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diana_raquel's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"It might be possible that the world itself is without meaning."
I always had a very interesting relationship with Virginia Woolf. I usually don't gravitate toward modern authors (I'm a classicist at heart). And I don't particularly agree with some things that Woolf said about English classic authors. But, I do believe in the separation between art and artist (with some nuance), and this book constantly appears in those lists of books that you should read, at least, once in your life. So when I had the opportunity to buy this book, I decided to give it a try.
I have to say that this was a challenge. The first two times I tried to read this book I had to DNF it because I couldn't understand what was happening. To me, it was a boring book when nothing happened. And for a couple of years, I had given up on Woolf. But then, I decided to give this book another chance. The third time's the charm, right? And if I can read books with 800 pages, I could read a book with less than 200 pages! But this time I decided to read the book with the help of an audiobook.
This isn't an easy book. There's not much in terms of a plot and the narrative focuses on the characters and their internal conflicts. The story doesn't have a payoff and the ending leaves you with more questions than answers. There's a constant back and forward between the present and the past, that might take some time to get used to. And to make matters worse, although the writing style is beautiful, almost poetic, it can be very hard to follow.
So, why do I like this book? The answer is simple: the characters. I loved the characters and their internal demons and conflicts. And although there's not much of a plot, halfway I realize that Mrs. Dalloway is a tragic love story. Every character has suffered or is suffering from a tragic love. And that suffering shapes the way characters think and act. There are a lot of parallels between characters that never met and, even so, those characters have an impact on each other. At heart, Mrs. Dalloway isn't a story about how society shapes the individual, but how the individual falls victim to society.
In addition to the existential issues, this story also deals with mental health, bisexuality, and feminism (that's why this book was so controversial when it was first published). And using these themes, Woof manages to shape the character's interior conflicts and built the society (that is at war with itself) around them.
So you can say that I reconciled with Woolf. And I do recommend this book. It's a beautifully written, thought-provoking book, that can be a bit hard to follow but don't give up. If you can't read it by yourself, try with an audiobook. You won't regret it.
I always had a very interesting relationship with Virginia Woolf. I usually don't gravitate toward modern authors (I'm a classicist at heart). And I don't particularly agree with some things that Woolf said about English classic authors. But, I do believe in the separation between art and artist (with some nuance), and this book constantly appears in those lists of books that you should read, at least, once in your life. So when I had the opportunity to buy this book, I decided to give it a try.
I have to say that this was a challenge. The first two times I tried to read this book I had to DNF it because I couldn't understand what was happening. To me, it was a boring book when nothing happened. And for a couple of years, I had given up on Woolf. But then, I decided to give this book another chance. The third time's the charm, right? And if I can read books with 800 pages, I could read a book with less than 200 pages! But this time I decided to read the book with the help of an audiobook.
This isn't an easy book. There's not much in terms of a plot and the narrative focuses on the characters and their internal conflicts. The story doesn't have a payoff and the ending leaves you with more questions than answers. There's a constant back and forward between the present and the past, that might take some time to get used to. And to make matters worse, although the writing style is beautiful, almost poetic, it can be very hard to follow.
So, why do I like this book? The answer is simple: the characters. I loved the characters and their internal demons and conflicts. And although there's not much of a plot, halfway I realize that Mrs. Dalloway is a tragic love story. Every character has suffered or is suffering from a tragic love. And that suffering shapes the way characters think and act. There are a lot of parallels between characters that never met and, even so, those characters have an impact on each other. At heart, Mrs. Dalloway isn't a story about how society shapes the individual, but how the individual falls victim to society.
In addition to the existential issues, this story also deals with mental health, bisexuality, and feminism (that's why this book was so controversial when it was first published). And using these themes, Woof manages to shape the character's interior conflicts and built the society (that is at war with itself) around them.
So you can say that I reconciled with Woolf. And I do recommend this book. It's a beautifully written, thought-provoking book, that can be a bit hard to follow but don't give up. If you can't read it by yourself, try with an audiobook. You won't regret it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Death, War, and Suicide
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Forced institutionalization, Classism, Racism, and Grief
Minor: Homophobia and Misogyny
itsheyfay's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Death, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Racism, Ableism, and War
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Biphobia
grboph's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I am very glad I read this book. While I did find large parts of it boring, since I have never been much of a fan of books without a lot of plot or character development, I really enjoyed the deep dives into each of the characters' histories and all of the messages contained in the story. I really liked how time and mental illness played a large role (especially since mental illness was something that was so stigmatized at the time this book was published) and I think it also has a lot of valuable things to say about the role of women in society, especially in relation to the roles of men. I also loved that since there was a very slow pace and no real plot, we got to spend a lot of time with each character and really find out what makes them tick, even if they only played a very minor role in the actual events of the story. Because of these things, I gave the book a fairly high rating even though I tend to prefer books that are faster-paced than this one and have more of a plot. Still, I am very happy to have read it and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for something introspective or philosophical to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, and Suicide
Moderate: Classism, Colonisation, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Forced institutionalization, and War
Minor: Misogyny and Suicidal thoughts
One of the main plot points in this book is how one character (a World War I veteran) undergoes a failed psychiatric treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and hallucinations and then commits suicide when people come to take him to a psychiatric hospital. There is also some general misogyny and racism (which were widespread in society during the time in which this book is set) and several mentions of British imperialism and the colonization of India.littlefish's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, and Injury/Injury detail
abiggal's review against another edition
dark
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
2.0
I’m sorry to say, I found there to be so much symbolism, technique, socioeconomic commentary, and literal thought out into this book, that it seems there was no room for really anything enjoyable. The narrator shifts are so impossible to follow that reading this book feels like a burden. Woolf has some serious problems with religion that seep into how she portrays almost all of her characters.
To her credit, Virginia Woolf obviously has an exceptional mind. I would like to read some of her beloved nonfiction in the future. Sadly, Mrs. Dalloway was not for me.
To her credit, Virginia Woolf obviously has an exceptional mind. I would like to read some of her beloved nonfiction in the future. Sadly, Mrs. Dalloway was not for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Forced institutionalization
kathleenivy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Death
Minor: Xenophobia, Gore, Emotional abuse, and Sexual harassment
narkohund's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
pagesfromhome's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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? It's complicated
3.0
I read this book for Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge as "A Book You've Been Intimidated to Read" and boy did it live up to that prompt. This has been on my shelf for YEARS and every time I picked it up I would just end up putting it back down again. All in all, it's a beautifully written story (Woolf is considered a canon writer for a reason, for sure), but I just found myself unable to focus on most of the pages. When I took the time to read while alone and in total silence (normally I read with music on) I was able to really focus and dig in and those were the moments that I really loved, but I would only recommend this to people who want to really focus in on a story.
The story itself was thought-provoking and after I closed the book I realized I did quite enjoy it, but it's not a book I would recommend to most people.
The story itself was thought-provoking and after I closed the book I realized I did quite enjoy it, but it's not a book I would recommend to most people.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Death
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