I Read Therefore I Am discussion

Add your comments as soon as you like, but please hide any spoilers.

Really looking forward to this - I read it a while ago, enjoyed it, but can't remember anything about it.

I'm still waiting on my copy arriving but it doesn't look to be too long so hopefully won't be very far behind.

Started this today - very good so far.

Yay! I think I'll begin tomorrow .

Found some book club discussion questions that might give us some inspiration - not compulsory(ary?) but might be fun:

1. Did you learn anything new from this book?
2. Did it change your viewpoint on anything?
3. Was there a passage that you particulary enjoyed?
4. What did you think of the main Character(s) and did your opinion change as the book progressed?
5.Did the book evoke a particular emotion in you?
6.At what point in the book (if at all) did you decide that you liked it and why?
7.If you could change something about the book what would it be?
8. What did you think about the ending?
9. If you could ask the author one thing what would it be?
10.Would you read this book again?

I should be finished later so will have a think about these then. It is a compliment to Murdoch's writing that I am enjoying this as the story is not one I'm usually interested in and the characters are not very likeable - but it's good - I'm impressed!

Good stuff

I've been amusing myself imagining Hilary's possible responses to 5,6,9 & 10 regarding Mason & Dixon :o)

A few chapters in and I'm really enjoying it - The very first paragraph reminded me of why I liked it so much the first time. It takes you straight into the story and tells you an enormous amount about the main character at the same time.

I don't think I learned anything new from the book or that it changed my opinion on anything but I really did enjoy Murdoch's writing and the way she tells a story - very clever.
The main character was SO selfish and needy (and self-righteous) - I kind of wanted to punch him and it probably would have done him the world of good - so that's my answer to Q.5 as well.
I liked it straightaway, not because of any merit of the characters because none of them really had any redeeming qualities for me, but just cos the way the story was told was so very clever that I was intrigued despite myself into being interested.
The ending was a bit ambiguous for me (view spoiler)[ all the dialogue was coming from Martin but Honor doesn't say much and what she does say isn't exactly promising a happy ending - then again none of these people would know what to do with a happy ending in the traditional sense, that's not how they and their world works! (hide spoiler)]

@Lee - thanks for the discussion questions they are really good things to think about while reading the book. Maybe you could put them as a reminder thread somewhere in this Group. They could get lost within this Iris Murdoch discussion otherwise.

Have just started this, I agree with Laurel that so far I would like to punch the main character - he's such a selfish prig.

That's a good idea Maureen .
And yes - there's only one likeable character in the whole book.

Who's the likeable character?

Georgie-definitely more sinned against than sinning I thought

Don't get me wrong I felt sorry for Georgie but really wanted her to start kicking off with the rest of them (cos it would have been justified) but she just...didn't.

I know what you mean (view spoiler)[ my feeling was that having the abortion and the whole relationship with Martin had taken all the umph out of her (hide spoiler)]

Finished today! This book grabs you from the very first paragraph and continues to intrigue all the way through. The plot has all the ingredients of the juiciest of tabloid scandals but the writing is always believable and satisfying.
I didn't identify with any of the characters -I just wanted to give them all a good shake - some more violently than others. I shared the general desire of the rest of the group to see Martin punched in the face - ( and this happens to him emotionally a number of times through out the book) but for me the most dislikable character is Antonia - (view spoiler)[ controlling, hypocritical and selfish to the point of cruelty - not only is she determined to have her own way, what ever the cost - she expects everyone else to applaud her for it! She actually tells her husband, (who she's just returned to after having an affair with his best friend) to stop feeling sorry for himself shortly after telling him she's leaving him for his brother with whom she's been having an affair since shortly after their wedding !!!!!!!! (hide spoiler)] Palmer is just a total slimy, hypocrite and I have no idea what to make of Honor.
I thought the ending worked well (view spoiler)[ like Laurel I don't foresee a happy ever after for Martin and Honor - I just feel very sorry for and worried for poor Georgie (hide spoiler)]
I shall definitely be adding more Iris Murdoch books to my to read list.

I haven't even started this book yet :(

Just starting it tonight, its a very slim volume so will be back to Mao and Mason and Dixon (Nooooooo!!) very soon

Lee wrote: "Finished today! This book grabs you from the very first paragraph and continues to intrigue all the way through. The plot has all the ingredients of the juiciest of tabloid scandals but the writin..."

