Reviews

Night and Day by Virginia Woolf

allie_shu's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

katkilduff's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.75

megbriers's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

 the world's longest love triangle (? square? circle?). for a book that seemed to market itself as 'early 20th century scientist wannabe female lead' i wanted significantly commentary on katharine's astronomy and maths work, felt like that rapidly got dropped in the middle and was just used as a convenient way to make her one of the 'i'm not like other girls' girl

sbochic's review against another edition

funny reflective

5.0

ketiesaner's review

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

vampslayer815's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

paigeweb's review against another edition

4.0

I don't know if I've ever related to a fictional character as much as I do to Katharine... think of that what you will.

kim_sldr's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

eheslosz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

This is probably the worst of Virginia Woolf's books (and thus the last one I have read – I'm now through her complete novels!) and yet it is still really very good!

Yes, the prose style is more conventional than her later work, but you can sense it developing already. The way this book presents characters' internal experiences of life is impressive; even more so is the way the characters manage to penetrate the inner lives of other characters. A man perceiving a woman thinking – not feeling, not thinking about him – and all within a third person narrative, is actually quite radical for 1919. 

To me this felt like the most romantic (as in, romance-heavy) of Woolf's books, but it is also principally a critique of marriage as an arbitrary social requirement. The strong feminist discussions set up in this novel should make it more popular, now, than it is.

Overall I liked this, although it was too long and dragged a little, and simply does not compare to books like To the Lighthouse or The Waves.

forever_amber's review against another edition

3.0

Хубава книга, но с противни действащи лица. И единствената, която заслужаваше щастие, не получи нищо. През цялото време ме бе обзело едно насмешливо презрение към слабохарактерната, надута и скована Катарин Хилбъри - толкова противно тесногръда! Нито Ралф Денам ме впечатли с нещо особено, за Уилям Родни да не говорим - банда пълни страхливци. Някак всички ми се сториха твърде прозаични и безцветни - "plain", въпреки перлите по обувките им или задоволството им от работата им. В общи линии в 500 страници никой нямаше достатъчно смелост да изрази чувствата си, едва накрая се престрашиха.

Разказът обаче е чудесен, защото, все пак, това е Вирджиния Улф - все още не я разбирам особено, но това е едва втората нейна книга, която чета. Опасявам се да се гмурна във "Вълните", все още се чувствам твърде начинаеща за това. Обаче непременно ще се случи, и то скоро.