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hmcdonald 's review for:
Mrs. Dalloway
by Virginia Woolf
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
This book was not easy for me to get into. For a while I tried chipping away at small pieces of it day by day, but that did not work at all. Eventually I realized that the easiest way to read this book is to just binge it all at one time.
I’ve read a couple of Virginia Wolf’s books this year, and I have come to the conclusion that she’s probably a genius. I’ve also concluded that I will probably never fully understand any of her writing. I like the challenge of reading her work, though. She has some beautifully deep insights about the nature of life and humanity, but she doesn’t really hand them to you. You have to work for them.
I love novels where you get to explore one situation from multiple perspectives. It makes every character feel more real and more human. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book exactly like this one, though. It was fascinating to read narration from so many different characters—even minor characters that you only meet for a page or two. It makes the world within the book feel so much more complex. And to Woolf’s credit, the transition from one character’s narration to another never felt jarring. A little disorienting, sure, but it never took me out of the story.
I’ve read a couple of Virginia Wolf’s books this year, and I have come to the conclusion that she’s probably a genius. I’ve also concluded that I will probably never fully understand any of her writing. I like the challenge of reading her work, though. She has some beautifully deep insights about the nature of life and humanity, but she doesn’t really hand them to you. You have to work for them.
I love novels where you get to explore one situation from multiple perspectives. It makes every character feel more real and more human. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book exactly like this one, though. It was fascinating to read narration from so many different characters—even minor characters that you only meet for a page or two. It makes the world within the book feel so much more complex. And to Woolf’s credit, the transition from one character’s narration to another never felt jarring. A little disorienting, sure, but it never took me out of the story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide