A review by aayjaysbookshelf
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

dark reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Woolf's writing feels like trying to understand a water colour painting ; the edges are very blurred out, and it's only when you gaze for too long that you understand what's happening where, and where one story finishes and other starts. Took me more than two months to finish this book, which is partly because of my own preoccupations and partly because of the non gripping style of this book's writing. I would have liked it if it were slightly medium paced, but I understand Woolf kept the pace slow on purpose to reflect the pace at which life moves, with its many turns. 
My favorite part of the book is its metaphorical undertones and subtle comments on human lives, expressions and interactions that we all experience yet are not able to give a name to. The complex way in which families are bound, relationships are nurtured or destroyed, and the effect of it all on one's personality in a deeply engraving way. This book is regarded as Woolf's magnum opus, though I'd say the writing was not exactly the type I am thrilled by. Having said that, I enjoyed this book in its own peculiar, Virginia Woolf way.