There’s nothing not to like about this book; the main character and his sundry friends and lovers are unique and wonderful. It’s amazing to me how a woman can write so well the feelings and thoughts of a man, except that he too was a writer. Perhaps it’s the understanding one writer may have for another. Her writing is so intelligent, yet free-flowing. She carries you along with an air of suspense. She writes the sharing of ideas among friends with equal knowledge of each view. The repartee is eloquent. I would compare Murdoch with Thomas Hardy and Dickens in her ability to bring forth the character in his full humanness.