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A review by bludgeoned_by_hail
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
challenging
reflective
sad
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
2.5
I wish I was the type of person who likes Virginia Woolf, but man, this was NOT my cup of tea.
I understand that the "stream of consciousness" writing style is deliberate, and at its best it does capture the nature of human thought very realistically, but it also makes the book excruciatingly slow and hard to get through. I'd say it eclipses the plot, except there isn't much of a plot to speak of, just the particularly unexciting daily chores of the main character and supporting cast.
I can see the appeal; there is a lot of insight into society and human nature on display, many thought-provoking quotes or striking sections, and even a genuinely great, devastating POV (that of Septimus, a WW1 veteran with depression and PTSD), but it never adds up to more than the sum of its parts to me. It never even really concludes, just stops.
Recommended if you like depressing repressed homoeroticism and wondering if your thoughts would also sound this self-centered and vapid to others if they were broadcasted 24/7.
I understand that the "stream of consciousness" writing style is deliberate, and at its best it does capture the nature of human thought very realistically, but it also makes the book excruciatingly slow and hard to get through. I'd say it eclipses the plot, except there isn't much of a plot to speak of, just the particularly unexciting daily chores of the main character and supporting cast.
I can see the appeal; there is a lot of insight into society and human nature on display, many thought-provoking quotes or striking sections, and even a genuinely great, devastating POV (that of Septimus, a WW1 veteran with depression and PTSD), but it never adds up to more than the sum of its parts to me. It never even really concludes, just stops.
Recommended if you like depressing repressed homoeroticism and wondering if your thoughts would also sound this self-centered and vapid to others if they were broadcasted 24/7.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness and Suicide
Minor: War