The Book and the Brotherhood

Iris Murdoch se salta a la torera la máxima de "no cuentes, muestra" y no deja de contar en toda la novela. Relata una escena con todo detalle, se mete en la mente de todos los sujetos presentes, y lo que ocurrió antes y después a cada uno de ellos, que son un lote, por otra parte. Y nunca aburre.
Por el medio anota todos los cambios de pareceres que van surgiendo, romances, enamoramientos, decepciones, mentiras, lo raros e inconsistentes que somos y, de paso, nos suelta una chapa sobre filosofía, ética y política. Y sigue sin aburrir.
Por si fuera poco, acaba metiendo algunas notas de magia sobrenatural en una novela realista y no nos resulta extraño, sino que son detalles que encajan perfectamente en el hilo narrativo que no nos show more deja levantar la vista del libro.
En fin, que una maravilla. Y que si queréis una crítica más seria, al final del libro, os la ofrece Fresán. show less

As you can see, I've rated B&B highly - what follows may sound contradictory, but it isn't: B&B is in some ways the most difficult of Murdoch's books that I've yet tackled - the only one that comes close was THE SEA, THE SEA which was my first Murdoch, back in December last year. B&B features a group of aging friends from college days. Specifically several of them formed a group to support David Crimond the one among them considered the most brilliant (but also poor) while he writes an 'important book.' Thirty and some odd years have gone by and the book is not yet done, Crimond is never asked about it, is understood to be working on it. During that time various things have happened, important people have died, a terrible affair between show more Crimond and one of the 'brotherhood's married members, Jean, married to Duncan, also part of the group. The book opens at a dance at Oxford, a summer ball, (there are some odd echoes of Shakespeare throughout) where people wander about, lose and find each other, but the most critical event is that Jean and Crimond after, say, a fifteen or twenty year period, get back together. This sets in train event after event, and each character plays a part and subsequently wonders if they caused all the trouble that ensues. By the third quarter of the book all friendships appear to be unraveling, terrible events take place, despair possesses pretty much everyone but the bloody-minded happy few. Crimond forms a 'mysterious' magnetic center to the book, as mysterious and unknowable in his brilliance (it is implied) as a man like Jesus Christ. Murdoch has hinted this before that there are people out there, generally men (at least I haven't yet encountered a Murdochian woman with these traits) who are catalysts, who draw change in their wake. They are irresistible to men and women alike and despite their dangerousness, are exhilarating and wonderful people to be around - you cannot like Crimond, you can only love him, admire him - or hate him with murderous passion. These magnetic characters, featured in the bleaker Murdoch novels, make for dark and sometimes difficult but always rewarding reading. Murdoch can present a brilliant person convincingly, as well as a lot of very intelligent and thoughtful and complex people, which is more than most writers can do. It makes for uncomfortable but rewarding reading. ****1/2 show less

30 Dec 1990

I knew this was one of my favourite Murdochs, but couldn't remember why, past Gerard's magnificently described parrot, Grey. Well, there are pretty well the only two scenes in Murdoch to bring a tear to my eye... one of my favourite characters in all of her works, Jenkin Riderhood, a discussion of what happens when a group of friends who set up a fund to support the writing of a Marxist tome turn away from the extreme left and, indeed, the author, and beautifully-realised portraits of the subtleties of friendship as well as of marriage.

This is Murdoch at the height of her powers still; an engaing, absorbing read with a wonderful cast of characters, some great set-pieces, a good cat, a marvellous parrot and a book you can't show more put down, even though it's 600 pages long. show less

Excellent read. Oxford friends enact their imagined worlds with devastating consequences. Murdoch grabs your interest with an exacting dissection of the motivations behind what we do and the way we see ourselves.
All the wonderful Murdoch touches are here; descriptions of clothes, meals and furniture, and even notes that one of the characters has gone to Harrods to buy some Egyptian cotton sheets.
She's a genius.

When a group of middle-aged Oxford school friends reconnects at a gala summer ball, they set in motion a series of events that forever change their relationships with one another. When Jean Cambus dances with David Crimond an old flame is rekindled, Jean's husband Duncan gets into an argument with Crimond, and Jean ends up leaving Duncan for Crimond (for the second time, in fact).

The rest of the group is stunned. Their personal and collective responses offer a way for Murdoch to explore various archetypes and relationships. The cast is rich and varied. Gerard Hernshaw views himself as somewhat in charge, but is tormented by childhood loss and a general sense of emptiness. His sister and brother-in-law have moved into his house and are show more increasingly putting down roots, but Gerard is unable to confront them. Rose Curtland has always loved Gerard but never acted on her feelings. Jenkin Riderhood is a quiet, unattached schoolmaster; Lily Boyne attends the ball as Crimond's date. Gulliver Ashe is a younger man who has been unable to find a job, and Tamar Hernshaw, Gerard's niece, is younger still.

Several years earlier, the group formed a "brotherhood" to finance Crimond's effort to write a political book, but the book has yet to be published. Each member of the brotherhood pays their annual dues, but demands nothing from Crimond; they are reluctant even to approach him about his progress. Even Jean cannot speak to him about it. And while this drama is in progress, several other subplots unfold involving the other characters. Tamar's youthful naiveté and conflicted relationship with her mother lead her into a situation with significant personal consequences. Gerard takes steps towards a relationship he never thought possible. Rose faces her spinsterhood with a stiff upper lip.

And then there's Crimond, the only character consistently referred to only by his surname. Arrogant and detached, when he finally finishes his book he loses his sense of purpose. He tries to engage Jean in some shocking behavior that culminates in one of the novel's most harrowing scenes. And there's still more dramatic tension as Crimond goes a bit off his rocker. Tragic events follow, made even more so as each member of the "brotherhood" feels somewhat at fault. One by one, Murdoch gets into their heads as they examine their role, dwelling on small actions that led to other actions that ultimately led to the tragedy.

The Book and the Brotherhood also serves as a forum for Murdoch's own ideology, which I admit often goes over my head. I enjoyed the character-driven nature of this book much more. I also felt it went on a bit long, and some of the subplots could have been resolved more quickly. Taken as a whole, this was fairly representative of Murdoch's work, even if it wasn't my favorite. show less

This is a good late Murdoch, the usual band of friends and lovers drifting around. They come together at the start at a reunion ball at Oxford and everything spins out of control from there. Its a really good read with a few shocks, but is a little bit long I think

30 Dec 1990

I knew this was one of my favourite Murdochs, but couldn't remember why, past Gerard's magnificently described parrot, Grey. Well, there are pretty well the only two scenes in Murdoch to bring a tear to my eye... one of my favourite characters in all of her works, Jenkin Riderhood, a discussion of what happens when a group of friends who set up a fund to support the writing of a Marxist tome turn away from the extreme left and, indeed, the author, and beautifully-realised portraits of the subtleties of friendship as well as of marriage.

This is Murdoch at the height of her powers still; an engaing, absorbing read with a wonderful cast of characters, some great set-pieces, a good cat, a marvellous parrot and a book you can't show more put down, even though it's 600 pages long. show less