Product Description

Edmund has escaped from his family into a lonely life. Returning for his mother's funeral he finds himself involved in the same awful problems, together with some new ones. He also rediscovers the eternal family servant, the ever-changing "Italian girl".

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #175725 in Books
• Published on: 2000-11-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

Customer Reviews

Short of depth
An Iris short story that does not exhibit the `weight' of her lengthier novels. Consequently I found myself less engrossed in the plot development and distanced from the first person narrator. The story, however, reveals many of Murdoch's themes of loss, domestic power struggles, secrets, lies and the complexities of love. The story revolves around two brothers, coming to terms with the death of their domineering mother, the consequences of disillusionment, and an inability to connect with close family members. The chain of events (unveiled in the maternal mansion with its exquisitely described garden) exposes the dangers of uncommunicative relationships, emotional and physical exploitation, the pain of grief and betrayal. And all this drama is played out in full view of a discreet and ubiquitous maid (the Italian Girl of the title) who silently witnesses the disintegration of all those around her. Not a great Iris novel but an important work nevertheless.

A rollercoaster of love, deceit, and philosophy.
Murdoch has pulled off another tour de force of taught, readable, yet deep prose. Readable, yes. Thinkable, perhaps not. Against a backdrop of well-rounded characters and well-rounded countryscapes, Murdoch's tale rolls inexorably forward to its conclusion. At times almost funny, tragedy wins through. Not quite heartwarming, except in the way the comedy of human life always is. A good book.

Bleak
A rather gruesome tale of a dysfunctional family reaching the point of melt-down triggered by the death of the overbearing Mother. The main character comes across as stupidly naïve at points, but the characters are generally finely drawn. It is a bleak, rather depressing story, albeit with some light at the end. Interesting use of the Italian girl as a source of stability even if this is artificially constructed by the other characters.