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Mrs. Dalloway
 

Mrs. Dalloway

by Virginia Woolf

Heralded as Virginia Woolf's greatest novel, this is a vivid portrait of a single day in a woman's life. When we meet her, Mrs. Clarissa Dalloway is preoccupied with the last-minute details of party preparation while in her mind she is something much more than a perfect society hostess. As she readies her house, she is flooded with remembrances of faraway times. And, met with the realities... (read more)

Top tags: fiction,  classic,  british,  literature,  classic literature (all tags)

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Other Reviews

Amazon Reviews
 

Most Helpful Reviews

Liked It

3 of 3 members found this review helpful.
Frabjous Day
  • Rated 5 stars

“Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself, and set in motion one of the greatest novels ever written. Too often are novelists criticised for narrow scope and obsolete relevance. I am not sure Virginia Woolf can be rightly accused of either, but if she can then they leave her greatness undiminished. Mrs. Dalloway is an etching done in a giant's hand, at once vast and microscopic, and magnificent in both its ways.
"...in the triumph and the jingle and the strange high...”

Frabjous Day’s full review »
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Didn’t Like It

Michael Lyons
  • Rated 2 stars

“English teacher's sure know how to pick 'em”

Michael Lyons’s full review »
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Community:
  • Rated 3.823857 stars
Amazon:
  • Rated 3.875 stars
  

Newest Comments

  • treal

    treal said:

    “Mrs. Dalloway has been called Virginia Woolf’s response to James Joyce Ulysses. They both take place on a single day, as well as utilize multiple perspectives via inner dialogue (or stream of consciousness) to carry their respective themes. And while Joyce uses three main characters to convey this inner dialogue, Woolf chooses to use well over a dozen unique protagonists to convey this story. And it should be noted that all these characters are connected, directly or indirectly, to the title character and her plans to create the perfect party.

    Due to its heavy handling of lofty themes such as feminine suppression, imperialism, and mental illness (something the author could really well verify), the book is far less humorous than the aforementioned Ulysses. It is also at times a difficult book to read due to the author’s use of time, narrative perspective, and conflicting points of view. Several passages need to be reread to fully understand, and appreciate, the greater universe that is contained in Mrs. Dalloway. And while the journey may be arduous, the reader is left with the greater satisfaction of just finishing a unique 20th century classic.
    ”

    posted Sunday, April 6 2008
  • Biborka B

    biborka b said:

    “It's absolutely beautiful the way the perspective changes, how we get to know every person who Mrs Dalloway meets or doesn't. The technique of turning onto the other's view is very cinematographic, one of the best modernist ones.”

    posted Wednesday, January 2 2008
  • avidreader

    avidreader said:

    “can someone share me an ebook of this. tnx”

    posted Saturday, December 8 2007 ( | view 1 reply )
  • GeofChaucer

    geofchaucer said:

    “I had to work diligently to finish this. It was challenging to pick the book back up and figure out what the heck was going on. I enjoyed it, but I don't know if I'll read it again any time soon...”

    posted Tuesday, July 10 2007
  • elorzaricardo

    elorzaricardo said:

    “HA! I hate this book , can't think of another more globalized piece of art work. Transportation sucks!”

    posted Tuesday, July 10 2007
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