Scan barcode
mind_of_doaa's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-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
loved this 💗💗
lucazani11's review
3.0
Woolf is a good writer and all but surprisingly I did not enjoy Dostoevsky's 'notes from underground' but for Elizabeth Barrett Browning's dog.
moth_dance's review
3.0
I hate to use this word when talking about Virginia Woolf, but "Flush" is seriously charming. It's fascinating and fun and fancy-free. Not much else to say. Enjoy it!
sophieviii's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
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
4.0
fillyjonk_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Woolf's ability to enter the conciousness of her characters is always amazing to me. I'll never look at a dog the same way again.
clemmiem's review against another edition
reflective
slow-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
3.25
lovellcharlotte's review
3.75
Interesting concept- through the dog's POV. Got a little bored towards the end.
Ending predictable, which was fine, made sense, but rip.
Ending predictable, which was fine, made sense, but rip.
pbraue13's review against another edition
3.0
A cute story from the POV of Elizabeth Brownings cocker spaniel told by one of the most interesting writers of modern literature!
ndizz87's review against another edition
4.0
As with Vonnegut, Woolf ranks among my favorite authors of all time. She came to me at a time I was discovering myself and she really did help in that process. I was nervous coming back to her after all these years of her being absent in my reading life. I’m extremely nervous to read The Waves so I decided to skip that one for now and focus on something quick and easy from her. That was the rationale for choosing Flush. I was nervous because I heard this was one of her lesser novels and was panned at the time it came out. I wasn’t disappointed!
The novel takes place from the perspective of Flush, a cocker spaniel of the finest breeding. I really appreciated how the dog had human thoughts, but was still able to capture the disjointed nature that the animal’s view shows how we, humans, operate. We go from the fine pastures of Flush’s youth with Miss Mitford, to the stuffy Victorian household of Elizabeth Barrett, a convalescent. I really loved the effect of humans on the nature of Flush. He immediately tries to conform his nature to lying around at the feet of Ms. Barrett, though it’s not in his nature. The dynamic between Ms. Barret, Mr. Browning, and Flush is very interesting. Flush doesn’t understand what’s going on, but knows that their relationship will undoubtedly forever alter his life, and therefore comes at it with a pessimistic view in an attempt to thwart this relationship. I also liked how Ms. Barrett went from feeling like a cancer patient on her last leg (ready to go at any minute) to being the Indiana Jones of Europe, ready to travel anywhere and buck convention. When we first met her I felt like she was a 90 year-old woman. It took a hot second to realize she was relatively young.
Virginia Woolf isn’t known for action in her plots. It’s a lot of everyday situations with insight that no one can quite capture but Woolf. That said, I was floored by the dognapping of Flush. She infuses this, as well as before and after this, with insight into British societal stratification at this time. The ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’. Whitechapel is a far cry from Wimpole Street. And this is more felt during this chapter. You truly feel terrible for Flush and it’s honestly the way in which Woolf writes from the perspective of the dog: he doesn’t understand what’s happening, he believes it will be forever. He honestly doesn’t understand and tries to make himself conform to his new surroundings. I also loved the vibrant nature of Ms. Barrett during this time. She’s literally okay with sacrificing her courtship with Mr. Browning in order to save her dog and literally gets out of convalescence to go down to the worst part of town in order to deal with the dognappers. Woolf definitely writes Ms. Barrett with a holistic female perspective.
The remaining parts of the novel are primarily set in Italy where the stuffy Flush gets a taste of what the real world is like, and becomes more ‘bohemian’ in his attitudes toward breeding which is a direct commentary on British life vs. European life. I loved how Flush ages and became a dog of both wisdom as well as showing the signs of a completed life cycle. Here is where Flush comes full circle, as he is untamed at Three Mile Cross, tampers down his nature in the ‘back room’, and then is allowed to pursue his nature again in Europe, primarily Italy. I also enjoyed the disjointedness of Flush trying to understand Ms. Browning (nee, Barrett), having a baby.
