The Green Knight

I could not get into this uninteresting and strange story. The description of this book doesn’t match what I read. Don’t waste your time or money on it.

What attracts me to a book is being able to relate to its characters, and finding the setting engaging. The Green Knight met both of these criteria easily, which is what kept me interested for about the first half of the book, which wasn't a page-turner by any means. But that changed once my investment in the characters became palpable as they faced some unusual challenges in the second half, when various issues begin to come to a head. The novel is focused around a group of about ten people whose lives connect in common ways, and as the book progresses, the connections become odder. All the characters are so well-developed that I felt I could relate to each of them, and fell in love with all of them. Even though I finished the book about six months ago, I still regularly think about the people in it, and miss them.

Iris Murdoch's compelling next-to-last novel does show some evidence of the Alzheimer's disease that would soon destroy her mental faculties (and would also, if what I've read is right, become considerably more evident in her final novel, "Jackson's Dilemma"). The opening pages are rather strange; she seems to have given up on introducing the characters one or two at a time. It's rather overwhelming to have so many character names and relationships thrown at you so quickly. But stick with it, even if you have to read those first few pages a couple of times. If you do, you will soon find yourself completely caught up in this fascinating and continually surprising story. Here and there are some clumsily phrased and bizarrely punctuated sentences, and there's even a rather odd inconsistency (Murdoch tells us that one character has brown eyes on one page and then he has blue eyes eyes a bit later). Perhaps Murdoch sensed that the end of her career was at hand--after all, she was in her 70s when she wrote this. I can't help but feel that Murdoch's urgent need to tell this story while she still could led her to dispense with polishing it. Despite the sloppiness that is a bit bothersome occasionally, Murdoch's ability to spin a fascinating tale is as strong as ever, perhaps even stronger, and this book very quickly becomes compulsively readable.Overall, the story couldn't be more typical of Murdoch: A group of well-educated Londoners, most of whom are searching for love or redemption or both, suddenly have to deal with a powerful and charismatic stranger who turns their world upside down. I could go into more detail, but I don't want to spoil it for you. All I will say is that Murdoch's vision seems, in the end, a bit less dark than usual. Redemption really seems possible this time.This might not be the place to start if you've never read Murdoch before. Better choices might include "A Fairly Honourable Defeat," "The Black Prince," "The Sacred and Profane Love Machine," or "The Book and the Brotherhood." But if you're a Murdoch fan who hasn't read this one yet, it's a must-read.

Iris Murdoch's "The Green Knight" is a rather talky, long book that unfolds sputteringly. That said, the territory she covers and the characters she creates do stay with us. Despite the matrimonial ending of the book, it left me not altogether satisfied, perhaps a modern novel where we see that life has some victories and some defeats and is ultimately imperfect. The book is difficult to begin as Murdoch throws over 11 new characters at you in the first 30 pages. Not only that, but some of them have real names and nick names and place names and dog names and some are dead; so it begins quite puzzling as to who is who, and what the relationships are.The central image is that of the green knight from King Arthur. We are introduced to glimpses of the mysterious stranger who invades the house (another name) called Clifton and social group that lives and visits there. The 3 daughters are fairly interesting young women, fairly traditional people each with a unique quirk. Moy is the artistic one; Sefton the brain; and Aleph is the beauty. Of course with beautiful young women, there are going to be a swarm of young men. Harvey is one of the most perplexing, injured early in the story, he spends the rest of the novel overcoming the injury and his virginity. Clement is also a quite interesting character, the actor who becomes so wrapped up in events that he doesn't particularly care about acting. I was amazed by his continuing dedication to his brother Lucas who apparently wanted to kill him. It didn't quite make sense to me that he was so oblivious to this bad intent. Lucas was also a puzzle. I thought he would be the villain, but instead Murdoch neutralizes him and then makes him disappear. Peter Mir who comes to have such an impact on the group as the green knight or the golden Buddah, represents justice and enlightenment. He comes into the story late and leaves early; so it is his impact on the group for which Murdoch aims. Other characters are interesting. The gay Bellemy who wants to become a priest has a long correspondence with Father Damian who we come to know only by letter. Bellemy is a character that never seems to find a center of gravity, always looking to someone else for a sense of completion. Louise is the mother who continually predicts that her youngest daughter is going crazy. Anax is a dog who has a life and intelligence all his own. The other smaller characters such as Harvey's mother Joan, Tessa, and Emil swirl about making the story complex, perhaps lifelike.In the end, these were great characters that I enjoyed sharing time with, but in a rather untidy story with loose threads and unexplained results, somewhat like life. Enjoy!

A beautiful finish to this novel. It was spotty in parts, and I frequently wondered if early 90's British teens and early 20's talked and thought like that, but the finish was so well-rounded, so unexpected that I am left with a wonderful taste in my mouth. The going is slow initially- I was reminded of D.H. Lawrence's "Women in Love" because I just *didn't like those people*. I really didn't. I couldn't stand Joan, didn't like Bellamy, thought Harvey was vapid, and the Cliftonians unreal. I stuck around long enough to get to know them, and changed my attitude about some of them. I even became so involved that I was cheered by some of the mistakes being made right- especially when it came to the dog. I wanted to help correct things, and to influence people. At times, I wondered who the novel was about. Was it Peter? Kind of- Peter transformed people, or so we assumed. (but did he?) Maybe it was the Cliftonians because they featured prominently? No, overall, events happened to them, but they didn't cause them. I thought for awhile that it was about Lucas, and in a way it was. Lucas was quite a force for "the family", even though he was so rarely present. The novel even starts with his absence. But how could a novel be about an absent person? It doesn't matter though- it is about any of them and all of them. The marriages may have been a contrivance, but they were nice, some made sense, and others leave us with a lot to wonder about.Iris Murdoch is a wonderful writer, and weaves a beautiful web with unexpected moments. Even when I forget the action of a novel, I remember the feeling she left me with.

Iris Murdoch has mastered the novel form with this thorougly entertaining study of "how evil enters a life" and how we learn to live. What is revealed in the course of the twisting and exciting plot, which unfolds from numerous points of view (at one point even the dog!), is simultaneously truth and magic. The novel exalts in the human mind's malleability -- each character puzzles over and wrestles with new ideas and revelations. There are so many mysterious and exciting elements to this story, which can be read on so many different levels, that I have to say that Murdoch is at the top of the list of living writers. Even if you take away the symbolism and allegory, character doubling, intricate subtexts and fascinating parallels, most of all this is a tale of the joy of redemption. It is a reclaiming of minds and souls from the madness that tends to be considered rational thought.