I decided to read this before "The Hours" by Michael Cunningham, since his book was heavily based off of "Mrs. Dalloway." Later I found that it was not necessary, but it certainly was helpful; plus, I read a great book on the way.

Firstly, "Mrs. Dalloway" is not for everybody. I could see where people would get really frustrated, but I didn't find it all too troublesome for myself, half because I knew well what I was getting into, and also because it was for an assignment in school (electively). Virginia Woolf has an amazing talent for making enormous sentences, pages spanning sentences... but as I said, I found these quite entertaining.

Though the book is rather short, the print is fairly small, and with the writing style, which is likely to cost a few pages to be reread, it will take a little bit of a time investment. Not being the quickest reader, I was able to get thought it and write a fair analysis of it in about two weeks.

If you are to read this for school, I would definitely take the time to read it twice, which I did not allow myself to do.

Should you be questioning whether or not to read this for "The Hours," I would highly recommend it, but should you decide to skip "Mrs. Dalloway," you'll do just fine, perhaps not understand the references, but you should still enjoy Cunningham's piece.

Basically, to enjoy this, you'll need patience, otherwise you may want to go onto something else... but if you are interested and have a little time to spare, got for it!

I re-read this novel that I remembered enjoying when I read it in high school because a quote from it ("roses were the only flower she could bear to see cut") was pivotal in Gregoire Bouillier's fascinating short memoir THE MYSTERY GUEST. Bouillier's debt to Woolf is broader and deeper than just a stolen phrase. Both books center around the anticipation of a party in contrast with the reality of its experience as it unfolds; and both share themes of the cruelty and triviality of human nature. Compared to other stream of conscious masterpieces (Joyce's ULYSSES or Faulkner's THE SOUND AND THE FURY), Dalloway is relatively easy to follow. I found it's structure and execution to be rather cinematice. The story is bookended with sections focusing on the title character. In the large middle section the narrative passes seamlessly from one secondary character to another like a baton in a (leisurely) relay race. The trick is to anticipate that the baton will be passed and that the point of view and pronominal references are going to shift. I put an "x" in the margin each time I observed the baton being passed (these would probably be chapter breaks in more conventional novels). I found this to be helpful when I needed to reread a section to refresh my memory on a detail. What is amazing is that Woolfe employs an objective third person narration throughout, and yet each section strongly projects the obsessions and interests of the character that has been brought into the foreground. The prose is fluid, beautiful, and free of gimmickry. The author, like Clarissa Dalloway, is in complete control of all she surveys, a master manipulator. In the end, this seems to me to be a novel about accepting (or resisting) at middle age the compromises one has made in life. And "the ladies," indeed, "come and go, speaking of Michelangelo."

This novel depicts much of early 20th century Britain as others did - but in a very different manner.

This is a detailed reflection of one person's ideas whose ideals are influenced and among the upper crust society of early 20th century England. Unlike Evelyn Waugh, Woolf does not stride with succinct and pernicious dialogue (but I find similarities between Clarissa in this book to Brenda Mast in "Handful of Dust"). Unlike Max Beerbohm, Woolf does not overly state how cutely atrocious British society can behave. Unlike E.M. Forster, Woolf does not engage in panoramic writing. Each is great. Woolf is unique and magnificent.

Moving about in an undulating fashion, her ability to have the characters' thoughts zig and zag throughout each sentence of contemplation in unrivaled. She moves within their thoughts so quickly that within the confines of this less than 200-page novel, we know a tremendous amount about Clarissa and almost as much about her dumped early lover, Peter Walsh, and her old friend Sally Seton.

Dialogue exists, but it is the characters' thoughts that speak so vividly. We learn what it is or was that Clarissa did to Peter Walsh that has made him upset or even mad at her. We learn a little about the depression funk of the war-damaged Septimus Warren Smith (Interestingly, as Woolf too was a depressed person who followed Smith in suicide, I wonder why more of his angst was not described or detailed). And, we discover that even one hundred years ago, mothers and daughters (Clarissa and Elizabeth) had problems with one another, in a fashion reminiscent of the "rebellious" years of today's teens.

I have not read all of the great writers, but among those I have read, none can enter the thoughts and perceptions as well or as vividly as Woolf. This is a great skill by an unmistakenly great writer, who may have shined most with this novel or its contemporary - "To the Lighthouse."

