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Summary: Not just for feminists
Review: This book is about words -- the writing is breathtaking. Particularly the first section is an assault of waves of words washing over the reader. Mrs. Ramsey, though she thinks she's nothing special, inspires others to greatness and inspires them into action. She is the key to understanding this novel as she is the force behind all the words swirling around. The other pervasive force is that of Mr. Ramsey who serves as the negative force that stifles rather than promotes creation. Of all Woolf's books, I find this the most poignant and have read it over and over again. My more mature high school students loved it, while the immature ones (mostly boys in this case) didn't get it. It's a stirring novel that says mountains about the process of artistic creation. In fact, more than a feminist work, I would argue that To the Lighthouse is a meditation on the artistic process and what powers creation. Lily's all important "last stroke" of her painting becomes the emblem of artistic transcendance. Buy this edition for the excellent forward by Eudora Welty.
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Summary: A Short and Intense Book
Review: Woolf's sentence structure is entrancing, and her descriptions of the thoughts of the characters are vivid. I was intrigued at what goes on inside of Woolf's head because of profundities such as "the very stone one kicks with one's boot will outlast Shakespeare," and "so much depends ... upon distance: whether people are near or far from us."It is nice that a book this intense can be a quick read. Anyone can read it and feel that they have accomplished something, not just the erudite. However, to really appreciate To the Lighthouse, you will have to read it a few times. Woolf's writing style will be hard for many. She forms many complex sentences. The book is mostly about the internal struggles of her characters rather than a physical action book. Still, this is a very poignant book, and her prose is artistry with a purpose. Skip the forward by Eudora Welty if you don't want a summary of the action of the book.
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Summary: A masterpiece
Review: There is only one way to describe this book: the way one would describe the cistine chapel or the Mona Lisa or Notre Dame. This is simply a classic. It breaks the confines of ordinary books to deliver a work of art that truly delves into the lives of its characters. I will admit, when I first started to read it I didn't quite get it. However, once I reached a certain part in the book, everything started to make sense (though that was largely a result of the class discussions on hte book). Those who criticise the book are seldom the people who finish it. If you want a light beach book to take to Florida over vacation, I suggest finding something else. However, if you want a challanging literary masterpiece, you've come to the right place.
Rating: 
Summary: Take your time -- but make the time
Review: I've discovered a little secret to reading Virginia Woolf -- it takes time. It is practically impossible to read this book in little ten-minute spots, while watching television or babysitting. Don't try it; you'll end up not liking it. It needs your time. Give it an hour with no interruptions. Get a bag of pistachios and read. Unplug the phone, turn off the TV. Read and don't stop. Then you'll discover the joy of Virginia Woolf -- for while her prose is tough, it is haunting, beautiful, and real. Once you've settled into it, you'll discover a wonderful book, a tale of everyday life lived. Both intensely personal and incredibly universal, this book is life itself. So, you want the real review. Alright, it's the story of a beach house, where reside the Ramseys and their various friends. Mrs. Ramsey is a goddess and nearly everyone worships her. This is more fun to read than it sounds. Lily Briscoe is a painter trying to figure out what she sees and what she loves. There is a brutal twist in the middle, and the rest of the book is coping with that. No, I won't tell you what it is. Go read the book. It's great. It's about beauty, about the incredible tragedy of time passing, about art and the world, about love and marriage, about people. It's not only a book about life, it is a book of life itself. So maybe it's not written for our 30 second commercial, read at the bus stop age.
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Summary: Unbelievable.
