The Fire & the Sun (1977), ‘In ‘The Fire & the Sun’ Iris Murdoch seems to be calmly explicating the thought of Plato but is actually playing the scholarly power game in England, where authority can flow to people gifted with command of the texts and of a succinct prose.’ [Hugh Kenner, November 20, 1977.]

The Sandcastle (1957), ‘She has an extraordinary gift for looking at the embroiled affairs of her contemporaries as tragic comedies.’ [Charles Poore, May 7, 1957.]

The Time of the Angels (1966), ‘Murdoch writes, it’s difficult not to feel, as the initiate of a mystery, possessed of secret knowledge[...]. Here, mystery is genuinely embodied; the reader’s imagination is addressed, responds and is satisfied.’ [Walter Allen, Sept. 25, 1966.]

The Nice and the Good (1968), ‘Murdoch’s best, most exciting and most successful book[...]. one suspects a growing inclination in Miss Murdoch’s approach to take fictional techniques seriously[...].’ [Elizabeth Janeway, January 14, 1968.]

Bruno’s Dream (1969), ‘There are all the characteristic felicities, the surprises, we take for granted in her work. But above all there are the transcending elements of passion and profundity [...]’ [Walter Allen, January 19, 1969.]

A Fairly Honourable Defeat (1970): ‘Melodramatic incidents and transparent stratagems, useful as they are as indicators of the novel’s philosophical aspects, strain the reader’s belief.’ [Rubin Rabinovitz, February 8, 1970.]

An Accidental Man (1972), ‘[T]his novel is better written than many of its predecessors [...] I enjoy thinking about her work much more than I do reading it.’ [Nora Sayre, January 23, 1972.]

The Black Prince (1973), ‘[T]he intricately patterned plot and the audacious symbolism come closer to being functions of character and action than they usually do in Iris Murdoch’s fiction[...]. the best novel she has written in years.’ [Lawrence Graver, June 3, 1973.]

The Sacred and Profane Love Machine (1974), ‘The power of “The Sacred and Profane Love Machine” lies not so much in the story itself [...] but in the author’s intent, compassionate and analytic eye upon the story[...]. Get hold of this book as soon as possible and read it - you’ll be glad you did.’ [John Wain, September 22, 1974.]

A Word Child (1975): ‘It sounds a little schematic, does it not? And, after 400 pages, one feels it is[...]. Yet it has to be admitted she is among the very few contemporary novelists who go on troubling one’s thoughts when the last page is done.’ [David Bromwich, August 24, 1975.] Henry and Cato (1977): ‘There are few contemporary novelists who, page by page, perform in such a lively and interesting manner on such a range of subjects and materials; yet who when the pages are taken together add up to so little.’ [William H. Pritchard, January 16, 1977.]

The Sea, The Sea (1978): ‘This comedy is lit with the aplomb of true comedy’s calm understanding of moral obliquity. But ‘The Sea, the Sea’ tends toward the doughy. There is the genuine weight of obsession in Arrowby’s narrative, but also the mere weight of iteration and ingenuity.’ [Martin Greenberg, December 17, 1978.]

Nuns and Soldiers (1981), ‘I prefer to ignore all this symbolmongering. [...] Reading it that way, ‘Nuns and Soldiers’ amounts to a fairly entertaining love story.’ [Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, January 6, 1981.]

The Philosopher’s Pupil (1983), ‘[D]espite the weight of all this paraphernalia - or perhaps because of it - ‘The Philosopher’s Pupil’ eventually attains breakneck speed.’ [Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, June 29, 1983.]

The Good Apprentice (1986), ‘Murdoch’s story has a life of its own that, for a change in her fiction, is not too greatly weighed down by its philosophical implications.’ [Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, January 9, 1986.]

The Message to the Planet (1990): ‘All is paradox as usual in Iris Murdoch’s bewitching new book […]. We grow addicted to her artless technique, and would probably resent it if she worked any other way.’ [Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, February 1, 1990.]

The Fire and the Sun (1991): ‘[...] an intelligent and provocative essay that illuminates Plato’s esthetics while at the same time shedding new light on the many Platonist themes [...] found in her own fiction.’ [Michiko Kakutani, May 21, 1991.]

Jackson’s Dilemma (1996), ‘The story is a psychologically rich tale of romances thwarted and revived. The writing is a mess.’ [Brad Leithauser, January 7, 1996.]