I do like Virginnia Woolf but part of me thinks i shouldn't. Her books will only ever appeal to a certain type of person and I know many others who hate her style. But i am won over by the long lyrical phrases, the poetry of her prose and her unique approach to narrative. I found Mrs Dalloway much more readable than some of her other works, the narrative, such as it is, is easier to follow and is not borken up by such long lyrical passages as say in The Waves or To the Lighthous. However she ... (show more)

I do like Virginnia Woolf but part of me thinks i shouldn't. Her books will only ever appeal to a certain type of person and I know many others who hate her style. But i am won over by the long lyrical phrases, the poetry of her prose and her unique approach to narrative. I found Mrs Dalloway much more readable than some of her other works, the narrative, such as it is, is easier to follow and is not borken up by such long lyrical passages as say in The Waves or To the Lighthous. However she has to be appreciated on such a poetical level, she can't really be read for 'the story' cause let's face it there isn't really one. And there's not meant to be, it's all about what's going on beneath but some people can't stand it. Me, I do like it, but only up to a point. (show less)

This book is nothing like "The Hours".

Beginning and ending with Mrs. Dalloway, this book follows the rich inner dialogue of characters over the course of a London day. It's sad, tragic, humorous, hopeful, pathetic, inspirational and nostalgic by turns. Every character as vivid and lucid as a September day.

The most fascinating thing is how well Woolf has captured the inner dialogue of such diverse individuals and how she skips from character to character in such a light and ... (show more)

This book is nothing like "The Hours".

Beginning and ending with Mrs. Dalloway, this book follows the rich inner dialogue of characters over the course of a London day. It's sad, tragic, humorous, hopeful, pathetic, inspirational and nostalgic by turns. Every character as vivid and lucid as a September day.

The most fascinating thing is how well Woolf has captured the inner dialogue of such diverse individuals and how she skips from character to character in such a light and clear manner. Despite how quickly the narrative shifts I never found myself confused as to where the story was and who was speaking.

This is a must read. The book is absolutely enchanting. You will love it. (show less)

Being my first Woolf and modernist novel (with the exception of Conrad's Heart of Darkness), the stream-of-consciousness style of Mrs Dalloway was at first quite challenging but ultimately highly enjoyable and made for a fascinating read. In the time frame of one day, Woolf dives into the minds of multiple characters and discusses their innermost thoughts and feelings, highlighting the fact that what is said in conversation is merely the tip of the iceberg; that most of our thinking (split-se... (show more)

Being my first Woolf and modernist novel (with the exception of Conrad's Heart of Darkness), the stream-of-consciousness style of Mrs Dalloway was at first quite challenging but ultimately highly enjoyable and made for a fascinating read. In the time frame of one day, Woolf dives into the minds of multiple characters and discusses their innermost thoughts and feelings, highlighting the fact that what is said in conversation is merely the tip of the iceberg; that most of our thinking (split-second concepts or flashes of thought) remains submerged. I especially enjoyed the second main story of Septimus Smith (although it could be, at times, the most challenging writing in the novel) and the brief but vivid section on Miss Kilman, whose severe loneliness and anxieties brought to mind the lyrics of Eleanor Rigby (on the topic of similarities, I also thought Millicent Bruton to be somewhat of an early twentieth-century Thatcher). A good book; it'll be interesting to see how it compares with her other works. (show less)

Utterly brilliant. Dipping in and out of the thoughts, feelings and reminisces of a host of characters, intertwined with this one day in June in 20's London, we are immersed in the world of Clarissa Dalloway and significant (an not so significant) others. Each characters is layered beautifully over one another and the novel is strewn with tragedy, loves lost, social constraint and what might have been. A far cry from the Edwardian pomp, the modern world has arrived, nobody can fully make sen... (show more)

Utterly brilliant. Dipping in and out of the thoughts, feelings and reminisces of a host of characters, intertwined with this one day in June in 20's London, we are immersed in the world of Clarissa Dalloway and significant (an not so significant) others. Each characters is layered beautifully over one another and the novel is strewn with tragedy, loves lost, social constraint and what might have been. A far cry from the Edwardian pomp, the modern world has arrived, nobody can fully make sense of it and all we can do is cling to the past. The sense of changing politics and shifting attitudes is apparent. Woolf's fantastic intellect at it's best.

Eac (show less)

I first read this book after reading the amazing book The Hours by Michael Cunningham which has Virginia Woolf as one of the three central characters, and a woman reading Mrs Dalloway is another. The book (and later the movie) of The Hours inspired me to read more of Woolf's works. I thought this book deserved another read as it's been awhile.

