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A review by _marco_
Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I quite enjoyed this story!
Mrs. Dalloway follows a small cast of characters as they go about their summer day in 1923. Virginia Woolf’s meandering style of writing really captures the wandering monologues of her characters, painting them in a dreamy and feathery light, and creating a snapshot of English society after the First World War. Each of the characters were brilliantly contrived with their own diverse psychologies and convictions. However, Woolf’s brilliance lies in the moments where she moves from one stream of consciousness to another, executed as masterfully and seamlessly as one would weave fabric together to create an intricately detailed tapestry.
Mrs. Dalloway follows a small cast of characters as they go about their summer day in 1923. Virginia Woolf’s meandering style of writing really captures the wandering monologues of her characters, painting them in a dreamy and feathery light, and creating a snapshot of English society after the First World War. Each of the characters were brilliantly contrived with their own diverse psychologies and convictions. However, Woolf’s brilliance lies in the moments where she moves from one stream of consciousness to another, executed as masterfully and seamlessly as one would weave fabric together to create an intricately detailed tapestry.
Did it matter that she must inevitably cease completely; all this must go on without her; did she resent it; did it not become consoling to believe that death ended absolutely? But that somehow in the streets of London, on the ebb and flow of things, here, there, she survived…
I loved the way the themes and ideas that united each of the characters—the individuality of the mortal soul against the “proportion” of English society—were expressed: in small moments, a little thought here or there, a distraction; while occasionally exploding in a soliloquy dripping with the poetics of the English language. I also found Woolf’s contemplation of death wildly fascinating.
I only give the story four out of five stars, not by fault of the author, but because it lacks that nameless thing that I usually gravitate towards in literature (Drama? Angst?). I did, however, find the characters of Septimus and Lucrezia fantastic. I could read volumes about their history, their dynamic, their psychologies.
Overall, a great read! Especially for book clubs or group reads, where a little discussion is involved.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
Moderate: Forced institutionalization