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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
With beautiful language on scenery and the inner workings of the characters' minds, Virginia Woolf illustrates a story of import. However, the quick transitions between characters had me unable to grasp any concept of any character and the ornate language was one of aesthetics and I couldn't interprete its significance.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
a challenging read, especially in the first two chapters, but it doubly rewards you for sticking with it. wouldn’t recommend as anyone’s first introduction to woolf though - feels extremely abstract and stylistic even for her.
too much, man. idk. i hate to say it, but i'm a little glad to be done with this book. i can appreciate its impressiveness: its genre- and form-bending nature. i appreciate (immensely) its commentary on life, society, language, beauty, friendship, gender, etc... how our patriarchal society dulls us, our senses, our spirits w/ "order," robs us of our ability to know and to perceive beauty, to imagine and thus to help create our reality (esp women), how it divides us and thus annihilates us; how bound we are to our friends, and even to passing strangers... how language unveils truth, beauty, our reality...but how we all struggle with it: how we need the voices of both genders for that language to flourish... how we are all tied together by our shared fear, our shared fight against death... and on and on and on and on.
We're all aware of that "phrase," as Bernard put it, that won't completely form in our minds...that hasn't yet been said, but that must be in order for us to attain fulfillment and satisfaction with our lives. We're all aware of the fact that so much—if not all or most—of life is an illusion, controlled—or with the ability to be controlled, anyway—by us, and what we say, or think, or feel, or know. We're also aware that how we're living isn't honoring this awareness...or this truth. We know that we're all acting. We know that our society is serving no one. We know that we need others to help us form our sense of identity, our vision of the world...we cannot live or be in isolation, and the systems in place in our society, that seek to divide, separate, and rank...don't allow us to communicate freely, so long as there is hierarchy, dissimilar life experiences/lived realities. We need to recognize that there is little, true, separation between us and our friends...between us and our peers...and then we will get to the heart of life, that which is permanent, everlasting, and good.
idk...i really liked what this book had to say but i just don't think i was in the right headspace to commit to how this book wanted to say it. but again, i can also appreciate that it couldn't have been written any other way. through this style you really come to understand that there is no gap, really, between reality and illusion-both engender the other. likewise, you also come to realize that there is no gap between yourself and your friends. you adopt their mannerisms, their beliefs, their interests, their vision. and vice versa. and all of this in the dark. all of this while stumbling in the dark, dragged on by time: the cycle of life, the cycle of days.
We're all aware of that "phrase," as Bernard put it, that won't completely form in our minds...that hasn't yet been said, but that must be in order for us to attain fulfillment and satisfaction with our lives. We're all aware of the fact that so much—if not all or most—of life is an illusion, controlled—or with the ability to be controlled, anyway—by us, and what we say, or think, or feel, or know. We're also aware that how we're living isn't honoring this awareness...or this truth. We know that we're all acting. We know that our society is serving no one. We know that we need others to help us form our sense of identity, our vision of the world...we cannot live or be in isolation, and the systems in place in our society, that seek to divide, separate, and rank...don't allow us to communicate freely, so long as there is hierarchy, dissimilar life experiences/lived realities. We need to recognize that there is little, true, separation between us and our friends...between us and our peers...and then we will get to the heart of life, that which is permanent, everlasting, and good.
idk...i really liked what this book had to say but i just don't think i was in the right headspace to commit to how this book wanted to say it. but again, i can also appreciate that it couldn't have been written any other way. through this style you really come to understand that there is no gap, really, between reality and illusion-both engender the other. likewise, you also come to realize that there is no gap between yourself and your friends. you adopt their mannerisms, their beliefs, their interests, their vision. and vice versa. and all of this in the dark. all of this while stumbling in the dark, dragged on by time: the cycle of life, the cycle of days.
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Reading strong literary works for me is living vicariously through the characters. Sometimes, I’ll finish a book and feel that sinking feeling that comes with losing a dear friend or leaving your home, knowing you’ll never come back.
The Waves was a roller coaster of emotions, making me feel humble, thoughtful, with a bitter tinge of sadness added to the mix. I finished Woolf’s masterpiece and felt empty. She had thrown so many emotions at me that I didn’t know how to handle it.
My thought is that the book came at a good time for me. There’s been so much going on in my life that it makes sense for me to be overwhelmed by such deep character studies, such musings on life and loneliness.
I searched in vain to find something to follow The Waves, but was unable to focus on anything besides it. Slower than the first time around, I’m reading the words carefully, tracking how I’m feeling and trying to figure out how it is that Virginia Woolf has written a novel that encapsulates a little of every piece of human emotion.
Maybe after I can take apart my reaction to the novel, I can get back into my usual routine, my usual life.
Malta... eu tentei. Eu peguei neste livro com o deslumbramento de o saber uma obra da Virginia Wolf, sem nunca ter lido nada da autora antes. Na primeira tentativa de o ler, dei ghost. Estava escrito de forma "diferentona" e precisei de pausar e voltar preparada para o que ia encontrar. E voltei, uma segunda vez, disposta a ler até ao fim. Tive amigas a dizer que o importante não era o plot, que talvez o devesse ler em inglês... Meu deus, se eu lesse este livro em inglês ainda dissociava mais do que dissociei.
O livro não tem exactamente um enredo, acompanha seis amigos desde a infância até à velhice através do monólogo interno de cada um. Francamente, achei aborrecido, e olhem que eu gosto de livros tristes com deambulações sobre a vida. A primeira parte foi sofrível porque é irreal crianças terem monólogos internos daquela profundidade. O livro agarrou-me mais na parte da adolescência, quando as personagens vão para o colégio. Mas depois... não acontece realmente nada? E as deambulações são muito vagas e sobre coisa nenhuma. Algo do género "acordo e estou vivo. Ao longe, a rua ocupa-se de transeuntes. Sigo a vida, com o pensamento daquilo que já não é."????
Enfim. Nota-se que a Virginia andava a bater mal com merdas. Eu queria mesmo muito ter gostado deste livro, mas não gostei. Ponderei voltar a dar ghost quando faltavam menos de 100 páginas para o acabar. Desculpa, Virginia... :(
O livro não tem exactamente um enredo, acompanha seis amigos desde a infância até à velhice através do monólogo interno de cada um. Francamente, achei aborrecido, e olhem que eu gosto de livros tristes com deambulações sobre a vida. A primeira parte foi sofrível porque é irreal crianças terem monólogos internos daquela profundidade. O livro agarrou-me mais na parte da adolescência, quando as personagens vão para o colégio. Mas depois... não acontece realmente nada? E as deambulações são muito vagas e sobre coisa nenhuma. Algo do género "acordo e estou vivo. Ao longe, a rua ocupa-se de transeuntes. Sigo a vida, com o pensamento daquilo que já não é."????
Enfim. Nota-se que a Virginia andava a bater mal com merdas. Eu queria mesmo muito ter gostado deste livro, mas não gostei. Ponderei voltar a dar ghost quando faltavam menos de 100 páginas para o acabar. Desculpa, Virginia... :(
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated