Reviews

To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

philippamaeve's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

5.0

like walking into a cathedral dedicated to the smallest moments

bncarlozzi's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.0

Virginia Woolf’s To The Lighthouse is an innovative piece of writing that left me feeling empty, neither happy nor sad, just blank and detached from the book itself.

Let me explain: for me the writing just didn’t covey anything of much importance. Sure, you could talk about Woolf’s innovative style and how important this book is in the formation of English literature as we know it today; it clearly has impacted the novel as an art form. And it adheres to Woolf’s arguments in her essay titled Modern Fiction. It’s about realism; it’s about capturing a multitude of perspectives and voices regarding the complexities of perception and human experiences. It acts to show how different people think in very different ways. And that’s it.

The plot is unimportant here so I’m not going to talk about that or criticise it. Woolf was purposely trying to break narrative conventions. She didn’t want a plot. She didn’t need one. Though I’m left with a feeling of emptiness after reading it. What do I take away from the book? What’s the overall point of it? Surely there’s more to it than showing that different people think, feel and express themselves in a way specifically personal to them? I’m just left with a puzzling feeling that makes me form a question that lingers over my mind whenever I think about this book: was that really it Woolf, don’t you have a little more to say?

The success of the writing resides with its subtlety. Woolf says so much without saying anything at all. Her characters are revealed through small gestures that reveal their internal world. Simple things like an agreement about the weather bespeaks the love between two characters. Her narration is minimalistic or, I should say, the narrator describes without comment and the rest is up to the reader. And, as ever, she is fantastic at portraying images and moments in time. The scenes she creates are some of the most real and true I’ve ever read.

There are thoughts flying around everywhere. Woolf shifts beautifully from character to character, from voice to voice, as the writing forms a symphony on the mundanity of life. Some of the characters are also quite psychologically complex (Mr Ramsey) and there’s many layers within the story telling that bring the narrative together.

r0sem4rie's review against another edition

5.0

To the Lighthouse is the most beautiful and lyrical book I have ever read.

It is the kind of beautiful where you don’t know what to do about yourself, where having it as a book on your bookshelf just isn’t enough — I want to wrap it around everything in my life and have it consume me and everything around me entirely till I become a part of the book.

Earlier this year I read the love letters between Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West where Vita, after reading “To the Lighthouse” for the first time, wrote: “But everything is blurred to a haze by your book of which I have just read the last words, and that is the only thing which seems real. I can only say that I am dazzled and bewitched. How did you do it? How did you walk along that razor-edge without falling”

After reading “To the Lighthouse” I can only agree with Vita. I have never felt as mesmerised and captivated by a book as I did reading To the Lighthouse, and still feel.

This book explores the complexity of the human experience and the nuances of human relationships in such a poetic way. It is so fascinating to follow the inner thoughts of Woolf’s characters in contrast to how those around them view them. Her characters are so multifaceted and interesting.

I loved how the book explored memory/the passage of time and how the past shapes the present and also how in depth the book explored Lily Briscoe and her creative process when painting (and I am deeply in love with her).

louka01's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

jennifermilanovic's review against another edition

challenging slow-paced

2.5

khplunkett's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.25

sydneyharvest's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.0

twinpeaks's review against another edition

reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.75

idk time passes

ginapetruzz's review against another edition

4.0

Took a bit to adjust to the writing style/to genuinely buckle down and read it but I ended up highly enjoying. Not sure if u guys know this but human beings are complex and fascinating

tugash's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0