Reviews

Night and Day by Virginia Woolf

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abitlikemercury's review against another edition

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sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

myliteraryseaside's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

4.0

dumbey_yuraya's review against another edition

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4.0

Introverted man goes out and regrets it.

amaustin's review against another edition

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4.0

This book started out dreadfully slow. Though it was quite different from Virginia Woolf's other novels, I approached this novel with a similar sort of skepticism that I did her others. It is hard for me to look at any of Woolf's novel and see a clear "point" that is not buried under deflection or prose. Surprisingly this novel is very clear--and that was refreshing. Without worrying about missing or misunderstanding, I was able to enjoy the plot, the beautiful prose. I felt that of all her novels I've read thus far (Voyage out, Mrs. Dalloway, To the Lighthouse), the characters in this one were true characters with complexities and good points and faults, not just caricatures designed to symbolize some abstract purpose.

So to my surprise, I really enjoyed this book, particularly the latter half. I came to actually like Kathrine, though she is not a particularly sympathetic heroine, and I really liked Mary and Ralph. Even William, despite his many faults.

Overall, a good story with some of the most beautiful English prose I've ever read. She has a way of writing that captures the wild mess of human existence perfectly and in the way I feel it.