content: On the cover of my book it says "Her (Iris Murdoch) wise, witty and compulsive novel. I have spent many hours of my life reading a wide variety of "important" authors, and finally got around to reading Iris Murdoch. The fact that IM is a philosopher was an added attraction to me.What to say. The only one word description of this novel that comes to my mind is "pedestrian". It was an easy read. It had a few interesting people in it, and they had various issues in need of resolution. The story moves along at a good pace, but something is really lacking. I am sorry, but I did not find it "wise, witty and compulsive". I found it to be a plain, uninspired narrative.Perhaps I picked the wrong Murdoch book. I'll try another one soon.