Reviews

The Sea, the Sea by Iris Murdoch

clmckinney's review

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I really wanted to like this novel but alas I found the characters insufferable. There is some good writing here but it goes off the rails in the middle of the book. I had to dnf at the 300 mark. I have 3 other books of hers, I hope they prove to be better reads. I give this one a 2/5. 

chris_dech's review against another edition

5.0

My oh my do I lack the words to explain how fun this was to read. No book has thrown me for so many twists or turns, suspense and payoff, elation and utter heartache, in so long.

Ethereal and beautiful, and violently pensive and personal for our "hero" Charles Arrowby, Murdoch pens a masterful work of dreams lost, dreams yet to be saved, and dreams that never were from the start.

pillgirl2012's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

nagiablk's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

astratton0123's review

3.75

What is this book?! I hated it. I loved it. I wanted to finish it so badly but I also found myself compulsively reading it. I stayed up late to get to the end and then felt bereft for all the characters I was closing the covers on, even though I hated them all. Persevere past the first 100 pages and you're in for a wild ride. Everyone is insufferable and you don't know who you're rooting for. It's glorious.

victoriandreamer's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

serrasa's review against another edition

slow-paced

2.0

theciz's review against another edition

This is an excruciating book about a pompous, thoroughly unlikable man who retires to a house by the sea. I couldn’t finish it, not because the writing wasn’t good or effective, if anything because it was too effective. I suffer really strongly from second hand embarrassment, and boy does this have it in spades. Every time our character makes yet another poor, delusional decision I found it almost unbearable, and you can’t exactly skip passages because then you’d be skipping everything. It got to the point where I would feel physically nauseous when the narrative was heading towards the next inevitable interpersonal disaster. Truly, a portrait of a man as a slow moving car crash. If you don’t get second-hand embarrassment, I could really recommend it though. But I personally just had to quit and read a summary.

lilylanie's review against another edition

4.0

I usually find it difficult to enjoy a book where I hate every single one of the characters, but in this case that seems to be the point. Charles' self-centred worldview is so complete as to be laughable, and all of the other characters seem almost as much like caricatures. Of all of them I disliked Hartley the most, and I cringed ever time she spoke, but again I know that was the point. The audiobook narration by Richard Grant was incredible and I highly recommend it to anyone.

krobber's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious relaxing tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0