Flight from the Enchanter by Iris Murdoch - 3 stars

[Joy D]

Flight From The Enchanter by Iris Murdoch - 3* - My Review

Published in 1956 and set in England, this book tells several simultaneous intersecting stories. It contains a large cast of characters. A primary connecting character, Misha Fox, remains enigmatically in the background but retains a larger-than-life influence over the other storylines. Annette is a young woman who decides to leave school to start experiencing life. Hunter runs a small independent press that produces a magazine, which Fox wants to buy. Hunter’s sister, Rosa, is also involved in the business and tries to keep the sale from happening. She is (reluctantly) involved in a complicated relationship with two brothers, Jan and Stefan. There are many other characters that float in and out of the narrative. It reads as a pastiche of different people living in proximity to each other. I found it reasonably entertaining but disjointed. There is no overarching story arc. Themes include migration and emerging independent roles for women. I have read other novels by Iris Murdoch that I enjoyed more than this one.