Bought in a local second hand book shop.

Book Description
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.

I really enjoyed this at times funny and sad novel. A wonderful group of terrible characters - although one or two were more likeable than the others, lots of Murdochian themes, and an ending I found quite satisfiying for many reasons. Read as part of The Murdoch a month project undertaken by myself, Lyzzybee, Katisha50 and Scotsbookie.

Taken from the 'book buffet' at the London Convention.

I mailed this book home from Dover on 22/04/08 in one of three separate packages. One package arrived on 05/05/08. The other two have yet to surface. Thirteen books are 'lost at sea'. I will initiate an enquiry at the Post Office, but I don't hold out much hope.

My other two packages arrived home today - I'm so glad. I hope they had a lovely leisurely trip home!

Finally got around to reading this one. A rather dense novel with complex characters.

Sending to tqd along with two bookrings. Enjoy. X

Thanks cat207, for the bumper bookbag, all chockers with yummy "1001" books! This one I did read on a bookray last year, and I found it rather interesting. I am keen to read more Iris Murdoch, but so many books, so little time...

I shall see if I can rustle up some interest in this as a bookray. Stay tuned for details!

Quite a few people interested in this ray, hurrah! Particpants so far are (order subject to change without notice!):

ghostofarose, USA
followdream, Switzerland
Jozebedee, UK
WigglyWoods, UK
Caroley, UK
jellyfish67, UK - has not responded to PMs

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Popped in the post to ghostofarose today.

Happy reading!

I received the book yesterday - thank you, tqd! It arrived on a beautiful day, with the heavenly scent of orange blossoms in the air. (I live in an area where there are a lot of citrus groves and this is my favorite time of the year!) The book looks interesting and I am looking forward to reading it.

I'm PMing the next person on the list for their address so that I will be ready to mail it as soon as I have finished reading it.

I enjoyed this book a great deal, but it's not for everyone. Until towards the end, not much happens. It's a very introspective novel about people - what goes on in their minds and in their interactions with each other, how the different personalities play off of one another.

The people in the story are living in a semi-monastic lay community that is associated with a convent. It is a Utopian life in a beautiful rural setting. Descriptions are one of this author's strong points, and she makes the reader wish very much to live there, too.

There is no "bad guy" at all in this story. Every person is well-intentioned, and most of them are truly spiritual and committed to a religious life. But each of them is flawed, some more than others. The marvel of this book is how each person's particular flaw has a powerfully negative affect on one or more of the other people in the community. None of the characters are too seriously flawed and each person would have been fine in any other setting with any other people. But this one particular combination of personalities turns out to be fatal.

It is fascinating to "watch" the slow downward slide into catastrophe. At first it occurs in baby steps - little things that happen, that don't seem too serious. But as the effects of each begin to add up, the slide gathers momentum, until the reader senses the inevitable disaster that looms ahead.

The various characters' reactions to the breakup of the community are also interesting. It is their life, their dream, their commitment; and you would expect them to be devastated and at a loss as to where to go. Several of them are. For them, it is a life-changing experience - their lives will never be as good again. Surprisingly, others seem to adjust easily and just move effortlessly into the next stage of their lives. And at least one person actually benefits by the disaster and by the breakup of the community.

But it is the convent itself that benefits most of all by the breakup - a understated but strong statement by the author. The convent is the whole purpose for the lay community, its reason for being. Yet it remains remote and mysterious and utterly isolated from the lay community. The lives of the convent nuns are completely unknown to the reader and to the characters of the book. But the convent is always a very visible and powerful presence, not just physically but also metaphorically, and a consideration in every decision that is made. The nuns are able to somehow influence the outside community while preserving their detachment as well as their unwavering spirituality and goodness. Yet in the end, the convent gets the community's land after it fails.

The Bell is a subtle and absorbing study of ethics, personality and relationship - especially what happens when these are thrown together arbitrarily into an artificially intimate setting.

(317 pages of very small print)
(This is a 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die book)


Quotes from The Bell:

"One of the earliest lessons of adult life: that one is never secure. At any moment one can be removed from a state of guileless serenity and plunged into its opposite, without any intermediate condition, so high about us do the waters rise of our own and other people's imperfection."

"Our actions are like ships which we may watch set out to sea, and not know when or with what cargo they will return to port."

"Violence is born of the desire to escape oneself."

"We can only learn to love by loving. Remember that all our failures are ultimately failures in love. Imperfect love must not be condemned and rejected, but made perfect. The way is always forward, never back."

"With strong magnetic force the human heart is drawn to consolation; and even grieving becomes consolation in the end."

"Paul, with his absolute demands and his annihilating contempt and angers, was the worst partner she could have chosen."

"He wanted to die, too. But death is not easy, and life can win by simulating it."”

Mailed to followdream in Switzerland.

I'm late with my note - The Bell arrived safely abou a week ago.
Soon ready to be read.

Thank you very much

Somehow I just couldn't get into this, tried and waited and tried again ... and all of a sudden three months are gone.

I'm sorry.

It's ready to be sent to Jazebedee - pm'd her.

Arrived safely here. Straight in the TBR pile - I'll get to it asap! :-)

Apologies for having had this for so long - I've been swamped with bookrings/rays!
I really enjoyed this classic Murdoch! At times I felt like I was reading a comedy, at others a tragedy. I liked all the characters in the book, and would love to know what happened to them all afterwards :)

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Sending off now to wigglywoods who is next in line. Enjoy!

Arrived today thanks Jozebedee. I'm quite looking forward to this as I've never read an Iris Murdoch. I've a few rings arrived at the same time as this one but will read asap.

I tried a few times to get into this book and ended up carrying it around in the car with me to try and get through it. I did eventually manage to read it all and enjoyed it in the end. I'm embarrassed to say that it has been languishing for several months in my car and I only happened upon it when I cleaned out my car ready to go into the garage - huge apologies for that. I have posted it on to Caroley this morning.

Received today thanks.
I've one other bookray to read first and then I'll start this one.

Although I read this easily enough, getting quite absorbed in it at times, I'm finding it instantly forgettable now that I've put it down. I don't think Murdoch is going to be one of my favourite authors any time soon.

Thanks for the opportunity to read it tqd.
I'm just waiting for a reply to my PM to jellyfish67 so that I can send the book on.

Left on bookshelf, upstairs at Urban Coffee.

Now available on the Official BookCrossing Zone bookshelf on the first floor of the Urban Coffee Company, Church Street, Birmingham.

If you have picked up this book, thank you for visiting the website (and UCC!). Please take a moment to let us know you have the book, then post your review when you've read it, and pass it on to someone else. If you join BookCrossing, you'll be able to see what happens to it in the future.

This is no longer at the Urban Coffee Company, so is marked as Travelling pending another journal entry.

It's back!

Having been around the world and then done sterling service for my Iris Murdoch and Book Groups project (see here for more information: http://librofulltime.wordpress.com/about/iris-murdoch/ ), this poor book has disintegrated. I will dispose of it carefully and respectfully.