The Nice And The Good (Vintage classics)
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Review
"A masterpiece by reason of its profound moral vitality." --"Country Life"
Product Description
Iris Murdoch's richly peopled novel revolves round a happily married couple, Kate and Octavian, and the friends of all ages attached to their household in Dorset. The novel deals with love in its two aspects, the self-gratifying and the impersonal; - the nice and the good - as they are embodied in a fascinating array of paired characters. THE NICE AND THE GOOD leads through stress and terror to a joyous and compassionate 'Midsummer Nights Dream' conclusion, in which the couples all sort themselves out neatly and omnia vincit amor.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I love the way that Iris Murdoch's characters occupy a world slightly removed from our own- an impossibly long golden summer, extreme egotism (anyone not included in the story are referred to by the main characters as 'natives') and black magic halls beneath Whitehall. I loved this book more than any of her others except for Under the Net!
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
There are a lot of typos in this edition, basic errors not picked up. Although it may be the same in the book, it is hard to know when one section stops and another begins.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
9 reviews
46 of 46 people found the following review helpful
One of Murdoch's most compelling tales of love and morality
28 Sep 1997
Format:Paperback
A suicide in a government office that may (we almost hope) turn out to be a murder... An attractive government official, who likes to think well of himself, precariously juggling an old love and a new... An ebullient married woman who kisses (out of wedlock) and always tells her husband... These are just a few of the elements in this novel too delicious to spoil by giving you more of the plot. You may expect to revel in deep truths about good and evil, while savoring some of the most succinctly-written love scenes in the history of the novel. You will meet eccentric children, engaging villains and strong women. To crown all, the author has been kind enough to give us a happy ending (with a twist, of course).
53 of 56 people found the following review helpful
three cuts above
4 Sep 2000
Format:Paperback
This was my first Iris Murdoch novel. I picked it up after hearing countless NPR folks refer to her as one of their favorite novelists, especially for a summer reading list, and I know she is one of Harold Bloom's beloved authors, so it was with great anticipation that I started this book.
I was hooked instantly. I couldn't put it down, in fact I finished it in less than 48 hours. If you read broadly, imagine Robertson Davies' quirky characters and plotlines crossed with Cormac McCarthy's discourses on good, evil, and the nature of God and man, and all of this bracketed by the mechanics of a suspicious suicide investigation.
I think what really held me was that I honestly and truly could not predict what was going to happen. Who would end up with whom in this musical chair style relationship dance? What is up with the blackmailing business? What on earth was that dead guy involved with, and why do those twins keep going on about flying saucers, anyway?
I'm not a murder/mystery reader, usually, but if that is Murdoch's genre then I'm changing my ways.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
An Exploration of Self-Myths
18 Nov 2002
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Murdoch explores how people's actions are driven by their self-images and personal mythologies. The vanities, fears or ambitions that dominate the way our lives unfold vary all over the place - from the need of the protagonist to "think well of himself," to the craving for love, the desire to serve humbly, or the need to forget something awful. Murdoch lets these motivations play out through her plots, which are really extravagant thought experiments. She focuses in particular on our secrets, the various reasons we have for hiding them, and the ways in which we slip into self indulgence and self-justification.
Some may find this approach a bit artificial and intellectual, but I felt that although the situations might be somewhat contrived, the characters' responses and actions rang true. I found the book very readable, and it met my main criterion for a novel - it taught me something new about why people act the way they do.
Some may find this approach a bit artificial and intellectual, but I felt that although the situations might be somewhat contrived, the characters' responses and actions rang true. I found the book very readable, and it met my main criterion for a novel - it taught me something new about why people act the way they do.
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