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The Bell

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The Bell

By: Iris Murdoch
Narrated by: Miriam Margolyes
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Vintage Classics Murdoch: Funny, subversive, fearless and fiercely intelligent, Iris Murdoch was one of the great writers of the 20th century. To celebrate her centenary, Vintage Classics presents special editions of her greatest and most timeless novels.

A lay community of thoroughly mixed-up people is encamped outside Imber Abbey, home of an enclosed order of nuns. A new bell, legendary symbol of religion and magic, is rediscovered. Dora Greenfield, erring wife, returns to her husband. Michael Mead, leader of the community, is confronted by Nick Fawley, with whom he had disastrous homosexual relations, while the wise old Abbess watches and prays and exercises discreet authority. And everyone, or almost everyone, hopes to be saved whatever that may mean... Iris Murdoch's funny and sad novel is about religion, the fight between good and evil and the terrible accidents of human frailty.

©1958 Iris Murdoch (P)2011 Penguin Audio Classics Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Fiction Marriage Thought-Provoking Funny Good and Evil

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All stars
Most relevant  
I felt as if I knew and cared about all the characters excellently narrated I loved the story.

A great story

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Really captivated by this book which is both serious and hilarious about the human condition. Miriam Margoles takes on the voices of men and women with ease and made it very easy to conjure up each person. Loved the character of Dora, an anti-heroine who so easily loses the plot she can go to a station to reclaim a lost suitcase and leave it in the pub on the way home. Very funny and tense as the members of an alternative community stumble into each other with unanticipated results. Very sad and fiercely drawn portrait of the homosexual leader tortured by his religious beliefs of sin.A book both humorous and compassionate and wise. Unputdownable.

Engrossing intelligent book

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A wonderful story - brilliantly narrated.
Thank you Miriam Margolyes. Having read the book years ago , it was even better listening.

The Bell

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Well written all the way to the end, every chapter has a memorable moment, so easy to flip back over the chapters.
The narrator Miriam Margolyes, inspired me to finish this book, thank you.

Love this book

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This was my introduction to Iris Murdoch and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole. Miriam Margolyes’ excellent narration brought to life a, by turns, comic and tragic cast of characters. Dickensian humour and pathos, and Trollope’s ability to capture the atmosphere, or tension of a given moment. She didn’t give in to the temptation to capitalise on somewhat gothic setting. Although I half wanted her to! The drama comes from psychology versus ideas and the mystery of the individual.

Fabulous rendition of an thought provoking book

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I have lost count of the number of novels I have started and discarded after a dozen pages or so because I just lost interest. Mention of The Bell on the radio reminded me that I read it (and finished it) around fifty years ago; I decided to give novels another go.

Within a very short while I was completely hooked; both by the page-turner of a story, and by Miriam Margolyes’ wonderful narration. There was a wobble, when I struggled with the concept of an ‘Anglican’ order of Benedictine nuns. But as the plot unfolded, I was drawn in and wanted to know what happened next; I could hardly put the book down.

The Bell was published in 1958, when homosexuality was illegal—and no doubt regarded by many as immoral—but Murdoch treats the subject with such sensitivity, delicacy, and understanding, it reads almost like a contemporary narrative.

For anyone who finds novels difficult, this book may effect a cure.

Revelation

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Miriam Margolyes reads this book brilliantly. Each character in such a different voice. Good story too.

Great story and brilliantly read

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What did you like best about this story?

The amazing descriptive language. It's all it's quite beautiful.

What does Miriam Margoyles bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Miriam Margolyes makes this story for me. The range of different voices and characterations she brings to the narration is amazing. I just love her.

Any additional comments?

This book reflects the attitudes of the time, however, the opening chapters which describe married life for a young woman, are so well written and structured it struck such a chord.

My first Iris Murdoch, am now a huge fan

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I had heard that Murdoch was a good writer and when I saw that Miriam Margolyes was narrating this book I was hooked.
I enjoyed the story - I was struck by how nuanced Murdoch's characters are. She shows real compassion for them as they are bound by the social strictures of their time.
The plot is intruiging and Margolyes narration is sublime as ever.

A Great British Writer and a Brilliant Narrator

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Miriam Margolyes is a superb narrator of this story and captures the range of characters perfectly, doing absolute justice to the complexities of the relationships. I read "The Sea, the Sea" prior to "The Bell" and preferred the former's overall themes. But "The Bell" does ponder the questions of personal happiness vs the duties towards others and the community. It asks questions about our moral responsibilities towards each other and explores the nature of homosexual love within the context of the era. I am glad, however, that I did not select it as my first Murdoch read, which was "Under the Net" and which I found more captivating.

Haunting story

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