I love how this book is keeps its intrigue and suspense without really having a lot of action. That really shows the quality of the portraits of the characters, which really is what the book is all about. The characters are multifaceted and realistic, and seem to balance each other nicely. Even though all the characters are british upper or middle class and all the action takes place in a single day, the book seems to sum up a lot of the diversity that is the human mind.

It is the work of a skilled author, and a great tale. ( )

MRS DALLOWAY is a stream-of-consciousness look at one day in the life of a society matron and the people she comes into contact with. While Clarissa Dalloway is at the centre, Woolf devotes equal care to those who surround her. The point of view flits from character to character with the speed of thought, and the result is a beautiful, unconventional novel in which plot takes a backseat to character development.

I adore good characterization, and Woolf's is lovely. She gives us a real feel for who each of these people is as she invites us to ride around inside their heads and view the world through their eyes. Over a very short period of time, we learn a great deal about each and every one of them. And we don't just see how they view themselves; Woolf also shows us how those around them perceive them. I'll tell you up front, I'm an absolute sucker for anything that invites me to consider its characters in this way. The contrast between each character's view of herself and the way others see her is one of the novel's strongest qualities.

The prose is equally good. Even though Woolf deals with the minutia of everyday life, I found the story strange and dreamlike. I think this is due, in large part, to the sudden shifts in POV. One moment, we're hard into Clarissa's perspective; the next, we're deep in Peter Walsh's mind. From him, we jump to someone else... and then to someone else again... and again... and again... Even though the story is grounded in reality, the storytelling makes it feel as though it isn't. It's nicely done.

It does, however, make the book a bit difficult to sink into, especially if you've put it down for a while. I had some troubles in that area, and occasionally found that I just couldn't go back to it. I'd read a few lines and decide I needed another break. It's for this reason, more than anything else, that I've decided to pass it along to someone else. I enjoyed it, and I think I'll likely want to read it again, but I doubt I'll return to it any time soon. And when I do, I'm sure there'll be an obliging library or book market ready and waiting to provide me with another copy.

(A slightly different version of this review originally appeared on my blog, Stella Matutina). ( )

An astonishing work of sustained imagination. Virginia Woolf revisits the Dalloways, who featured in her debut novel, stripping away the veneer of the politician's wife to discover the woman behind the mask. As Mrs. Dalloway plans her party, Septimus Smith is breaking down from his experiences in the Great War. ( )

* NO SPOILERS WERE USED IN THE WRITING OF THIS REVIEW! *

Every coin has two sides, and in "Mrs. Dalloway" Woolf seemed intent on scrutinizing each side without giving preference to either. The result is a book that is equally fascinating and frustrating, which is not surprising since the entire work seems intended to mirror life as one huge contradiction.

Take for example Woolf's contradictory writing style, which is either made up of very complicated syntax or maddeningly fragmented "stream of consciousness" run-on sentences. I counted 15 semi-colons on one page, and eight in a single sentence: "In people's eyes, in the swing, tramp and trudge; in the bellow and the uproar; the carriages, motor cars, omnibuses, vans, sandwichmen shuffling and swinging; brass bands; barrel organs; in the triumph and the jingle and the strange high singing of some aeroplane overhead was what she loved; life; London; this moment of June." While revolutionary then, in my opinion Woolf's "stream of consciousness" experiment has not passed the test of time, seeming lazy and sloppy to me as a modern reader, despite striking moments of beauty and rhythm.

The contradictory writing style in Mrs. Dalloway is intentional and perfectly sets the stage for a juxtaposition of contrasting themes: Past vs. Present; Youth vs. Age ; Passion vs. Security; Life vs. Death. These common themes are found to some extent in most modern literature, however Woolf goes over them with a magnifying lens, providing an equal and non-judgemental view of each side.

In closing, this rather short book is quite a difficult, though rewarding read for a patient, intellectual reader, offering insights and reflections long after it is finished. It is a work that I will doubtless return to and find new gems of insight every time. Woolf's description of Mrs. Dalloway's effect on a former lover is a perfect metaphor for this entire reading experience: "You were given a sharp, acute, uncomfortable grain - the actual meeting; horribly painful as often as not; yet in absence, in the most unlikely places, it would flower out, open, shed its scent, let you touch, taste, look about you, get the whole feel of it and understanding, after years of lying lost." I love to hate this book! ( )

I just finished Mrs. Dalloway-- a quiet respite after Blood Meridian. I really
enjoyed it.
Certainly not a plot-centric book, but the characters were so interesting and I
loved watching
them develop from passersby into people I really felt in touch with just by
spending a few
moments in their thoughts. Virginia Woolf really gets what's going on inside
people's heads-
- the really deep secret stuff that no one ever talks about. I felt naked.

Rate 4.75/5.0 ( )