Scan barcode
davidcuen's review against another edition
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
marjoriehuang's review against another edition
4.5
This is a three part book set in the Ramsay's beach home. part 1 is a warm summer night and introduces the ramsay family: the ostensibly demure yet quietly controlling Mrs. Ramsy, her 8 children, her philosopher husband. Some friends of the family are introduced too: they mostly seem to be pessimistic academic men who are angry at the world for not appreciating their work enough. And then there is minta doyle and paul rayley, who mrs. ramsay successfully pressure into getting engaged in part 1. And there's lily briscoe, another friend of the family who is painting a portrait, who I find most fascinating of all, because I find her observations about the people on the vacation home most clear-headed. And she definitely seems to be the least swayed by social pressures: even if she is seemingly captivated by Mrs. Ramsay. Part 1 ends with a dinner party. Really nothing happens in part 1, it's all vibes and no plot. part 2 is the passage of 10 years time, lots of people die. Part 3 shows Lily, Mr. Carmichael, Mr. Ramsay, and his children (only cam + james this time) returning to the beach. Lily finishes her painting. Mr. Carmichael lays in the grass, seemingly unchanged by his newfound fame.
I liked this book a lot. I tend to like poetic descriptions of nature and how it mirrors people's emotions about their interpersonal relationships + their inner turmoil (though I don't really like poetry). I like experimental writing (as long as it's experimental in a way that feels interesting and purposeful, and not experimental just for the sake of alienating the reader). Also reading this book literally felt like experiencing ADHD in real time but also playing god (because you so effortlessly were able to access so many different character's thoughts). I felt like it was like experiencing ADHD (especially with the first section) because you are literally IN THE MIND of the character. so they would start a thought and then get distracted and then start talking about something else and then a page later, you will suddenly return to the original thought. Characters are complex: I often found myself feeling extremely frustrated with one character and then suddenly empathizing with them moments later and then pitying them in the next (Mrs. Ramsay was one such character).
I especially loved the second section. the wind is really such an interesting subject in this book because it feels alive. and yet the same time the role the reader plays in the book is a bit like that of the wind, you just kind of flow along with the plot of the book, and sometimes the book will move so slow and all of a sudden it will speed up (like in the second section) and then it slows down again in the third section. And yet this shift in the pace of the plot did not feel clunky at all: it felt perfectly natural and right. The third section, set a decade after the first section, could as well have been the next day. James fantasizes about going to the lighthouse in section 1, he goes to the lighthouse in section 3. Lily starts her painting in section 1, she finishes in section 3.
but yeah, I loved part 2 the most. the way in which characters' deaths are portrayed is strangely heartbreaking. that one sentence about how mrs. ramsay died and mr. ramsay held out his hand in the dark to grab hers only to close it around nothing, was quietly affecting. I also found the statement about how people started loving Mr. Carmichael's poetry during the war strangely heartbreaking as well as a bit funny. That part gave me A handful of dust vibes for some reason. I guess Carmichael is kind of a Waughian character to me.
I liked this book a lot. I tend to like poetic descriptions of nature and how it mirrors people's emotions about their interpersonal relationships + their inner turmoil (though I don't really like poetry). I like experimental writing (as long as it's experimental in a way that feels interesting and purposeful, and not experimental just for the sake of alienating the reader). Also reading this book literally felt like experiencing ADHD in real time but also playing god (because you so effortlessly were able to access so many different character's thoughts). I felt like it was like experiencing ADHD (especially with the first section) because you are literally IN THE MIND of the character. so they would start a thought and then get distracted and then start talking about something else and then a page later, you will suddenly return to the original thought. Characters are complex: I often found myself feeling extremely frustrated with one character and then suddenly empathizing with them moments later and then pitying them in the next (Mrs. Ramsay was one such character).
I especially loved the second section. the wind is really such an interesting subject in this book because it feels alive. and yet the same time the role the reader plays in the book is a bit like that of the wind, you just kind of flow along with the plot of the book, and sometimes the book will move so slow and all of a sudden it will speed up (like in the second section) and then it slows down again in the third section. And yet this shift in the pace of the plot did not feel clunky at all: it felt perfectly natural and right. The third section, set a decade after the first section, could as well have been the next day. James fantasizes about going to the lighthouse in section 1, he goes to the lighthouse in section 3. Lily starts her painting in section 1, she finishes in section 3.
but yeah, I loved part 2 the most. the way in which characters' deaths are portrayed is strangely heartbreaking. that one sentence about how mrs. ramsay died and mr. ramsay held out his hand in the dark to grab hers only to close it around nothing, was quietly affecting. I also found the statement about how people started loving Mr. Carmichael's poetry during the war strangely heartbreaking as well as a bit funny. That part gave me A handful of dust vibes for some reason. I guess Carmichael is kind of a Waughian character to me.
valealle23's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
4.75
virginia woolf, you’re the love of my life. her ability to make the mundane extraordinary is truly astounding, and there’s so much truth and wisdom hidden in snippets of consciousness of ‘ordinary’ people. i have to write an essay about this book just to straighten out my thoughts, but even that won’t be enough. i have a feeling i’ll be thinking about lily and james and cam and the ramseys for a long time to come. this is beautiful without being art, truthful without being static. an amazing piece of work
az_123's review against another edition
4.0
It is a whole new way of writing technique, thus, it is the toughest English literature I have ever encounter. I hope I could reread some day later.
jodiecorcoran's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.75
yarnmouse's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
Very beautiful. She broke all the rules writers have been taught with run on sentences and constant head hopping and that's just the start. She's gotten away with it well. The images and concepts seem stuck to me, sometimes uncomfortably so. I can see why this is a classic.
royalty's review against another edition
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.0
urvulgardarling's review against another edition
5.0
Oh My God. Wow. Id say its more like a 9/10 but. Wow. Such a great read. Plot-wise, nothing much happens. But the themes are brought out perfectly and the tone of the book changes so beautifully. the ending is a bit boring but it has symbolic value so whatever. Great book go read it. Unless you don't like woolfs style. then dont.
olivia_holmes's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.75
saritaroth's review against another edition
2.0
I am giving this book two stars, as opposed to one, only because some of the imagery and use of language were interesting. That being said, the plot was BORING! Frankly, I couldn’t wait for the book to end. I was disappointed because years ago I saw the movie Orlando, based on Virginia Woolf’s novel of the same name. The movie was outstanding; the story was gripping, intriguing, and original, and I can’t wait to read the book. I just hope that book is better than this one.