Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - Mrs. Dalloway

Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

144 reviews

attolis's review against another edition

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4.5

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carolinebl's review against another edition

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challenging reflective slow-paced

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

Mrs Dalloway is my least favourite of Virginia Woolf’s novels so far - perhaps because it is the most impenetrable. I hope that with further analysis it reveals itself to me, for the writing is certainly beautiful. I enjoyed the introduction.

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aniagajecka's review against another edition

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challenging reflective slow-paced

5.0

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hahahaha's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing slow-paced

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

5.0

Oh God, where do I even start? This may have just become my favorite novel.

I guess I will start with the prose, as prose is always quite fun to discuss. Woolf’s writing is astounding. There were some elements that reminded me of McEwan’s Atonement, my previous read (unsurprising, as I know he was influenced by Woolf’s work), especially in the dense, vivid imagery. What was different—and a welcome delight—was the poetry that interlaced her words throughout. Woolf kept a constant, moving rhythm from page to page (much variety in sentence length, many parentheses, many and’s, an endearing though perhaps excessive use of semicolons) that complemented the stream-of-conscious style of the novel. This provided the engagement needed in a book taking place in one day.

And I was impressed by how well Woolf managed to stretch this text out over just twenty-four hours. She moved seamlessly from one narration to another (it was quite entertaining seeing two different characters talk about each other just paragraphs apart). I will say that I found this format difficult to follow at times, especially since her paragraphs were so long and the characters’ thoughts so rambly. This is definitely a book I am glad I annotated and undoubtedly something that must be picked up with little time between reading sessions (or else I’d have trouble remembering where in the plot I was).

Due to such challenges, it also took some time before I could really identify themes. But as I reached the second half of the novel, I identified motifs that had been there all along (the clock, the flowers, “this is the end,” etc). I appreciated the grace with which Woolf handled the concepts of death and aging. I think this was aided by how truthful many of the characters were with their personal philosophies and emotions. Septimus and his suffocated self, his nihilist piece of mind, his feelings buried so deep down he thought himself incapable of feeling… Sally, vivacious Sally, and her ever free spirit—life is unknowable, but perhaps that is the way it’s supposed to be, perhaps we must bask in our uncertainty and open our hearts regardless… Clarissa, who very much wants to know life and wants to know herself after having led a life of pretending to be (but someone else entirely, that identity)… and of course Peter, so unaware and painfully cognizant of everything at once—but especially of the fact he loves Clarissa.

It was such a pleasure getting to know these characters (and the side characters, too—I felt for Rezia, enjoyed watching Richard grow, was impressed by Kilman, even found humor in “admirable Hugh”). It was an even greater pleasure, perhaps, watching these characters interact with another. Many of them were FOILs, and I also found it very satisfying to see how Septimus’s story connected to Clarissa’s (Woolf didn’t leave one loose end!). Lastly, I found much comfort in the friendship between Clarissa, Sally, and Peter. It was a reminder that love, while it may not always be unconditional, does have the strength to be everlasting. People can come and go and maybe even return, and feelings, they may evolve—but they also stay. Mrs. Dalloway taught me to trust in this but also to express that love I have for other people; love is a gift to be shared.

I definitely want to reread this book when I am older and possibly approaching that existential crisis that grips Clarissa throughout most of the novel. I believe I’ll find more to learn about and reflect upon in that second read.

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erin1096's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

3.75

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ellie_debney's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

3.0

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aubrieleak's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny reflective relaxing 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

4.25

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itsradsmads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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izzykai's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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jasmineandsweetbriar's review against another edition

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inspiring reflective relaxing sad 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

4.5

It was perfectly executed in my opinion, with all the odd ends it needed to add to a sense of profound loss. The acceptance of death towards the end -- how sad!

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