Review: 'To the Lighthouse' explores the deepest workings of the human spirit and the world we live in, with such subtle power that defies the imagination for words to express it. To read it is not only to read a book, but to experience a revelation. The themes of human interaction are interwoven with the themes of mortality and destiny, questioning whether the decree of fate is arbitrary, or the workings of a higher plan. Are people motes of dust scattered here and there by wind, or is there some purpose to their sorrows beyond human understanding? Woolf offers no answers, rather she leads the reader a step beyond reality and allows them to judge for themselves. Every character is a world unto himself, with his own distinctive thought patterns and perspectives, and by showing how those worlds connect Woolf also investigates the glory and the tragedy of love and relationships, the connection and the inevitable isolation. There is very little plot, so those looking for a fast-paced storyline should look elsewhere. Woolf is more interested in the *internal* structure of her plot rather than the external; much of the highest points of drama occur within the characters. If you have any interest in the human soul, read it. Unfortunately, I can't claim to understand even a third of it, and will be sure to reread this book many times over the years. A revelation it is, but with the complexity of vision Woolf possessed, it is ultimately a mystery.
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Summary: very well put together
Review: I had to read this book for school, but I'm very glad I did. It's exquistely constructed, and Woolf does a great job of really showing how people think. It takes some getting used to the shifting perspectives, but it's worth the effort. A great, intellectual read.
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Summary: Profound Journeys
Review: After "Tristram Shandy" I never wanted to read stream of consciousness books again. And I was not overly happy when the teacher assigned this book. But after reading this, I saw that stream of consciousness could be beautiful (if it was handled correctly). The big difference here is that Woolf DOES offer a strong plot that enables her to use this technique. All of the characters are on some kind of journey to reach contentment. Obviously the desired contentment varies with the character, but nevertheless, they all have a common goal. The images of the lighthouse serves as a medium between the characters. Woolf also gives us interesting psychological insight into human nature. Now this book is not the drum I march to. But it was one of my teacher (Ms Worby's) favorites. And in all honesty, I can understand why. If this is a typical example of Virginia Woolf's work, she is an outstanding author.
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Summary: It Unfolds The Ripples Of Time
Review: This is my second time through this rich, multi-layered novel. I read it first as a teenager and remember being confused over it. Now, many years later, the confusion has evaporated to leave behind solid respect for the artisitic merits achieved by Woolf. I am most struck by the layers contained herein. At once, it is a psychological novel, an emotional novel (yes, a new genre, don't you think?), a gender novel, and a novel on the artistic process. Woolf probes into the inner machinations of her characters and they move and breath as real as these words etched in Cyber. Her sentences flow; they are mellifluous; turning and twisting, reaching, they snake and snap with images; they turn over within themselves and then change again. She is a creator. Difficult? Yes. Rewarding? Yes, definitely.
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Summary: Reading and Re-Reading and
Review: I haven't read To the Lighthouse since college, a time at which I understood very little about it, but was still greatly moved. Two things struck me about the experience of re-reading it. One is that while I can't claim full understanding, I no longer found myself struggling with the form in order to read the book. The second is how much more resonant the book became for me now that I'm older and can identify more with Mrs. Ramsey instead of seeing the book only through the character of Lily Briscoe. To the Lighthouse centers around the Ramsey family and the people they bring in their wake to their home on the Isle of Skye. Families in the world of this book are fragile things. The first half creates the Ramsey family group so well that when the second half is without it, the reader is constantly aware of the ghost images standing in the empty spaces. Meanwhile, Lily tries to understand the world she's in and make her painting by meditating about the Ramseys and how much has changed in the world around them. The book is tremendously beautiful and sad. I'll look forward to re-reading it again in another ten years.
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Summary: A sort of It's A Wonderful Life
Review: This book is essentially divided into two parts: a day in the life of a British family and their guests at a seaside cottage, and ten years after the death of the matriarch, Mrs. Ramsay. The writing is an example of 20th century excellence. The narrator may change from page to page, but the reader always knows who is speaking. Although some paragraphs are incredibly long, in the Henry James style, there is clarity throughout. Peppered here and there are little essays which can stand on their own. The character of Mrs. Ramsay is central and is seen through her own thoughts and through the thoughts of the others on one day. In the second half of the book, most of the original characters return to the house sometime after Mrs. Ramsay's death and we feel their loss. What is this loss that they and we feel? She has held up the potential and promise of the destinies of the others, even though they may never reach it, a lighthouse beacon which survives her mortality.
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