Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
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Book Reviews of Mrs. Dalloway
Book Review: The pathos of a falling leaf
Summary: 5 Stars
If any book has made more an impact on my life, it is this one. That it is short and modern takes nothing away from its gravity. That its subject is a middle-aged, upperclass woman planning a party on one June day says nothing about its universality. It is the transcendence of the individual that makes this novel stand out and timeless.
The book is more than the sum of its parts, but it is surely the particular parts that are worth relishing. Woolf weaves her narrative through multiple characters, each well-crafted and authentic: the housewife imprisoned by her expectations and nostalgia; the former lover who justifies life in pursuing the unattainable; the idealistic writer who declaims injustice in the dark corners of his apartment and mind. What is more amazing than these characters is that they are all connected. Despite their differences, you have a growing recognition of how similar they are to each other, and in a subconscious way, they do themselves. The beauty of individual transcendence is captured in many of the fleeting moments, such as a falling leaf as seen by multiple people, where the thought at times cannot be attributed to any one person.
Ultimately, this is a book of survival and triumph, although in the mundane and quiet. There are no heroes or rascals but complex, multi-dimensional figures that we can identify with--and in that sense it is one of the most realistic novels that exist.
Book Review: A classic book that is still a joy
Summary: 5 Stars
I believe it was Lionel Trilling who said that if it's true that a book reads you as much as you read a book, certain books had found him at first difficult and boring, but had eventually grown friendly. "Mrs. Dalloway" found me to be -- when I first attempted to read it in high school -- a dull, even fragile creature; but with time the book made way for me in its life, and now we are rather fond acquaintances. Virginia Woolf is, of course, one of The Greats, but despite this debilitating label she is a writer whose books are addictive to any energetic and patient reader who is in love with the English language. Language is certainly not the only beauty in Woolf's work, but it is the aspect of her writing that first drew my amazed attention. She is in many ways an impressionist, a literary Monet, while we Americans are more comfortable with naturalists and expressionists, so perhaps a reader new to Woolf would need to exercise a few mind muscles which haven't had much attention paid to them, but this isnot a bad thing. And there's a good chance I'm wrong, a good chance that I'm taking my own particular weaknesses and ascribing them to the readership at large. (Oh well.) The point is this: give "Mrs. Dalloway" a chance. Go to it blind, without assumptions, with an open mind and curious heart. I think the book will find you to be a very engaging person, full of wonders and mystery.Book Review: A Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
I just finished reading Mrs. Dalloway for the second time. The first time I read it years ago (as so many seem to have done) when The Hours came out. At that time, I found it interesting, though not easy-going reading. Now I read it for a class and enjoyed it even more having learned a bit more about Woolf and her life and her theories of literature.
Mrs. Dalloway is Woolf's attempt to get beneath the surfaces of human beings, to show all the emotions and thoughts that go one in peoples' minds even on the most ordinary of days and while they are involved in the most mundane of tasks. Each life becomes a complex, beautiful thing when examined in this life.
Woolf also said she was trying to show the sane and the insane side by side in this novel which, comparing the characters of Mrs. Dalloway and the shell-shocked Septimus Smith--the two have much in common despite the great differences in their lives and ways.
The book is worth reading for the insight Woolf provides into the human condition and for the poetry of language with which she expresses it. Having read Jacob's Room just prior to this book (and which she wrote just prior to this one) it's possible to see how Woolf progressed as a writer and as a stylist. Next on the list is "To the Lighthouse," which, I'm told, shows Woolf even more at the top of her form. Can't wait.
Book Review: ALL IN ONE DAY
Summary: 5 Stars
Devoid of form and convention Virginia Woolf crafts a portrait of individual's consciousness in MRS. DALLOWAY. Gaining popularity after it's portrayal in Michael Cunningham's THE HOURS, MRS. DALLOWAY continues to be a classic in the many decades since it's original publication. Set in London in June 1923 Woolf creates an intriguing mix of characters. As Clarissa Dalloway is busy preparing for a party in the evening the narration cohesively jumps to Peter Walsh, her lover from years past. The reader also meets Sally Seton (her childhood friend), Elizabeth (Clarissa's daughter), Richard Dalloway (Clarissa's husband) and Septimus Warren Smith (a man suffering from shell shock from WW1) among others. Lack of action is fully compensated by the extraction of the inner workings of the character's consciousness. This aspect makes this book a success. We learn about their passions, guilt, anger, and loneliness. Transitions from one character to the next are seamless without losing the narration's flow. Especially admirable are the transitions occurring between strangers passing each other in Reagent's Park. I must admit that MRS DALLOWAY is not easy accessible as Woolf's prose can be convoluted and confusing to some readers. But I beg those who are struggling with this book to hang on. The ride can be difficult but the message is profound.Book Review: I read the news today, oh boy...
Summary: 5 Stars
MRS. DALLOWAY isn't a very easy book to read, but it's ultimately well worth the time and effort you'll spend wading through its almost primordial verbiage.Virginia Woolf was attempting something that hadn't really been done before when she wrote this vastly internal day-in-the-life study of a sickly, changeable woman whose preeminent skills are throwing parties and being `Mrs. Dalloway.' Woolf wasn't overly fond of how James Joyce had executed his day-in-the-life tour de force, ULYSSES, so she decided to write her own, carving out in MRS. DALLOWAY a new paradigm for writing about the inner workings of mind and heart. For the most part, Woolf succeeds admirably in her journey through this literary terra nova.
MRS. DALLOWAY can be confounding and at times overtiring (it'll definitely make you want to read something "light" next) but it does cause you to have a genuine and unique human experience, which is really the reason we bother reading in the first place.
And if this one leaves you hungry for more, make sure to read Michael Cunningham's beautifully written but considerably-easier-to-read sequel/remake, THE HOURS (after spending some well earned-time poolside with your favorite summer page-turner).