Reviews tagging 'Grief'

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

16 reviews

tommy_g's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Death and Death of parent

Minor: Grief

pencilspeaker's review against another edition

challenging reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, and Grief

Moderate: Racism and Sexism

Minor: War

jeremie's review against another edition

4.75

i loved this novel as soon as i read it but for some reason the more i think about it the more i adore it. so many passages from this have stuck with me. the way the writing flows is just wonderful. highly recommend for anyone who is looking to get into modernist literature but is a bit scared of james joyce. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent

ameliasbooks's review against another edition

challenging reflective fast-paced

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

3.75

I didn't love this as much as Orlando, but its dreamlike quality and its philosophical introspection somehow lured me in. 

The second part lost me a bit, but overall this is an example of a book that only works, if you are picking it up at the right time in your life. 

Take your time with it, let it sink in, read parts several times. For me it helped a lot to be listening to it on audio, it transported the atmospheric writing of Woolf really well for me.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: War

tamara_joy's review against another edition

reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny and Grief

Minor: Bullying, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, War, and Classism

thatone2112's review against another edition

emotional reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, and Grief

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Minor: Racism, Toxic relationship, War, and Classism

hjb_128's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Grief

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, and Death of parent

Minor: Child death and War

atamano's review against another edition

challenging reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Grief, Death of parent, and Classism

Minor: Racism, Pregnancy, and War

rowanelisa's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail

jodar's review

challenging reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I read this novel first in 2015 and I remember the feeling of awe and admiration as I closed the last page. I decided then that To the Lighthouse was my absolutely favourite novel and that I really should reread it again some time. Finally eight years and many novels later I have done so, and it remains my absolute favourite!

The point of view is not ‘the Eye of God’ but instead one that penetrates within the very hearts of the characters and observes their emotions even as they feel them. Relationships between family and friends and estranged friends are the focus, and attitudes towards each other vary between characters – and even within the same character within a few minutes – with psychological realism. Later there is tragedy and grief, but also mixed feelings aroused from a sense of loss of the departed.

Part Two is lyrical and serves to locate the human microcosm within an overarching perspective of the natural world, space and time.

Part Three does not so much resolve the human relationships from Part One but rather strives to discern what our humanity may ultimately signify. This is explored especially through the private reflections of Lily Briscoe: “What a power was in the human soul!” but from the outside “who knows what we are, what we feel?” Although no “great revelation” may ever appear, little daily events and individual endeavours may be able “to make of the moment something permanent ... [and create what] was of the nature of a revelation.”

(I read it both times as an epub ebook, converted from the MOBI ebook at https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2537610 which was proofread against the Hogarth Press edition, imprint of 1963).

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief

Minor: Death