Welcome to the Iris Murdoch Readalong. In this post I’m going to explain how things are (hopefully) going to work and then share a little information about the first read, “Under the Net”. Edited to add: I’ve created a page where I am going to link to all the posts for this project, by book title.
These are the covers of the four copies I have of “Under the Net” – the first edition (3rd impression), the Reprint Society edition, the Penguin and the newest Vintage. I’d love it if anyone blogging their reviews could include an image of the copy or copies they have.
How’s it all going to work?
We are going to read a book per month, and the schedule is here.
On the last day of each month I will post a reminder of the next book with a few details. I’ve decided to share the blurbs from all the books I have, to give people an idea of the book without any spoilers. Feel free to comment on this post with your intention to join in, whether you’re reading for the first time or re-reading, etc.
In the middle of the month, I will post my own review of the book. Use this post to share your reviews – if you’ve shared your review on your blog, please post a link in the comments, and if you don’t have a blog, Goodreads account, etc., then feel free to share your review in the comments (so I advise saving this post until you’ve read the book yourself). Whenever you read the book, feel free to pop back to this post to share your review.
At the end of the month, along with the reminder of next month’s book, I’ll pull together a list of all the reviews that have been shared and a summary of the comments. I will try to update this if you read the book later than its month, but can’t promise how much time I can spend doing that.
I’m particularly interested to hear what you think if you’re re-reading the book or if you’re reading it for the first time but you’ve read others of her books – do share those thoughts as well as a standard review. But of course, straight reviews coming to the book cold are also just fine!
“Under the Net”
“Under the Net” was Iris Murdoch’s first novel. Here are the blurbs from the four copies I have, which will give some kind of taster about the book.
I hope you can read those. It’s interesting that the latest one is so short, isn’t it.
Does this one tickle your fancy? Do you plan on reading it? Which edition do you own? Are you new to it or is it a re-read? I look forward to reading it with a few people and getting the project started!
Rebecca Foster
Oct 31, 2017 @ 09:21:32
A “film-star dog”?! I’m even more excited now! Literally all I knew about this novel was that it featured a translator. I have an old Penguin copy but it was rebound by the uni library so is nothing to look at, alas. Photographing it in any kind of appealing way will be a challenge. I will probably end up reading this later on in November after the Young Writer shortlist reading/events quiet down, but I promise a review by the end of the month.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Liz Dexter
Oct 31, 2017 @ 09:32:30
Aha – I knew using those blurbs was a good idea! Yes, there is indeed a film-star dog. I know how busy you are with the Young Writer shadow panel and look forward to you sharing your review in due course.
LikeLike
Frances White
Oct 31, 2017 @ 10:25:14
This is a great prospect — Congratulations to Liz Dexter for inspiring us, some to read Under the Net for the first time (lucky people with a treat in store!), some, like me, to re-read for the umpteenth time. Still my favourite of her novels and it was also philosopher Philippa Foot’s favourite, though this old friend of Iris Murdoch told me that Iris hated people to say that as if she never got any better at novel-writing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Liz Dexter
Oct 31, 2017 @ 12:24:07
Thank you for that gem, Frances! How wonderful!
LikeLike
kaggsysbookishramblings
Oct 31, 2017 @ 11:54:55
Good luck – I shall be following with interest and may even try to dip in, though not with “Under the Net” as I tried it twice and couldn’t connect. Perhaps a later title!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Liz Dexter
Oct 31, 2017 @ 12:24:26
Great stuff: feel free to dip in and out as much as you wish!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rory
Oct 31, 2017 @ 12:13:28
This is a wonderful idea! May I recommend the wonderful audiobook version of this, read by Samuel West, who does a fantastic job of bringing the humour of this one to life.
LikeLike
Liz Dexter
Oct 31, 2017 @ 12:25:26
Oh, wonderful, thank you for sharing that!
LikeLike
Rebecca Moden
Nov 05, 2017 @ 17:19:44
Yes, the audio book is fantastic! 🙂
LikeLike
Liz Dexter
Nov 05, 2017 @ 17:25:02
He’s really enjoying it, and coming up with some very interesting comments which I will have to remember to incorporate in my review next week!
