.

Not until the end do you fathom how Jake, Hugo, Sadie, and Anna are all intertwined and how crucial it is for Jake to untangle their tales in order to progress in his own life.

Every scene was essential for the novel's development and advanced the plot.

I didn't sense that any of my time was squandered.

I thoroughly relished myself and would recommend it to anyone.

It's a captivating read that keeps you engaged from start to finish.

The characters are well-developed and the story is full of twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat.

I can't wait to read more of Murdoch's work.

The more I think about Under the Net, the more I find myself truly enamored with it.

It presents a wonderful balance of delightfully quirky characters and a rollicking, fun-filled story, yet it also has a touch of sobriety interwoven within. As the narrative progresses, Jake undergoes a maturation process that is truly fascinating to observe. In the beginning, the guy is a complete disaster, but by the end, I was convinced that he would get his life in order.

The chapter where Jake dog-naps Mars is simply hilarious! It could easily stand alone as a side-splitting sketch comedy. I don't believe I have ever laughed so uproariously while reading a novel. I adored the relationship between Jake and Mars, which was far more honest and trusting than his relationships with any of the human characters. Then, in the final chapter, Murdoch strikes a more serious note when she sums it up with, "So we live - a spirit that broods and hovers over the continual death of time, the lost meaning, the unrecaptured moment, the unremembered face, until the final chop-chop that ends all our moments and plunges that spirit back into the void from which it came."

I am eagerly looking forward to delving into more of her work, especially her Booker Award-winning The Sea, The Sea. I might just have to do that sooner rather than later.