- Paperback: 88 pages
- Publisher: Samuel French Ltd (Jun 1969)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 057301213X
- ISBN-13: 978-0573012136
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,680,504 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Italian Girl (Vintage Classics)
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Product Description
Review
" Iris Murdoch can tell a story, delineate a character, catch an atmosphere with deadly accuracy." --John Betjeman
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Book Description
A witty, elegant comedy of errors to rival any of Shakespeare's
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
An Iris short story that does not exhibit the `weight' of her lengthier novels. Consequently I found myself less engrossed in the plot development and distanced from the first person narrator. The story, however, reveals many of Murdoch's themes of loss, domestic power struggles, secrets, lies and the complexities of love. The story revolves around two brothers, coming to terms with the death of their domineering mother, the consequences of disillusionment, and an inability to connect with close family members. The chain of events (unveiled in the maternal mansion with its exquisitely described garden) exposes the dangers of uncommunicative relationships, emotional and physical exploitation, the pain of grief and betrayal. And all this drama is played out in full view of a discreet and ubiquitous maid (the Italian Girl of the title) who silently witnesses the disintegration of all those around her. Not a great Iris novel but an important work nevertheless.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Lays bare the innermost destructive workings of an extremely dysfunctional isolated family.
4 July 2010
Format:Paperback
A short story - effective, darkly emotive, but not as rich in plot, and perhaps not as empathetic as a result, as some of the author's other novels. The Italian Girl is the story of immense self-destruction within an extremely dysfunctional family. There seems to be a rot at the very core of this divided family, probably in the form of the recently deceased matriarch, Lydia, who exercises control over her household even from beyond the grave. - This last in an emotional rather than haunting sense.
Lydia lived all her life in the isolated family home, with one of her sons, Otto, and his own family staying within the family fold. Otto has problems of his own - marital discord, addiction, temptation, anger - and focuses his problems very much in an internal way, blocking out the outside world in many ways, and remaining ignorant about what his wife and teenage daughter might be getting up to. It takes the arrival of second son, Edmund, at Lydia's funeral to stir up some realisation of what's going on within the family home. Edmund narrates this difficult return to his childhood home and the shocking events that come to light as a result of trying to help his niece come to terms with a devastating situation. Through it all, a silent witness to this domestic discord, grief and temptation is the 'Italian girl', housekeeper and previous companion to the deceased Lydia, she has been privy to everthing that has occurred within her earshot within the house, and yet largely ignored by the members of the family.
This is an interesting novel which explores some of the darkest aspects of human nature and relationships with ease and expertise. It's not a page-turner, or a novel steeped in plot, yet it makes compulsive, if slightly detached, reading for the insights and laying bare of some of the most secret parts of a human soul. **** 4 stars.
Lydia lived all her life in the isolated family home, with one of her sons, Otto, and his own family staying within the family fold. Otto has problems of his own - marital discord, addiction, temptation, anger - and focuses his problems very much in an internal way, blocking out the outside world in many ways, and remaining ignorant about what his wife and teenage daughter might be getting up to. It takes the arrival of second son, Edmund, at Lydia's funeral to stir up some realisation of what's going on within the family home. Edmund narrates this difficult return to his childhood home and the shocking events that come to light as a result of trying to help his niece come to terms with a devastating situation. Through it all, a silent witness to this domestic discord, grief and temptation is the 'Italian girl', housekeeper and previous companion to the deceased Lydia, she has been privy to everthing that has occurred within her earshot within the house, and yet largely ignored by the members of the family.
This is an interesting novel which explores some of the darkest aspects of human nature and relationships with ease and expertise. It's not a page-turner, or a novel steeped in plot, yet it makes compulsive, if slightly detached, reading for the insights and laying bare of some of the most secret parts of a human soul. **** 4 stars.
Format:Paperback
The story takes place after the death of the narrator and his brother's seemingly controlling mother. Instead of focusing on the past, the author chooses to concentrate on the present circumstances. And what a frightful mess the inhabitants of the house are! They're horrible, awful people, feeding off each other's misery. By comparison, the narrator is rather dull, and "The Italian Girl", the protagonist, hardly appears.
For a long time I've wanted to read something by the great Iris Murdoch, but maybe this wasn't the best introduction to her work. While it was a fairly good read, as was previously mentioned by another reviewer, this book is somewhat lacking. I'm currently reading The Bell and (so far) I'm finding it a far deeper and more interesting read.
Though I've been quite negative, I wouldn't try to dissuade you entirely from buying this book. It's extremely well written, engrossing at times and the author, most definitely, does not flinch. She puts her characters into terrible situations and the ending, though we need them sometimes, like real life, is not always a happy or ideal one.
For a long time I've wanted to read something by the great Iris Murdoch, but maybe this wasn't the best introduction to her work. While it was a fairly good read, as was previously mentioned by another reviewer, this book is somewhat lacking. I'm currently reading The Bell and (so far) I'm finding it a far deeper and more interesting read.
Though I've been quite negative, I wouldn't try to dissuade you entirely from buying this book. It's extremely well written, engrossing at times and the author, most definitely, does not flinch. She puts her characters into terrible situations and the ending, though we need them sometimes, like real life, is not always a happy or ideal one.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Bleak
A rather gruesome tale of a dysfunctional family reaching the point of melt-down triggered by the death of the overbearing Mother. Read more
Published on 1 Mar 2004 by Glaucon
A rollercoaster of love, deceit, and philosophy.
Murdoch has pulled off another tour de force of taught, readable, yet deep prose. Readable, yes. Thinkable, perhaps not. Read more
Published on 29 Aug 2001
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