Mrs. Dalloway (Penguin Audiobooks)

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Summary: Experiencing a Life Through a Day's Happenings
Review:
Like James Joyce's Ulysses, Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway cuts out one day, June 13, 1923, from lives of London upper-class housewife Clarissa Dalloway and her family members, friends, and acquaintances. With detailed descriptions of incidents, memories, and streams of consciousness, readers go through the characters' almost lifelong experiences. Woolf's writing, which appears to be improvised in the automatic writing, freely jumps from one person's perspective to another's, or from a description of an incident's surface to a description of a person's subconscious thought. These components organically form a mosaic of various people's lives.

Most characters are in their fifties, cling to their memories, and have some form of anxieties to feel that their lives have failed in one way or another. Because of that, the novel may be more appreciated by readers who have a certain amount of life experiences, or who are aware of how their lives ahead will look like and what they can do in order to make them better. Closing without a clear conclusion, the novel suggests continuation of life; also the readers may feel that they can take what they learn from the reading into their own lives.

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Summary: Almost a story without a story ...
Review: "Mrs. Dalloway" is almost a story without a story. At first sight the plot of this book seems almost banal. After all, who wants to know how Clarissa Dalloway spends her day?. Isn't she merely a shallow woman who leds a boring life?.

Of course, we should remember that first impressions are often misleading... and in this case, they certainly are. "Mrs. Dalloway" is nothing less that a ground-breaking novel in which Virginia Woolf pioneers a style that would later be called "stream of consciousness". Thanks to that style the reader can, literally, read the thoughts of the characters without any kind of censorship. Even though that makes the book somewhat unclear at times, it is nonetheless strangely attractive, and compelling.

"Mrs. Dalloway" is the story of a day in Clarissa's life, but it is at the same time the story of the people who know her, or that are somehow connected to her, and the story of her/their dreams and thoughts. Virginia Woolf's goal in this book was ambitious, but she managed to achive it: she allows the reader to look right into the mind of the different characters...

As I previously mentioned, the story of Mrs. Dalloway is at the same time the story of many more, as the story of each of us is also the story of the people we know/love/hate/like/dislike. There are many people who help us to understand Clarissa, thanks to their interactions with her. However, we also see her under a different light thanks to characters that don't know her, or are merely distantly connected to her through one of her many acquaintances. For example, Septimus Warren Smith, an ex-soldier who battles madness, and whose gloomy life provides a stark contrast to the artificial cheerfulness of Clarissa's own life. The two never meet, but it is impossible to try to understand one without the other...

On the whole, I think you will enjoy this book. It is quite original, and gives the reader food for thought. It makes us realize that there is often more to people than what meets the eye. For that, I highly recommend "Mrs. Dalloway" to you.

Belen Alcat


Rating:
Summary: Difficult, but Wonderful Novel!
Review: Admittedly, many will find Woolf's dense prose difficult to comprehend, and honestly, I was initially no exception. I had attempted Woolf's greatest work twice before I picked it up yet again just two days ago. On previous attempts I became lost in the language, and entirely lost as to any discernable plot. Perhaps I'm just bull headed, but if so many people considered this work a classic, I must simply be missing something, so on this attempt, I came in prepared. Some may consider it cheating, but on this reading, I prepared by perusing a summery of the work before beginning to gain a basic knowledge of the work's plot, and I have to say, it did the trick for me.
Being well aware of the bare structure of the novel, I was left to concentrate on the sheer poetry that is Woolf's language. I found once I got my foot in the door (that is once I read the first 15 pages or so and adjusted to Woolf's prose and use of long running sentences) I simply loved it, and could not get enough of Clarissa and the rest of her world!
I suppose another road block for many readers may be the clear depth of Woolf's observations within the novel. One must realize, Woolf is less concerned with the present action of the novel than what that action causes in the mind of her characters, and this is simply an arrangement I believe many readers have not previously encountered, and therefore condemn the novel, not seeing the genius of the tome, and Virginia Woolf herself.
Despite the confusion some readers may find in Woolf and Mrs. Dalloway subsequently, the novel given its due is worth every moment of effort, and the reader I find will be well rewarded, I know I was!


Rating:
Summary: great novel!
Review: Although somewhat hard to get into, Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf ended up being a great novel. Getting into the book was tough because Woolf's syntax is very complex and different from any author I have ever read. The points of view often change without warning and can be somewhat confusing, but once I caught on to Woolf`s style, I began to like it a lot. The entire novel takes place during one day as the protagonist, Clarissa Dalloway, prepares for a party she is throwing that evening. Other characters are brought into the plot that upon first glance may seem as though they have nothing to do with the story, but Woolf does a marvelous job intertwining the characters and making parallels between each of them. I wouldn't recommend this book if you have no patience or don't want a possible struggle. The novel, however, is beautifully written and worth your time if you are willing to give it.