LikeLike
Cathy746books
Oct 31, 2017 @ 12:28:15
Great stuff! I can do The Sandcastle with you in January!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Liz Dexter
Oct 31, 2017 @ 12:32:54
Ooh, lovely, I’ll look forward to seeing you here then (if not before!).
LikeLike
Liz
Oct 31, 2017 @ 12:55:56
Very much looking forward to reading this – fingers crossed that my library reservation turns up very soon! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Liz Dexter
Oct 31, 2017 @ 13:04:10
Ooh I hope it does! Maybe there’ll be a sudden run on them! You have the whole month though and it’s not a massively long book once it’s with you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Liz
Oct 31, 2017 @ 15:03:29
Sounds like it will be fine in that case! 🙂
LikeLike
FictionFan
Oct 31, 2017 @ 21:30:04
I fear this one doesn’t appeal, but I hope to join in somewhere along the line, so I look forward to you tempting my willpower each month…
LikeLike
carolyncat
Oct 31, 2017 @ 21:41:03
My edition is from The Reprint Society Ltd 1955 in hardback
LikeLiked by 1 person
Liz Dexter
Oct 31, 2017 @ 22:20:12
Lovely, does it look like my one?
LikeLike
Liz Dexter
Oct 31, 2017 @ 21:37:40
Oh, interesting, it’s one of the more accessible ones. But I’m sure we’ll see you later!
LikeLike
heavenali
Nov 01, 2017 @ 08:21:31
Good luck with this project, it’s great to see so much enthusiasm for your Murdoch read-a-long.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Liz Dexter
Nov 01, 2017 @ 08:23:48
It is, isn’t it! See you in January 2019 for your finishing of The Black Prince! Hehe.
LikeLike
heavenali
Nov 01, 2017 @ 08:24:45
Hmm!
LikeLike
Maria Peacock
Nov 01, 2017 @ 09:26:05
Hello.
I am very much looking forward to this Readalong, as I have a continuous but rather haphazard programme of reading Iris Murdoch’s novels.
I must declare myself at this point. I do not know how many times I have read “Under The Net”, as it was the subject of my MA dissertation on Alienation and the Picaresque, last year, and I spent a lot of my waking hours for several months thinking about Jake Donahue.
I am really interested in hearing other readers’ views on the novel, especially those who are reading it for the first time, and I would like to read those before posting later in the month.
All I will say at this point is that I agree with Francis that readers have the most tremendous treat in store. So, Fiction Fan and any others who are not too keen, please give it a go. It is incredibly funny, both in a slapstick crazy laugh out loud way, and in a ironic, subtle, thoughtful, satirical way, and every time I open this book I find something new and wonderful. But then I am biased, and I know I did say I would keep quiet.
My favourite paperback copy of ‘Under the Net’ is the 1960 Penguin Books edition with a cover illustration by Len Deighton. I will try to get an image onto this blog. The Vintage Classics edition of 2002 has an excellent introduction by Kiernan Ryan, and the lovely cover illustration of stylised cats (bottom right hand corner of Liz’s selection above).
Thank you Liz for getting this together and motivating us all, and I look forward to reading everyone’s comments and responses.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Liz Dexter
Nov 01, 2017 @ 09:34:52
Ooh, I like the idea of continuously reading IM!! I have had a long break after the last read-through, I’ve only re-read The Bell as I did my research project on that. If you can’t put a picture up on here, feel free to email me (use the contact me page) and send me the image and I’ll post it in the round-up post. Exciting times and thank you for your enthusiastic championing of this book, even after having studied it for ages!
LikeLike
buriedinprint
Nov 01, 2017 @ 13:47:33
Oh, dear. I thought I was going to able to simply focus on the Murdoch’s which I haven’t yet read, but just this brief peek into her debut and the discussion here has me rethinking that. It’s not one which I still have, apparently, so I’ve put in a library request, and we’ll see when it arrives. I think my first of hers was The Severed Head, but I’ll check my log and see if that memory is correct!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Liz Dexter
Nov 01, 2017 @ 14:21:32
Oh dear! Well, do just dip in and out if you really want to … but it’s fun reading them all in order!
