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.