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Summary: I wish Mrs. Dalloway had sent out for those flowers.
Review: I approached this book truly wanting to love it. I recently read a biography of Virginia Woolf and I admire everything about her---she was creative, driven, daring, dedicated and way ahead of her time. Unfortunately I didn't find those qualities in "Mrs. Dalloway." For me, the novel was nothing but dull. For all of Woolf's skillful writing, she never delighted me. Never drew me in. I tried. Oh lord I tried, but after many hours I gave up and had to leave this classic to its admirers. I'm one of these readers who feels that you shouldn't have to trudge through a book in order to "get it" at the end. Call me a non-intellectual, but I feel a book should be enjoyable and appreciated from the beginning. Still, I rejoice in the fact that the novel exists because, to this day, it inspires so many writers, most notably Michael Cunningham. Mrs. Dalloway set his imagination on fire and he honorably paid homage to Virginia Woolf by writing a modern day masterpiece "The Hours," and brought her challenging prose to a new generation of readers

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Summary: a whirlwind of language
Review: I guess I came to this book through the back door -- first I read Michael Cunningham's pulitzer prize winning book The Hours (based on Mrs. Dalloway) which I LOVED, and then I decided to read the original. First off, I must say that Cunningham impressed me even more when I fully understood the references and parallels that he uses. As for Mrs. Dalloway, it is the language itself that dazzles. The plot is nothing to speak of -- it's similar to a Jane Austen book when lots of interesting and not-so-interesting people interact in their mundane lives. It's what Woolf does with the subtle interactions and her stream of conscious writing that makes this book so good. Having read maybe 6 of Woolf's works, my favorite is still To the Lighthouse. Maybe that's because Mrs. Ramsey is so much more human -- Mrs. Dalloway is always described as distant and cold. This book is a love story of sorts about how Clarissa turns down the true love of her life and instead marries a wealthy politician. Like Ulysses, the narrative jumps around the minds of various characters in their journey from morning in London when Clarissa goes to buy flours to the evening of her party. It is a bit difficult, but the language itself makes it worth the effort.

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Summary: Maybe some people are afraid to admit they don't like it
Review: I really like 20th Century literature, particularly Fitzgerald, Hemmingway, Proost, and Joyce. It seems that everyone loves Virginia Woolf at my school and Mrs. Dalloway was assigned reading in one of our classes. I really enjoyed some of Woolf's use of language and imagery, but a lot of her writing also seems forced, contrived, and boring -- all of which negate the point of reading it in the first place (other than avoiding an 'F' on the test). I guess what I'm trying to say is, you'll love Woolf if she's your style, and you'll probably hate her writing if you can't (or don't want to) follow her extended, cumbersome metaphors. I suppose she's a groundbreaking writer, but I also think I've turned into one of those people who secretly find Woolf a total bore but don't express this opinion aloud because a lot of supposedly smart people will tell you something is wrong with you. The same sort, I suppose, who are self-proclaimed writers/poets/intellectuals and like to call dead authors by their first name as if they knew them in another life (i.e., "What I like best about Walt is ...")

Blech...

Rating:
Summary: Challenging Book to Read
Review: I watched "The Hours" on video which is based on the Virginia Woolf novel, Mrs. Dalloway. The book I am assigned to read in English class and write a paper on modernism. Mrs. Dalloway is at first a slow read but each day of reading the book helps the reader to know what events and thoughts are taking place among each character. England was breaking slowing from Victorian morals creating a society that would not be based on a person's rank in class and gender. It also is recouperating from World War One. The climate was changing and not everyone could keep up the pace. Septimus suffered a nervous breakdown after witnessing the death of his friend Evans. Miss Kilman, a German patriot and born-again Christian, disdainfully looked down on Clarissa for putting on a show. And Elizabeth, Mrs. Dalloway's daughter, was her own person rather than a copy of her mother. Just to name a few supporting characters that intricately make the book a good read.
I did find the book tedious to read but it was a very interesting and insightful story of how the upper class lead daily lives giving them human characteristics rather than a shallow appearance of diamonds and pearls.

Rating:
Summary: Mrs. Dalloway
Review: I would recommend this book to anyone. It is filled with romanticism and looking back on past relationships. It deals with death in a different perspective. Mrs. Dalloway shows that although life can be hectic, something good always comes out of it. This book deals with the past, present and what may take place in the future. Mrs. Dalloway tells that it is easier focus on the future instead of dealing with the past. This book also tells us the importance of how short life may be and how we need to spend every moment of it with joy.

Rating:
Summary: Novel vindicated at the end
Review: My initial response of hostility, sustained through much of the book, mellowed some at the end. It is a sensitive story of love and madness, apparent mostly on afterthought. Still, I thought more of Faulkner than of this.