detailed, wide-ranging opening scene at an Oxford ball during which every major character in the novel is introduced. The London Review of Books highlights the upper-middle class establishment background of the majority of characters and Murdoch's ability to trace the limits of this social class, while the New York Times describes the book as 'a triumphal celebration of literacy as a social bond'. Awards and nominations The Book and the Brotherhood was shortlisted for the 1987 Booker Prize. References 1987 British novels Novels by Iris Murdoch Chatto & Windus books