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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
This is the kind of book that makes me question how I choose ratings for books. Should I, as I do, rate the book based on how much I, personally, enjoyed reading it, how much I got out of it, how much I cared about the story and the characters? Or should I instead rate the book based on the fact that I can tell it's a very well-written book, with complex characters, life messages, and interesting parallels between plot lines and different characters?
If I had read Mrs. Dalloway as a high school student, I could have written any number of solid essays on the themes and characters of this book -- about Woolf's narrative style (allowing us inside the minds of many different characters), about the different characters' interpretations of and reactions to symbols of English society, about the ways in which class affects the trajectory of each character's life. But reading it now, as an adult, for my own edification and entertainment, my reaction is rather... meh.
The book follows the course of a single day, primarily revolving around preparations for a party given by Clarissa Dalloway, with a side plot about a war veteran named Septimus who has some sort of PTSD and suicidal inclinations. Characters from Clarissa's past, including a man who once proposed to her, have come back to town, and we get to hear what everyone thinks of each other and what everyone thinks about life. Since it's Virginia Woolf, it's a very fluid kind of narration, going from internal monologue to external dialogue and jumping constantly from one character to another.
If you're looking for a book to analyze and dissect, there's a lot to work with here. If you're looking for something just to read, enjoy, and ponder for yourself, I'd skip it.
If I had read Mrs. Dalloway as a high school student, I could have written any number of solid essays on the themes and characters of this book -- about Woolf's narrative style (allowing us inside the minds of many different characters), about the different characters' interpretations of and reactions to symbols of English society, about the ways in which class affects the trajectory of each character's life. But reading it now, as an adult, for my own edification and entertainment, my reaction is rather... meh.
The book follows the course of a single day, primarily revolving around preparations for a party given by Clarissa Dalloway, with a side plot about a war veteran named Septimus who has some sort of PTSD and suicidal inclinations. Characters from Clarissa's past, including a man who once proposed to her, have come back to town, and we get to hear what everyone thinks of each other and what everyone thinks about life. Since it's Virginia Woolf, it's a very fluid kind of narration, going from internal monologue to external dialogue and jumping constantly from one character to another.
If you're looking for a book to analyze and dissect, there's a lot to work with here. If you're looking for something just to read, enjoy, and ponder for yourself, I'd skip it.
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I remember reading this novel around 13 years ago as part of my English Literature class and remember enjoying it... but after this read through, I honestly cannot for the life of me remember what it was that I enjoyed about it.
Woolf's writing style , while obviously from a different time frame and writing for a very specific purpose, is chaotic and rambling. Which, although this may be the point as this is a stream of consciousness narrative, is not overly enjoyable for the type of novels I tend to frequent.
I hope that those who are searching for this type of literature find what they are looking for. I personally will not be picking up this book voluntarily again anytime soon.
Woolf's writing style , while obviously from a different time frame and writing for a very specific purpose, is chaotic and rambling. Which, although this may be the point as this is a stream of consciousness narrative, is not overly enjoyable for the type of novels I tend to frequent.
I hope that those who are searching for this type of literature find what they are looking for. I personally will not be picking up this book voluntarily again anytime soon.
The language was beautiful. Reading it felt like being in a peaceful dream.
Virginia Woolf is never concerned with objective events, but with subjective experience. It takes place entirely in the head of the characters. The stream of consciousness technique is borrowed from Joyce, but she applies it in her own way. The narrative point of view jumps from one paragraph to the next, but it all remains easy to follow.
There is unity of time, place and action. It lasts less than twenty-four hours, on a day in June 1923. That present is peppered with memories. It takes place in the center of London, in a rich environment. For a long time little sensational happens, although the preparations do lead to a climax.
Outwardly it is a luxurious, stately environment, but there is little warmth between the characters. Peter plays with his pocket knife; Clarissa has a pair of scissors. So they are armed against each other. Individuals live in their own world of thought. The few close ties lie in the past. The most captivating secondary character is Septimus Smith, a man with an everyday family name but an original first name.
There is unity of time, place and action. It lasts less than twenty-four hours, on a day in June 1923. That present is peppered with memories. It takes place in the center of London, in a rich environment. For a long time little sensational happens, although the preparations do lead to a climax.
Outwardly it is a luxurious, stately environment, but there is little warmth between the characters. Peter plays with his pocket knife; Clarissa has a pair of scissors. So they are armed against each other. Individuals live in their own world of thought. The few close ties lie in the past. The most captivating secondary character is Septimus Smith, a man with an everyday family name but an original first name.
I gave this 5 stars when I read it in college. I was such a sucker for oblique literary modernist prose. These days, I don’t want to work quite so hard to “get” a story, but this sure is a masterful work. I enjoyed the reread, but Woolf is a slow burn.
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-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
Why are classics always so annoying to get through?
Death of the soul, oh Gods what a death of the soul.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated