Scan barcode
toniclark's review against another edition
3.0
In retrospect, I appreciate the psychological and philosophical depth of the novel, as well as its structure (the plot symmetry between Henry and Cato), though I didn’t always enjoy the read. I thought the writing excellent, but the book really didn’t grab me until about 60% of the way through when the story started to move. And from there on, I couldn’t read fast enough. The first 20% or so was especially tedious (though some of that’s probably due to it being in a style that’s less common today). Even though I did become engaged, I found the characters pretty hard to respond to. I’m not one of those who needs characters to be likable; in fact, I’m often drawn to characters others find off-putting. But in this book, all of the characters were pretty unappealing to me.
Great depictions of the natural world and long (too long) explorations of characters’ internal thoughts and agonizing deliberations (especially Cato). Very mixed feelings about this one. Overall, I guess I like thinking about it in retrospect more than I liked actually reading it. It’s the only Iris Murdoch novel I’ve read and I’m willing to try another, but can’t see myself blasting through her oeuvre.
Great depictions of the natural world and long (too long) explorations of characters’ internal thoughts and agonizing deliberations (especially Cato). Very mixed feelings about this one. Overall, I guess I like thinking about it in retrospect more than I liked actually reading it. It’s the only Iris Murdoch novel I’ve read and I’m willing to try another, but can’t see myself blasting through her oeuvre.
jlasch's review
2.0
Never have I read a book full of such unlikeable characters! I thought maybe I could find something I liked about the main characters by finishing the story, but that didn’t happen. All I wanted to do was shake both Henry and Cato and scream can you please stop being so whiny???
maiamiga's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.75
Un poco agridulce el sabor que me ha dejado esta novela. Empieza muy bien, con una trama fuerte, personajes perfectamente dibujados, crea tensión, profundidad,... pero a mitad de novela hay un bajón, se ralentiza y da la sensación de que sobran páginas. Ya en el último tercio sube un poco el interés, la trama se complica, se crean expectativas, y el final decepciona un poco. Hay un giro interesante pero me da la impresión de que se ha forzado que casi todo encaje. Como si nada hubiera pasado. Tantas malas decisiones y tantos errores para que luego todo acabe quedando en casi nada. De todas formas, el talento de la autora para crear psicología en los personajes es indudable y las atmósferas que crea son magníficas. En definitiva, no está mal, pero me gustó más su otra novela “Bajo la red".
lbrex's review
5.0
I bought my copy of this book 21 years ago while in the UK for the first time, and I'm proud to say that I have finally read it. It feels like one of Murdoch's more chaotic narratives and it benefits from a third-person narrator who gives us access into the very bad decisions that the title characters, Henry and Cato, persist in making for most of the novel. My sense, coming back to Murdoch after awhile, is that her characters frequently learn, painfully, that their grand plans and ambitious projects are not possible and are, most likely, the product of self-centeredness and delusion. They end up figuring out that the path of least resistance is most likely the one that will make them happy, as happens with Henry here (though I won't say more). Highlights of this volume include Stephanie, Henry's brother's ex-lover with a secret, and Lucius Lamb, one of Henry's mother's friends who frequently writes terrible haikus in which he refers to the woman he loves as "the old girl." During a time when COVID-19 has forced us all to stay home, this book was a nice alternative because it was brimming with life's messy ridiculousness.
belovedsnail's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
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
4.75
This is a reread for me. Henry and Cato was the first Murdoch I ever read and I was 19 years old. I don’t know what it sats that Lucien and his poetry is the thing I remembered most clearly. As always with Murdoch, dense, exquisite and a little bit bitter.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Sexual assault
booksandq's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
somethewiser's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! I always love Murdoch, but I really enjoyed this journey through the human soul and her examination of human strengths and weaknesses. A beautiful look at faith and God, doubt and existentialism, and ultimately redemption.
sira's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this a lot. It took me a little while to get started on in, but once I got stuck in, it read very smoothly. I really enjoyed all of the characters and the various points of view, but I felt that the plot was a little thin. The language was lovely though.