"Iris Murdoch was one of the best and most influential writers of the twentieth century." --"Guardian" Iris Murdoch's richly peopled novel revolves round a happily married couple, Kate and Octavian, and the friends of all ages attached to their household in Dorset. The novel deals with love in its two aspects, the self-gratifying and the impersonal -- the nice and the good -- as they are embodied in a fascinating array of paired characters."The Nice and the Good" leads through stress and terror to a joyous and compassionate 'Midsummer Nights Dream' conclusion, in which the couples all sort themselves out neatly and omnia vincit amor."