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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
what a strange experience watching the film first. after reading mrs dalloway this book makes so much sense and i think a rewatch will be perfect now
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I honestly don't think that I "get" this book. It has so many awards and has been turned into a movie and everything, but I really just found it boring. There was nothing that gripped me or made me want to pick it up. I didn't really connect with any of the characters. My favorite part was the last 15ish pages were a connection was made that surprised me. No spice, some language, and a lot of writing about suicide.
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
I got curious to read this book after hearing how good the movie based on this was. Like any good book snob, I had to read the book first of course. Also possible spoilers ahead. Consider yourself alerted!
It is a very engrossing book. There is a strong sense of Virginia Woolf throughout - the writing, the style and the whole atmospherics of it is very Woolf-reminiscent. Never mind the fact that Woolf is also a character in the book:) I felt the strong urge to reread Mrs. Dalloway whilst reading this. This was I think the best thing about the book and perhaps also constituted to its downfall. The book was pitting itself against Woolf in a manner, and I think it drew short. There is a style and cadence here that is good on its own but perhaps the unconscious comparison it draws upon itself to Woolf's elegant prose does it more harm.
There is a lot of exploration of the psyche and many interesting characters - Laura Brown especially. I loved the thematic undertones of alternate sexuality that ran throughout. The three narratives that form this book are from different timelines and the realisation and actualisation of sexuality are very different in each timeline. There is a nice curve of improvement you could see over societal and self-acceptance of LGBTQ. Some suggestions of what the movement could become also hint at the continuation of this wonderful arc. In this way it feels like an LGBTQ must-read. There are other parallels and thematic arcs that run through the three narratives but they do sometimes feel like contrivances. You can forgive them because they gel with the flow mostly.
The ending few chapters were perhaps the biggest contrivance that I could not really accept. It felt very unnecessary too. Maybe I am just a morbid lover of open endings but I think I really would've preferred just cutting this book off its last few chapters. Some books especially ones like this that are more a slice of life and a structured narrative than a "story" as such, demand an open ending and I felt cheated of one. A good read nevertheless!
It is a very engrossing book. There is a strong sense of Virginia Woolf throughout - the writing, the style and the whole atmospherics of it is very Woolf-reminiscent. Never mind the fact that Woolf is also a character in the book:) I felt the strong urge to reread Mrs. Dalloway whilst reading this. This was I think the best thing about the book and perhaps also constituted to its downfall. The book was pitting itself against Woolf in a manner, and I think it drew short. There is a style and cadence here that is good on its own but perhaps the unconscious comparison it draws upon itself to Woolf's elegant prose does it more harm.
There is a lot of exploration of the psyche and many interesting characters - Laura Brown especially. I loved the thematic undertones of alternate sexuality that ran throughout. The three narratives that form this book are from different timelines and the realisation and actualisation of sexuality are very different in each timeline. There is a nice curve of improvement you could see over societal and self-acceptance of LGBTQ. Some suggestions of what the movement could become also hint at the continuation of this wonderful arc. In this way it feels like an LGBTQ must-read. There are other parallels and thematic arcs that run through the three narratives but they do sometimes feel like contrivances. You can forgive them because they gel with the flow mostly.
The ending few chapters were perhaps the biggest contrivance that I could not really accept. It felt very unnecessary too. Maybe I am just a morbid lover of open endings but I think I really would've preferred just cutting this book off its last few chapters. Some books especially ones like this that are more a slice of life and a structured narrative than a "story" as such, demand an open ending and I felt cheated of one. A good read nevertheless!
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Interesting way of thinking about Virginia Woolf and her struggles with mental health, writing, family and friends by essentially rewriting her book Mrs Dalloway. The parallel strands of Laura reading Mrs Dalloway and Clarissa Dalloway leading a different life with different choices while Woolf considers alternative plots/interactions is unusual. I wish I remembered more of the original Mrs Dalloway to fully appreciate Michael Cunningham's twists on the story. Did make we want to read the original again / alongside and made we wonder about aspects of Virginia Woolf's life that I didn't know about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicide, Terminal illness, Grief
1) Really heavy-handed foreshadowing and symbolism. Seriously, a little subtlety would be nice.
2) Kind of serendipitous that I was reading this at the same time as The Feminine Mystique.
That's all I got, Michael Cunningham.
2) Kind of serendipitous that I was reading this at the same time as The Feminine Mystique.
That's all I got, Michael Cunningham.
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
