A Rich, Crowded, Magical Love Story Murdoch I. (Iris) creator uk London Penguin Books 1980 eng 502 p. When Charles Arrowby, over sixty, a demigod of the theatre - director, playwright and actor - retires from his glittering London world in order to, `abjure magic and become a hermit`, it is to the sea that he turns. He hopes at least to escape from `the women` - but unexpectedly meets one whom he loved long ago. His Buddhist cousin, James, also arrives. He is menaced by a monster from the deep. Charles finds his `solitude` peopled by the drama of his own fantasies and obsessions. n/29163 101104 20260805123901.0 00000000000041287