I add that I read this AFTER I read "The Hours." I would recommend to others to do the opposite. And, I would add a recommendation to sandwich those two books with "To the Lighthouse" -- as the three would make a great trilogy of exquisite reading.

So many people have gone back to read (or re-read) Mrs. Dalloway since The Hours came out that it almost makes me want to have Hollywood create interesting movie versions of numerous other classics. Think of the possibilities! It's almost a shame that people are forced to "plow through" some of these books as course assignments, where all of their enjoyment is completely lost. With movies, it encourages people to read them voluntarily when they are older and can relate to the themes of the book.

While young teens might find the musings of a middle aged woman confusing or tedious, most of us who are over the age of 25 understand completely where Mrs. Dalloway is coming from. She's wandering through the streets of London, going about the chores before an important party. Her mind is flitting all over as she waits for the road to clear so she can pass, while she chooses flowers, while she runs into friends. She thinks about how the party's going to go, how her daughter's doing, what her husband is up to. She's barely aware of the "real" world around her.

As if this isn't enough, an old boyfriend from her teen years shows up. That sets off all sorts of other thoughts. Should she have stayed with him after all? Then there was that girlish crush she had on a female friend. Someone wants to come to her party who wasn't invited. Her husband's off lunching with another woman. Finally the party starts, and she worries that it's not going well, until she finally settles in and is comfortable.

In amongst all of Mrs. Dalloway's angsts and daydreaming, we also get glimpses into other peoples' minds - her old boyfriend, her daughter, her daughter's tutor, and so on. This lets us view the world from a variety of angles. Tying it together is Big Ben, chiming away the hours as the day goes by.

I realize, if you're used to action-oriented straightforward stories like The Da Vinci Code, that it might take a "slowing down" to read this story. Where I zip through other books at break-neck speed, when I re-read Mrs. Dalloway I have to sit back, take a deep breath, and go along at a slow pace. If you don't quite get the hang of the characters the first time through, read through it again. Once you understand who the people are and how they relate, it makes the inner musings much more clear. It's its own rhythm, the slow, steady rhythm of a day in London. It's not about racing to a goal. It's about the daydreams of life that happen *while* you're preparing for something.

Interestingly, another book - "The Party" - gathers together many of the short stories Woolf wrote at the same time as Mrs. Dalloway. One in particular is a different version of the beginning of this story. In Mrs. Dalloway, the title character is going off to buy flowers for herself. The imagery is very powerful, and very meaningful for women who are used to having flowers bought for them - but not getting them for themselves. Intriguingly, "The Party" version has her going out and getting grey gloves, and wondering if they should have buttons of not. The power of the scene is *really* changed. It makes you wonder what other famous stories had different versions of their beginnings, and how much the story might have been different if they hadn't redone it. I definitely recommend getting both books and reading them together.

Then rent and watch The Hours, and see all of the interweavings of the stories!

I read Mrs Dalloway the first time for a class a couple of years ago and fell in love with it on the first page. I recently spent a school quarter in London and was so excited to see this on the syllabus. The tone of this novel suits London beautifully, and I found myself seeing the places the characters visited in a whole new light- The feeling of being lost in Trafalgar Square, or the magical quality of the serpentine in Hyde park were captured so perfectly in by Woolf. I could not imagine a novel better suited to such an incredible city.
That being said, if you have never been or don't plan on ever going to London, still read this book. I have never read a novel in which I felt I knew or understood the characters so intimately. And the language and words she uses, even just the mechanical syntax of Woolf's sentances, are brilliant. Her words pour through the novel like waves, and the descriptions are vivid and heartbreaking. I felt so sad finishing this novel, and yet, it ended exactly as it should have. But I confess, the instant it was over I turned back to the first page and read it again!
I understand why some people don't like this novel. The stream of conciousness can be a little difficult (although I never had any problem figuring out who was talking, like some people said). But I find it refreshing to read something wholly different from not only writers of Woolf's time, but even writers today. The use of stream of conciousness is very different from, say, James Joyce, or other authors who write in this style. And it definitly breaks away from the typical formula novels that dominate most library and bookstore shelves. All in all, read this book. At best, you'll fall in love with it like I did, and at worst, it's a quick read so you didn't waste much time.