A review by oliviafarrington
The Nice and the Good by Iris Murdoch

funny hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

This felt like the first novelistic novel I had read for ages - some of it felt stuffy and repressed and Enid blyton-y (maybe they just have a picnic at some point), but I  found the characters charming and likeable in that familiar way too. And it’s philosophical edge made it different (this is the first Iris Murdoch book I’ve read). The murder plot was less interesting to me that the romantic crises distracting Ducane and others around him - like I would rather more time spent on characters than resolving the plot by the end. Kind of funny at times (‘ready kate?’ ‘ready!’)