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lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I quite enjoyed this story!
Mrs. Dalloway follows a small cast of characters as they go about their summer day in 1923. Virginia Woolf’s meandering style of writing really captures the wandering monologues of her characters, painting them in a dreamy and feathery light, and creating a snapshot of English society after the First World War. Each of the characters were brilliantly contrived with their own diverse psychologies and convictions. However, Woolf’s brilliance lies in the moments where she moves from one stream of consciousness to another, executed as masterfully and seamlessly as one would weave fabric together to create an intricately detailed tapestry.
Mrs. Dalloway follows a small cast of characters as they go about their summer day in 1923. Virginia Woolf’s meandering style of writing really captures the wandering monologues of her characters, painting them in a dreamy and feathery light, and creating a snapshot of English society after the First World War. Each of the characters were brilliantly contrived with their own diverse psychologies and convictions. However, Woolf’s brilliance lies in the moments where she moves from one stream of consciousness to another, executed as masterfully and seamlessly as one would weave fabric together to create an intricately detailed tapestry.
Did it matter that she must inevitably cease completely; all this must go on without her; did she resent it; did it not become consoling to believe that death ended absolutely? But that somehow in the streets of London, on the ebb and flow of things, here, there, she survived…
I loved the way the themes and ideas that united each of the characters—the individuality of the mortal soul against the “proportion” of English society—were expressed: in small moments, a little thought here or there, a distraction; while occasionally exploding in a soliloquy dripping with the poetics of the English language. I also found Woolf’s contemplation of death wildly fascinating.
I only give the story four out of five stars, not by fault of the author, but because it lacks that nameless thing that I usually gravitate towards in literature (Drama? Angst?). I did, however, find the characters of Septimus and Lucrezia fantastic. I could read volumes about their history, their dynamic, their psychologies.
Overall, a great read! Especially for book clubs or group reads, where a little discussion is involved.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide
Moderate: Forced institutionalization
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide
this truly surprised me, i did not expect to enjoy this so much. to be fair, a good chunk of that is because i listened to the audiobook while reading this, and that was so much fun. woolf's stream-of-consciousness style is a ton easier to understand when someone is performing it for you on audio, and that for sure allowed me to just fly though this and be fully immersed.
everyone is so petty, lovelorn, funny, and interesting. the flashes of crazy dark thoughts and the septimus storyline gave such a valuable weight to the time and place of this novel. truly transportive.
everyone is so petty, lovelorn, funny, and interesting. the flashes of crazy dark thoughts and the septimus storyline gave such a valuable weight to the time and place of this novel. truly transportive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, War
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Misogyny
funny
reflective
sad
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Suicide
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, War
challenging
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m a classics fan but I’ve never been particularly drawn to Virginia Woolf. I picked up a copy of Mrs. Dalloway because the cover was pretty. I hadn’t the faintest idea what it was about. When the Audrey app chose this as one of their listen-alongs, I figured now was as good a time as any to read it.
Some classics are wasted on people… this one was wasted on me. I wanted to like it so much given the time it was written and the portrayals of PTSD and mental health disorders. By the time I got to this point, I was painfully bored and cared nothing about the characters. Personally, it was not a good time to read it, either.
Whether it’s a matter of the wrong place, the wrong time, or the book itself, it wasn’t for me. I know I'm in the minority here but even lively discussion couldn't draw me in. It only made me ask if I was really listening to the same book as everyone else.
Some classics are wasted on people… this one was wasted on me. I wanted to like it so much given the time it was written and the portrayals of PTSD and mental health disorders. By the time I got to this point, I was painfully bored and cared nothing about the characters. Personally, it was not a good time to read it, either.
Whether it’s a matter of the wrong place, the wrong time, or the book itself, it wasn’t for me. I know I'm in the minority here but even lively discussion couldn't draw me in. It only made me ask if I was really listening to the same book as everyone else.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Gaslighting, War
Minor: Sexual harassment
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I absolutely loved the book. The -0.5 stars is just because it was sometimes difficult to keep up with the narration, since it was my first time reading something written in stream of consciousness. I loved how the narration is presented through the thoughts of the different characters and how there are many different points of view. I also liked how the characters' personalities can be understood both through their own analysis of themselves and through what the other characters think of them. Septimus and Peter were characters that particularly impressed me. The passage about Sir. William Bradshaw and his love of proportion/conversion is one of the greatest pieces of writing I've ever read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical trauma
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, War