Reviews with content warning for Suicide - Mrs. Dalloway

Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

327 reviews

hippejulia's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

closet_bibliophile's review against another edition

3.25

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I'd like to start by saying I get a lot of inspiration from Virginia Woolf, her style of writting and the vivid real images she manages to portray through her writting are magnificent and incredibly moving.

That said, reading this book felt like putting myself through purgatory. The writting style, constantly ebbing and flowing from place and thing and character, is remarkably similar to the way my brain likes to function and so it took the writting in this book as a distraction manual. Time lost all meaning as my mind meandered through topics not even slightly related to the writting and when I snapped back into it I'd realised I read over 10 pages in a haze and have to figure out when I'd zoned out.

In the rare moments of clarity when I could read (and only read), it was really a pleasant experience.

Content Warnings

samanthawattam's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The novel takes place during a single day in London 5 years after the end of World War I in the summer of 1923. Clarissa Dalloway who is a well-to-do socialite is concerned with preparing for an upcoming party she is holding to which even the Prime Minister may drop in. The story is written from the perspective of many of those who are attending the party, their views of Clarissa and her life as well as her reflecting on her own choices and the path her life has taken.

One of the main focuses in the novel is that of Septimus Warren, a young traumatised soldier with a family who has struggled to reintegrate into society his mind unable to cope with the memories and experiences which have led to his complete mental breakdown. Virginia Woolf herself suffered from mental illness so she herself understood the terrible effect of mental illness and she was ahead of her time in discussing and tackling the difficult topic of the human psyche in this way.

There are no chapters in the novel it feels like a freewheeling expression of consciousness as the characters express their feelings through their various thoughts as they come to mind. I think it is really well written but nonetheless is not an easy book to read.

Content Warnings

isabellahughes's review against another edition

5.0

challenging 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: No

Content Warnings

nannahnannah's review against another edition

2.0

reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I've seen this book on many wlw reading lists, and that's ultimately what made me pick this up at the library. Unfortunately, that's also the (largest) reason I disliked it.

Mrs. Dalloway is a book that's more of an experiment in stream of consciousness than anything written in prose or poetry style. It made reading and enjoying this novel difficult, to say the least. Yeah, I can be impressed by Virginia Woolf's skill as a writer, but it ends there. Reading this was a challenge I don't ever want to attempt again. After finishing the last page, there was no satisfaction, no particular feeling of conclusion, etc.

What's it about? Honestly . . . much of nothing. You as a reader are taken wandering around as characters go about their day. You experience one character's views, then hop into another's mind, then another. Then you end the day.

That's about it. 194 pages later, and I'm not really sure what I possibly have gained from this book. satisfaction? no. Positive wlw representation? no. A story? no.

I know people say the experience of the writing and setting an atmosphere is worth reading, but I can't agree, I'm sorry.

Content Warnings

iridium's review against another edition

5.0

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

cassandrahpenny's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional funny reflective relaxing slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The most divine stream of consciousness I've ever had the pleasure to read! I'm so happy one of my closest friends gifted me this book, and I'm looking forward to many re-reads over the years, because I definitely couldn't even fathom to unpick this book in one reading.

Content Warnings