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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
Had a hard time getting used to Woolf's prose, but once I did, this was a pleasant read. Woolf doesn't let the reader forget the presence of her narrator, at times cold, at times entrenched inside the mind of the thoughts of characters, at times painfully outside their minds. Not a book to rush through, and a book to read twice.
Though this book is less experimental than Woolf's later novels, I still found it compelling in its exploration of her characters' interiority. A twist on the bildungsroman (as well as on the Victorian marriage plot), The Voyage explores larger questions concerning, marriage, love, gender, and, ultimately, both the limits and power of language. Though there were moments when the book seemed to drag, Woolf always found a way through her stunning prose to keep me reading.
There are some writers whose famous lives can intimidate readers. For a long time, Virginia Woolf has been one of those writers to me. Perhaps this stems from the extensive examination and discussion in class when we read The Hours. There is a reason for the reverence but, as usual, no reason to have been intimidated. Woolf examines interpersonal relationships with great depth while establishing a rapport with the reader that progresses from formal to familiar and comfortable, not at all the daunting feat I’d built it up to be in my mind.
One of Woolf’s earliest novels, The Voyage Out follows the young and naïve Rachel Vinrace as she travels with her uncle and aunt to South America for a holiday. After a rough patch on her father’s ship and some unexpected visitors (a primitive version of Woolf’s most recognizable Mrs. Clarissa Dalloway and her husband Richard), Rachel finds a friend in her aunt, Helen Ambrose. Helen talks Rachel into staying with them at the villa rather than continue up the Amazon with her father, a decision that throws the inexperienced Rachel into the company of the dozens of other Englishmen and women visiting as well.
For the complete review, visit my blog:
http://nightmaresdaydreamsandimaginedconversations.wordpress.com/2011/09/05/book-review-the-voyage-out-by-virginia-woolf/
One of Woolf’s earliest novels, The Voyage Out follows the young and naïve Rachel Vinrace as she travels with her uncle and aunt to South America for a holiday. After a rough patch on her father’s ship and some unexpected visitors (a primitive version of Woolf’s most recognizable Mrs. Clarissa Dalloway and her husband Richard), Rachel finds a friend in her aunt, Helen Ambrose. Helen talks Rachel into staying with them at the villa rather than continue up the Amazon with her father, a decision that throws the inexperienced Rachel into the company of the dozens of other Englishmen and women visiting as well.
For the complete review, visit my blog:
http://nightmaresdaydreamsandimaginedconversations.wordpress.com/2011/09/05/book-review-the-voyage-out-by-virginia-woolf/
One of the most annoying love stories to date. Obviously Virginia Woolf had an axe to grind with Christianity--either that or she was lacking that morbid subtlety she got so good at in later life.
Very interesting read but confirms my thought that V. Woolf is not someone I'd want to have a coffee with
Very interesting read but confirms my thought that V. Woolf is not someone I'd want to have a coffee with
This was my first time reading [a:Virginia Woolf|6765|Virginia Woolf|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1419596619p2/6765.jpg] and I have to admit that it took me a little bit to get used to the writing style. Unfortunately this wasn't a book I felt compelled to pick up so it took me a little while to finish it. I found it difficult to keep track of the characters as it once sentence they would be referred to by their first name and in the next it was Mr. or Mrs. {insert last name}. This was a novel that carefully examined the lifestyle and choices available to it's characters, each of which had their own struggles. The author explores different different themes as each character introspectively examines themselves. This was the author's first novel and I've heard her style is different in her later books. While I can't say that I particularly enjoyed this one, I do plan on reading more of her novels.
“It would certainly be very dull to die before they have discovered whether there is life in Mars.”
Virginia Woolf is the master of capturing little moments of humanity. I really enjoyed the process of reading this book, wondering which pieces were her own thoughts coming through the characters, or just something the characters would say themselves. There is so much going on here and in the minds of each character--who are all so real. This book is tender and hopeful, but also wonderfully existential, critical, and heartbreaking.
"Ze sprak deels als zichzelf en deels als de heldin van het toneelstuk dat ze zojuist had gelezen. (...) Ibsens toneelstukken brachten haar altijd in deze toestand. Ze speelde ze dagenlang na, tot groot vermaak van Helen; en dan was het de beurt aan Meredith en veranderde ze in Diana van de Kruisweg." (p. 162)
"De gezichten van de mensen die ze afgelopen nacht had gezien doemden voor haar op; ze hoorde hun stemmen; ze hield op met zingen en begon bepaalde dingen steeds weer te zeggen of anders te zeggen, of te verzinnen wat ze had kunnen zeggen." (p.225)
"De gezichten van de mensen die ze afgelopen nacht had gezien doemden voor haar op; ze hoorde hun stemmen; ze hield op met zingen en begon bepaalde dingen steeds weer te zeggen of anders te zeggen, of te verzinnen wat ze had kunnen zeggen." (p.225)
Virginia Woolf's writing feels like a conversation with an old friend. I love how crafted her work is, and her debut was no different. Each character is a study, every word has a purpose. The topics discussed in this book are, of course, relevant to today, and had me underlining every line. But my favourite part of this book was the humour. Woolf has such a distinctive humour, her narration has a tongue-in-cheek tone to it, as if she's laughing at the characters with you. This story is not a completely happy one, however, and Woolf navigates the more hard-hitting scenes as elegantly as the light-hearted ones. Despite being her first work, this novel is as wonderful as any of her later ones. It reveals Woolf beginning to explore experimental techniques, but is easier to unpick perhaps than 'The Waves' or 'Mrs Dalloway', but that accessibility only enhanced my enjoyment - I could really enjoy and immerse myself in this book, and in Woolf's world.
obsessed with the fact that virginia woolf, in her very first published novel, wrote a scene where a character reads sappho in church