LikeLiked by 1 person
buriedinprint
Nov 01, 2017 @ 15:44:49
I can imagine where that would be true. I read some of both Mavis Gallant’s short stories and Alice Munro’s, but going back to reread, from the start and throughout, was definitely a better reading experience. Much mre meaningful.
Someone is evidently well into “Under the Net” now (and only a single circulating copy – sheesh), but I will hope they finish soon (after all, it’s a slim one).
LikeLiked by 1 person
Liz Dexter
Nov 01, 2017 @ 16:12:33
Yes, it’s not too long a read, and you have all the month. Plus I’m putting all the links on the page so you can always pop back and add your thoughts / link to your blog post review if you get behind.
LikeLike
Karen Barnacle
Nov 01, 2017 @ 16:07:27
I am joining too
LikeLike
Liz Dexter
Nov 01, 2017 @ 16:13:07
Great stuff – welcome!
LikeLike
State of the TBR November 2017 #books #amreading | Adventures in reading, writing and working from home
Nov 01, 2017 @ 22:04:43
iconoclasticnan1
Nov 06, 2017 @ 20:40:58
I posted here last week to join the group but it said it was awaiting moderation or something. Now it has disappeared. I have had no confirmation that I am part of the group and have not seen any posts other than the above. Help 😦
LikeLiked by 1 person
Liz Dexter
Nov 06, 2017 @ 21:21:20
It’s there, with a reply from me saying how glad I am that you’re able to join in and find a community of readers to discuss them with – there are lots of comments on the post and it’s near the end, but it’s definitely there because I’ve just checked https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2017/10/10/the-great-iris-murdoch-readalong-project/ (it’s possible you looked at the Page I linked to on this post, which doesn’t have any comments). I hope that helps!
LikeLike
iconoclasticnan1
Nov 06, 2017 @ 23:20:33
Oh that’s a relief. Thanks Liz. I’ll try and find it. How can I best find the place to look for latest posts each day. Like something to type into Google?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Liz Dexter
Nov 07, 2017 @ 08:12:03
You have now found you can follow the blog via email through the link on the menu, so that’s great. Another way to keep up with just the IM posts is to bookmark the project page https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/the-great-iris-murdoch-readalong-november-2017-december-2019/ as I am adding links to all the individual blog posts as I go.
LikeLike
iconoclasticnan1
Nov 07, 2017 @ 00:00:59
Ooops I found it from the link which seems to be a similar but longer page. I guess I may be able to get to it from e-mail alerts which I have turned on.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Liz Dexter
Nov 07, 2017 @ 08:14:43
There is a page at https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/the-great-iris-murdoch-readalong-november-2017-december-2019/ and then individual blog posts as I introduce, read and round up for each book. Those will appear as links on the page so there’s one place where all the posts are gathered. You can see the posts so far on this page, under each heading, underlined and clickable. I hope that explains things a bit better.
LikeLike
smallvillenyc
Nov 07, 2017 @ 02:54:00
Oddly enough, Under the Net was my first Iris Murdoch book I read, and have not made as much headway as I would have liked in the rest of her books, so will try this as a goal, and a great Journey. I already have ordered from the Library. But I know they don’t carry them all,so I may indeed have to purchase some along the way. Looking Forward to reading comments and being apart of this.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Liz Dexter
Nov 07, 2017 @ 08:17:43
Excellent – my first one was A Severed Head, at age 14, goodness knows what I made of it. Thank you for joining in and I hope you enjoy them!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks
Nov 08, 2017 @ 22:29:33
This is such a wonderful idea! I read some of Iris Murdoch’s novels many years ago and loved them. I lost quite a few books in a series of house moves a few years back though and sadly my Iris Murdoch books were among the ones gone forever. I might try and buy some of her novels and join in on some of the months of your readalong, it sounds like it will be really interesting.
LikeLike
Liz Dexter
Nov 08, 2017 @ 22:36:23
Oh I hate losing books but it does happen. It would be great to have you along for some of the months, local libraries seem to still stock her, too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Tea
Aug 14, 2018 @ 20:40:29
Under the net was my frist IM, a friend (she passend way, how sad) inspirered me by offering me one of her two copys of this novel. I wrote a review in Dutch and enjoyed my frist experience very well.
LikeLike