Bought late 1980s (?)

A re-read of a favourite Murdoch and it didn’t let me down, though it was interesting to read it in the context of our project to read all IM’s novels in order as I did pick out a lot of the themes in more detail.  I remembered this one well although I did conflate two parts together.  An atmospheric read with beautiful descriptions of the sea and coastline and a plot in which much of the action interestingly took place offstage.  James, the mystical cousin, is one of my favourite characters in all of Murdoch, although interestingly when I imagine him and Charles, I swap their physical appearances in my head.

If you want to read about the effect first, lost love has on a lifetime, or just a cracking good read (not to mention Booker winner) then I recommend this one wholeheartedly.