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The Sea, The Sea

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The Sea, The Sea

By: Daisy Johnson, Iris Murdoch, John Burnside
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Vintage Classics Murdoch: Funny, subversive, fearless and fiercely intelligent, Iris Murdoch was one of the great writers of the 20th century. To celebrate her centenary, Vintage Classics presents special editions of her greatest and most timeless novels.

I saw a monster rising from the waves.

Charles Arrowby has determined to spend the rest of his days in hermit-like contemplation. He buys a mysteriously damp house on the coast, far from the heady world of the theatre where he made his name, and there he swims in the sea, eats revolting meals and writes his memoirs. But then he meets his childhood sweetheart Hartley, and memories of her lovely, younger self crowd in - along with more recent lovers and friends - to disrupt his self-imposed exile. So instead of 'learning to be good', Charles proceeds to demonstrate how very bad he can be.

Winner of the Man Booker Prize for Fiction, 1978.

©1978 Iris Murdoch (P)2020 Penguin Audio Classics Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Small Town & Rural World Literature Funny

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All stars
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My introduction to Iris Murdoch. Thoroughly enjoyed the prose and thought provoking philosophical observations. Richard E Grant's performance was exceptional, with clear delineation of each character.

The Sea The Sea

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I have recently started re-reading (now listening) Iris Murdoch novels which, like good wine, seem to get even better over the years. Reminds one what a literate storyteller can do when no words are wasted and there is no padding or salatious details added to make it more "popular". And the Richard E Grant's narration could not be improved on. He is a perfect match for IM's books. Even with the 23 hours listening, I was sorry to get to the end..

Sublime story, sublime narration

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Loved the storyline and the variety of characters involved, entertaining and enthralling, well worth read.

A complex and intertwining story

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A unique, intriguing, beguiling book that flitters around truth but never lands on it, constantly forcing the reader to think beyond what is written and turn the page. Sometimes funny, sometimes tragic but never obvious. The real magic here though, is in the reading; Richard E. Grant puts his life and soul into the characters and is the perfect choice for this book, providing just the right level of performance over straight reading and has a very well prepared and astute understanding of the text so that every sentence is phrased perfectly.

A perfect match of writer and narrator

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Talk about bringing a tale to life in an ocean full. REG is a maestro.

Sheer bliss from start to finish

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Richard E Grant is an absolute master of his trade.
Was this farce, comedy or tragedy? Just feel between stools. Felt rushed in places.
But what do I know?😬

A vintage classic feels a farce

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Richard E Grant narrated superbly and brought the characters to life. I would certainly recommend this book.

Quite an unusual book.

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This is not a narration by Mr Grant, it is a wonderful and generous performance.

Thank you Richard E. Grant

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What a superb reader Richard E Grant is. His tone is perfectly suited to this odd, brilliant, vexatious book.

An elusive, ambiguous masterpiece

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My thoughts on finishing a second reading of The Sea, The Sea
It's curious how novels remain the same but our response to them changes as we change. Ten years on, it seems a vaster, richer novel than I remembered, a great cathedral of a book, an astonishing achievement of sustained first-person narrative.
Charles' breathtaking arrogance, his conceitedness, his childish petulance (James and Lizzie), his outrageously manipulative behaviour and interference in other people's lives, make him at times almost hateful, and yet, precisely because of the first-person narration, the rich and detailed description and unfolding revelations are also Charles', and so to an extent redeem him as a character. But apart from Charles, what a rich array of characters we encounter. Complex, mysterious James is my favourite, Lizzie is endearing, Rosina at times witch-like, charismatic, vulnerable, Gilbert loveable, Peregrine inscrutable, unpredictable, potentially dangerous, and Ben, what can one say about Ben? A marvellously fully-fleshed character for whom I feel a degree of sympathy given Charles' outrageous encroachment on his marriage. And then there's Mary (Charles' stubborn insistence on 'Hartley' irritates and even infuriates me the further I get into the book.) She is in some ways a pathetic creature (and no doubt a fantasist) but equally you could argue, she has her own quiet dignity, she is her own person, if only Charles would leave her and Ben alone, to get on with their lives in peace.
(I've inadvertently left out Titus, but other readers will have their own thoughts about his function and importance in the novel.) Also, what is the symbolism of the bead curtain and of Minn's cauldron? The sea itself is a wonderfully unfathomable element in the story. It's interesting that both James and Titus, at different points in the novel, use the phrase 'the sea, the sea'.

A tour de force of first-person narrative

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