After graduating from university the friends had agreed to finance the writing of this book as a 'brotherhood' but grow uneasy as no written work is in sight and the stipend continues to be paid.

Crimond is a classic example of Murdoch's "enchanter" archetype: the enigmatic character whose charisma inspires others to devote themselves to him.

The Book and the Brotherhood joins a novel of ideas with finely-drawn characters in unusually emotionally intense relations to each other.

It is notable for its detailed, wide-ranging opening scene at an Oxford ball during which every major character in the novel is introduced.

The London Review of Books highlights the upper-middle class establishment background of the majority of characters and Murdoch's ability to trace the limits of this social class,[2] while the New York Times describes the book as 'a triumphal celebration of literacy as a social bond'.