If I’m being critical of anything during this novel, it’s the ending. I see what she was trying to do in her modernist way, but I don’t think the appendix was particularly useful. I found myself glazing over it. I see what she was trying to do in making this come off as a literal biography. However, the actual ending left much to be desired. The craze of mediums, crystal balls, and the like was interesting, but I just found it underwhelming when Flush up and dies under the table with the crystal ball that moves, and the very end. What is Woolf trying to say? There is no afterlife? If there is, animals don’t go there? It was a little confusing after having spent an entire novel with the dog, and it ended abruptly with a depressing message.
It’s a good novel. There’s a few things to be desired, but on the whole it shows that even with Woolf’s lesser works, she’s as brilliant as ever.
The novel takes place from the perspective of Flush, a cocker spaniel of the finest breeding. I really appreciated how the dog had human thoughts, but was still able to capture the disjointed nature that the animal’s view shows how we, humans, operate. We go from the fine pastures of Flush’s youth with Miss Mitford, to the stuffy Victorian household of Elizabeth Barrett, a convalescent. I really loved the effect of humans on the nature of Flush. He immediately tries to conform his nature to lying around at the feet of Ms. Barrett, though it’s not in his nature. The dynamic between Ms. Barret, Mr. Browning, and Flush is very interesting. Flush doesn’t understand what’s going on, but knows that their relationship will undoubtedly forever alter his life, and therefore comes at it with a pessimistic view in an attempt to thwart this relationship. I also liked how Ms. Barrett went from feeling like a cancer patient on her last leg (ready to go at any minute) to being the Indiana Jones of Europe, ready to travel anywhere and buck convention. When we first met her I felt like she was a 90 year-old woman. It took a hot second to realize she was relatively young.
Virginia Woolf isn’t known for action in her plots. It’s a lot of everyday situations with insight that no one can quite capture but Woolf. That said, I was floored by the dognapping of Flush. She infuses this, as well as before and after this, with insight into British societal stratification at this time. The ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’. Whitechapel is a far cry from Wimpole Street. And this is more felt during this chapter. You truly feel terrible for Flush and it’s honestly the way in which Woolf writes from the perspective of the dog: he doesn’t understand what’s happening, he believes it will be forever. He honestly doesn’t understand and tries to make himself conform to his new surroundings. I also loved the vibrant nature of Ms. Barrett during this time. She’s literally okay with sacrificing her courtship with Mr. Browning in order to save her dog and literally gets out of convalescence to go down to the worst part of town in order to deal with the dognappers. Woolf definitely writes Ms. Barrett with a holistic female perspective.
The remaining parts of the novel are primarily set in Italy where the stuffy Flush gets a taste of what the real world is like, and becomes more ‘bohemian’ in his attitudes toward breeding which is a direct commentary on British life vs. European life. I loved how Flush ages and became a dog of both wisdom as well as showing the signs of a completed life cycle. Here is where Flush comes full circle, as he is untamed at Three Mile Cross, tampers down his nature in the ‘back room’, and then is allowed to pursue his nature again in Europe, primarily Italy. I also enjoyed the disjointedness of Flush trying to understand Ms. Browning (nee, Barrett), having a baby.
If I’m being critical of anything during this novel, it’s the ending. I see what she was trying to do in her modernist way, but I don’t think the appendix was particularly useful. I found myself glazing over it. I see what she was trying to do in making this come off as a literal biography. However, the actual ending left much to be desired. The craze of mediums, crystal balls, and the like was interesting, but I just found it underwhelming when Flush up and dies under the table with the crystal ball that moves, and the very end. What is Woolf trying to say? There is no afterlife? If there is, animals don’t go there? It was a little confusing after having spent an entire novel with the dog, and it ended abruptly with a depressing message.
It’s a good novel. There’s a few things to be desired, but on the whole it shows that even with Woolf’s lesser works, she’s as brilliant as ever.