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.