However, though few in number to begin with, reviews of the book were largely positive: two separate critics—Philip Day from The Sunday Times and Peter Green (who was later a friend of Golding's) from The Daily Telegraph—described the novel as a tour de force, whilst Isabel Quigly called it "a many-dimensional and astonishing book" in The Spectator two weeks after its initial publication, along with similarly positive reviews from myriad newspapers and literary journals.
Despite being few in number at first, reviews of the book were overwhelmingly positive: two critics—Philip Day from The Sunday Times and Peter Green (who later became a friend of Golding's) from The Daily Telegraph—praised it as a remarkable work, while Isabel Quigly called it "a multifaceted and astonishing book" in The Spectator two weeks after its initial publication.  Numerous newspapers and literary journals also gave the book positive reviews.