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A Word Child
 
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A Word Child (Paperback)

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4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)


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  Hardcover, April 16, 1975 -- -- $0.73
  Paperback, January 5, 1987 -- $18.00 $2.12
  Unknown Binding, December 31, 1991 -- -- --

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

After years of obscurity in a Bayswater flat, Oxford graduate Hilary Burde ha the opportunity to atone for a grievous offense which he committed twenty ye earlier.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (January 6, 1987)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0140081534
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140081534
  • Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #671,841 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Iris Murdoch
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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews
5 star:
 (7)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars New Murdoch Fan, January 2, 2001
The plot concerns a deeply unappealing and uncivil servant called Hilary whose current angst has arisen from, as the blurb puts it, "a tragic love tangle". I found the first third the book a little difficult to get through but what kept me turning pages was Murdoch's remarkable insight into human action. Once the reason for Hilary's abominable behavior becomes clear, you can't help but share Murdoch's empathy for him and, thereafter, the novel blooms and rips along with all the key relationships intertwining in increasingly intense ways. The conclusion is deeply satisfying on every level: dramatically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually. This was my first sampling of Murdoch. She is a stunning writer and I'm very glad to have "discovered" her for myself.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Unique style, December 11, 2000
By A Customer
I recently re-read "A Word Child" and was completely charmed by it. I hardly know where to begin listing its merits. Firstly it is good and true and seeks to make us better people in a very practical way. Too earnest for the 2000s? We shall see. Secondly it is beautiful and mystical and full of the poetry of human action. Thirdly it is humble and funny and messy and REAL. Reading Iris Murdoch is like reading no other modern author: how clear and generous her prose style is, how non-"tricksy". She was a great writer about London too: why do we forget this? I think her reputation is entirely secure as the greatest English novelist of her age and she will be read and loved by readers when many other flashier talents are long forgotton.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of the Best, July 20, 2004
This review is from: A Word Child (Paperback)
Oh, Iris, how I miss you. I first began reading Iris Murdoch in college, for a Philosophy in Lit. class, and was immediately captivated by "A Severed Head", which remains high on my list of favorites. But it is "A Word Child" to which I return most often.
Iris Murdoch's breathtakingly simple and yet piercing prose is at its best in this novel. Her theme is obsession, as always, and while we cannot approve of Hilary, the narrator, we find ourselves liking him for his honesty and his uncompromising view of himself. At first I was disappointed with the outcome of this brilliant novel, then I realized it truly was redemptive. Anyone who adores stellar writing and an eye that sees straight into the human heart must own this novel.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Iris's best
I've read a fair number of Ms.Murdoch's books and enjoyed them all. This book focuses on Hilary, a low level English civil servant who has been his own worst enemy since a brutal... Read more
Published on April 3, 2004 by Wildenbill

4.0 out of 5 stars Iris Murdoch wrote about goodness
Hilary Burde is the word child. He is not a writer, but just likes words. We accompany a very low level civil servant, Hilary, for a number of weeks prior to Christmas Day. Read more
Published on August 12, 2003 by Mary E. Sibley

5.0 out of 5 stars An astonishingly fantastic read
This is one of those books that you simply cannot put down once you begin. Murdoch does such an excellent job of creating a most complex and entertaining character (Hilary) -- I... Read more
Published on June 1, 2003 by A. Meshiea

2.0 out of 5 stars dis book ok but not so very good
dis book not dat good but it ok good. me like dat book severed head very good cause i like dat, taking heads.
Published on December 17, 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars I am sorry to see it is out of print
This is a deeply satisfying novel, surpassed in my affection only by The Black Prince. Like The Black Prince, it seems to be from Murdoch's "middle period," when she... Read more
Published on July 17, 2000 by doctor rocket

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of Iris Murdoch's work
Iris Murdoch's A Word Child is the kind of book you want all your friends to read. It's a dark comedy, a tragedy, and a romance all in one, written with an engaging combination of... Read more
Published on March 21, 2000

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