Swinging between his wife and his mistress in the sacred and profane love machine and between the charms of morality and the excitements of sin, the psychotherapist, Blaise Gavender, sometimes wishes he could divide himself in two. Instead, he lets loose misery and confusion and--for the spectators at any rate--a morality play, rich in reflections upon the paradoxes of human life and the nature of the battle between sacred and profane love.
The Sacred And Profane Love Machine
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"A novel of infinite variety and intelligence; the work of a novelist at the height of her powers."--Christopher Hudson
"[Iris Murdoch] remains a consummate and sensual scene-painter."--Michael Ratcliffe in "The Times" (London)
"[Iris Murdoch] remains a consummate and sensual scene-painter."--Michael Ratcliffe in "The Times" (London)
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'Iris Murdoch is incapable of writing without fascinating and beautiful colour' The Times (20021018)
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
By adam
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I think Iris Murdoch wrote approximately 27 novels or so, but this has to be one of her best in my humble opinion. As usual all the typical mix of complex and complicated side characters, ambiguous and contradictory antagonists and protagonists, whilst all the while the plot and sub-plots merging, disintergrating, convoluting and always drawing the reader further in untill a gorgeous finale. Thunderous and passionate, fairly much dark and twisted yet subtle throughout, this is an incredibly addictive and consuming read engulfing you into the life of Montague Small the obsessive and failed detective writer, but more so that of Blaise Gavender the psychotherapist whose life and loves are so unendingly tormented that you don't know whether to cry out in despair or get angry. It came in hardback and cost very little. An excellent and very enjoyable read, i recommend every Iris Murdoch fan to buy this novel!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.4 out of 5 stars
7 reviews
39 of 39 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Murdoch on love and betrayal
11 Mar 1999
By A Customer
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
The Sacred and Profane Love Machine describes the spectacular unravelling of two families at the hands of Blaise Gavender. The first family is his own "legitimate" one, comprising his wife Harriet and son David. The other is his lover Emily and their son Luca. A weary and cynical novelist,the newly widowed Montague Small, is the unwilling observer and intermediary of this melange. We see a recurring exploration of the meaning of love when the faults of the lovers suddenly become overwhelming and the only options are forgiveness or alienation.As in her other books, Murdoch's characters are complex, their motivations tangled by alternating emotional currents of elation, despair, and futility.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Darkly comic delight!
28 Nov 2010
By Geek-Lover
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'd first read Murdoch's "The Sea, The Sea" and was already a fan of her work. My second selection was the provocatively titled "The Sacred and Profane Love Machine". This is a darkly comic, somewhat fanciful story about what occurs when a charlatan of an analyst is 'outed' for his double-life with two families. One family, his traditional, stable and 'respectable' professional family- the other an erotically charged but since-gone-stale relationship with a woman from a less fortunate background and pathetically poor and terminally envious of his 'other' life. The cuckolded wife is perhaps the most comic character in the novel as she futilely tries to control the situation. In Murdoch's standard style- she has rendered a rich cast of well-developed characters who are each imperfect in their own unique ways. This book is a wild ride of a read that does not disappoint- I was left panting with exhileration as the novel came to a close and I was released from this captivating tale!
18 of 27 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent novel
8 Aug 1999
By Richard
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Iris Murdoch's books aren't for everyone: they are for sensitive, intellectual, and introspective readers. I read this one a few months ago, and was very impressed with the quality of the writing, the complexity of the characters' personalities, and the pervasive exploration of their different viewpoints and feelings as the story unfolds. Not only is this book intelligent and insightful, it is also entertaining, and never slow-going. My only criticism concerns the two somewhat "fabulous" accidents which take place near the end. An excellent novel nevertheless.
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4.4 out of 5 stars
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