The bell

by

315 pages

English language

Published Nov. 12, 1962 by Penguin Books in association with Chatto & Windus.

ISBN:
978-0-14-001688-8
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4 stars (7 reviews)

A lay community of thoroughly mixed-up people is encamped outside Imber Abbey, home of an enclosed order of nuns. A new bell, legendary symbol of religion and magic, is rediscovered. Dora Greenfield, erring wife, returns to her husband. Michael Mead, leader of the community, is confronted by Nick Fawley, with whom he had disastrous homosexual relations, while the wise old Abbess watches and prays and exercises discreet authority. And everyone, or almost everyone, hopes to be saved whatever that may mean...Iris Murdoch's funny and sad novel is about religion, the fight between good and evil and the terrible accidents of human frailty.

9 editions

reviewed The bell by Iris Murdoch (Penguin books -- 1688)

TW: child sexual abuse

4 stars

I wish I could give this book 5 stars, only for the luscious writing of Iris Murdoch, but I've been left perplexed by some parts of it. My main concern ist the figure of Michael, a character who clearly abuses his position of power to take advantage of young boys. I want to think about this thoroughly, because I feel like it's important for me to consider the importance of this detail in the book's context. I'll probably come out with a better review later on.

reviewed The bell by Iris Murdoch (Penguin twentieth-century classics)

Review of 'The bell' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This is my first Iris Murdoch. First I finished, at any rate. It takes place (and was written) half a century ago and the things people worried about seem kind of ancient. Perhaps the things people worry about now will seem that way in 50 more years. The people were very real and I wanted to pull them out of time into the present and tell them they needn't worry so much about those things. Mother Claire, the aquatic Nun seemed to be relatively untroubled. Maybe it was the middle state, halfway between religious and secular, that caused the characters so much trouble. Toby seemed to work it out by becoming secular. Michael came to some sort of relative peace--better than he started out. Dora, at least, left Paul, but I wonder if she's going to be OK.

There's something tragic about a world where, with few exceptions, the faithful …

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