The Bell, what a novel. Iris Murdoch was the best psychological fiction writer. At every moment, I knew exactly how each character was feeling, and why. No other writer has been able to capture the inner thoughts and feelings of their characters as well as she has. Her gifts aren't restricted to introspection. Her writing is beautiful; The paragraphs are exquisite. The natural setting of the bell rivals any other I've read: a quaint community by a lake, surrounded by forests. She successfully contradicted it with the turmoil of its residents, who are caught in love triangles and forbidden desires. In a holy setting. The human condition is bared raw in the face of paradise, as if they didn't belong in it but somehow did.
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