Well officially the group only started reading it yesterday!!! (some of us (ahem) jumped the gun a little) and theres nearly a month to go to the end date and as Hilary says its quite thin - so worry ye not :0)

Hilary wrote: "Just starting it tonight, its a very slim volume so will be back to Mao and Mason and Dixon (Nooooooo!!) very soon"

You know you love it really Hilary :0)

Lee wrote: "Lee wrote: "Finished today! This book grabs you from the very first paragraph and continues to intrigue all the way through. The plot has all the ingredients of the juiciest of tabloid scandals bu..."

Oops! I don't think I paid any attention to the date :S

Don't worry - neither did I and I set it :o)

Just finished this, I couldn't put it down towards the end. But it's very late and I can't really decide what I think about it so will sleep on it and give my opinion tomorrow.

I can't really add much to what others have said. I can't remember the last time I read a book in which none of the characters had any redeeming features even Georgie (view spoiler)[ perhaps more sinned against than sinning, was totally "wet" for me. The others, every one, were simply dreadful, with Antonia being downright evil (hide spoiler)]. A beautifully written book of deception and self deception. I wasn't surprised to find, when I checked, that it was written in the 60s as it did have that sort of atmosphere about it, of all the social rules gradually being broken. From what I have read about Iris Murdoch and the film Iris, I couldn't help but think that there was some of Iris in Georgie. Iris herself was a bit of a character!

Poor Georgie - I do feel sorry for her - though maybe its just that, in the absence of anyone else to like, I concentrated all my empathy on her :o)

I do intend to read this, but haven't got it yet (going to try the library) so I think I'll be trailing along behind! (I also only read one book at a time and Vanity Fair is taking forever...)

No problem - looking forward to hearing what you think :0)

@Joy, I'm only a little way into the book so far (39 out of 205 pages), so you won't be far behind me!

Just finished this. It wasn't really my cup of tea, so I've only given it 3 stars. I didn't engage with the characters at all. Strangely enough, for me the best bits of the book were the descriptions of places, especially foggy London. There certainly seems to be a theme of fog running through it. Maybe all the characters are extremely mixed up and searching for something through the mist and gloom (or drunken haze in Martin's case).

I liked the descriptions of the fog too they reminded me a bit of Dickens and you're right - all the characters were floundering round in a kind of mental fog and I'm not sure that any of them managed to escape it.

The marks of a good novel are, in my opinion, whether the story draws you in, whether you engage with the characters, feel any kind of emotion for them, whether when you get to the end of a chapter you really want to know what happens next.

So the fact that I find Martin a most despicable character, that I can't believe he's so self-entered and arrogant, but that I still want to know how awful he can be in the next chapter, means this must be a good novel!

You're absolutely right and as Laurel said congratulations to Iris Murdoch for writing such a good book with such horrible characters.

That's so true Ellie.

I tried to get this from the library but there is only one copy in East Sussex! (I'm trying to restrain myself from buying for a bit.) I've tried to order it from library at home but it's saying it's not available.

will whoever has borrowed the only library copy of A Severed Head in East Sussex please return it immediately!

Lee wrote: "will whoever has borrowed the only library copy of A Severed Head in East Sussex please return it immediately!"

Lol!

Library update - the only copy in East Sussex is apparently languishing in storage in Hastings and cannot be retrieved!
So - is it worth buying? Reading your comments above most of you seem to have found it a good read.

I think so - definitely if you get it 2nd hand from awesome books £2.59 with free p&p (just checked):0)

After a few distractions, I have finally finished A Severed Head. What an absolutely horrid bunch of individuals, but what brilliant characterisation, story-telling and scene-setting! Well worth getting hold of a copy, if you can.

ha ha, they are horrible aren't they? In a lot of other writer's hand that lot would have made me stop reading but her writing was so good I got sucked in anyway. Has anyone read anything else by Murdoch - this was my first one but will definitely read more of her stuff.

Same here, Laurel, I definitely would like to read more of her work, if it's of the same standard as A Severed Head it will be worth reading.

I've read The Bell and The Unicorn - both of which I enjoyed. They're similar to A Severed Head only in that they're also about the strangeness of human relationships and feelings.

Sounds good, will check them out at some point - hopefully I won't want to hit any of the main characters in those ones!

And they're also just as well written - I think The Bell might be a Boxalls 1001-er.
Oh and I've just remembered that I've read The Sea, The Sea another great book (on Boxalls and won the Booker Prize I think)