The book weaves the tale of Clarissa Dalloway, a married English woman in 1923 on the day of a party she is holding. The book has not chapter separati... (show more)

I first read this book after reading the amazing book The Hours by Michael Cunningham which has Virginia Woolf as one of the three central characters, and a woman reading Mrs Dalloway is another. The book (and later the movie) of The Hours inspired me to read more of Woolf's works. I thought this book deserved another read as it's been awhile.

The book weaves the tale of Clarissa Dalloway, a married English woman in 1923 on the day of a party she is holding. The book has not chapter separation and is told in Woolf's usual slice-of-life style. Clarissa's life is held in contrast to the life of another character, Septimus Smith, who she never comes into contact with throughout the book. The story is built up through the comparisons of the two characters and the disintegration in the state of Septimus' life. The story is helped along with Clarissa's two life loves: Peter Walsh and her husband Richard. Throughout the book it becomes clear that she still has love for both of them, the love for Peter being more wild, uncertain and daring while she chose to marry Richard who seems more stable, and not as expecting.

This book as most of Woolf's is not what I would call an easy read, it is comprised of long sentences, complex metaphors and life lessons. However, once you become used to the writing style it feels like you are in literary heaven, experiencing the downs and lows of the various characters and the interweaving stories. It shows how 'craziness' can make sense to the person being designated as 'crazy', how every life can make sense viewed through foreign eyes. Mrs Dalloway is so far my favourite of Woolf's works but I have many more to read. Her writing is so beautiful and is matched by few, if any others.

Definitely recommend it, some find it difficult to get into but once you get used to the complex style of her writing, it really does pay off.

+ Another Roadside Attraction by Tom Robbins
o ► April (7)
o ► March (9)
o ► February (8)
o ► January (8)

* ► 2008 (3)
o ► December (1)
o ► November (2) (show less)

Let me start by saying that I appreciate Woolf's contribution to "the novel," and I can appreciate the amount of skill that it took to write this book.

However, it was incredibly difficult for me to read this book. It wasn't that I've never read rambling styles (I've read a few Kerouacs). It was just hard for me to relate or care about the characters. The one driving force that was getting me through the book was to see what was going to happen at the party and whether Sally Seto... (show more)

Let me start by saying that I appreciate Woolf's contribution to "the novel," and I can appreciate the amount of skill that it took to write this book.

However, it was incredibly difficult for me to read this book. It wasn't that I've never read rambling styles (I've read a few Kerouacs). It was just hard for me to relate or care about the characters. The one driving force that was getting me through the book was to see what was going to happen at the party and whether Sally Seton would ever make an appearance. Sally Seton was the character that I was interested in the most, because she seemed to be the most lively. I was also more interested in the fate of Rezia than anything Clarissa seemed to be.

I think disliking Clarissa made me frustrated. I felt like she was incredibly dishonest to herself and others, and that bothered me. I felt sorry for Richard and Elizabeth, because they also seemed dishonest and playing a part, but mostly to suit Clarissa. I enjoyed Sally Seton the best because she didn't care if she pissed off Clarissa, and I wished that more people would have stood up to her. (show less)

A perfect blend of feeling and observation, Woolf's novel paints a rather small canvas, but it is a masterpiece nevertheless. Though the tale begins by following the thoughts and acts of Mrs. Dalloway on her way to buy flowers for an elegant party she is giving that evening, the limpid narration then moves on to hover like an angel over several people in a few square blocks in London, Westminster on a summer day in 1923, allowing the reader to form a picture of the English ruling class coping... (show more)

A perfect blend of feeling and observation, Woolf's novel paints a rather small canvas, but it is a masterpiece nevertheless. Though the tale begins by following the thoughts and acts of Mrs. Dalloway on her way to buy flowers for an elegant party she is giving that evening, the limpid narration then moves on to hover like an angel over several people in a few square blocks in London, Westminster on a summer day in 1923, allowing the reader to form a picture of the English ruling class coping with the aftermath of the Great War.

One can complain that the novel illustrates only the finest cultivated sensibilities of the British, even the poor relations and servants tend to regard their lot in life tenderly. But there is terror lurking underneath, which utterly consumes one character, and sometimes intrudes in the mainly compassionate sensibilities of Mrs. Dalloway as she prepares for the evening.

Borrowing freely from the Wandering Rocks episode of Joyce's Ulysses, where many disparate characters make their way through a single day with a sort of choreographed coincidence, the wise and graceful narration, the deft portraits of the many characters, the conjuring of the past and the inevitability of death, the universal sympathy shown to even the most overbearing and foolish among Woolf's subtly-shaded characters, gives the novel a philosophical radiance very rare in fiction. (show less)