“Mrs Dalloway is always giving parties to cover the silence.”
Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway
Title: Mrs. Dalloway
Author: Virginia Woolf
Genres: Classics, Historical Fiction, Literary
Length: 7 hrs, 6 mins (Audiobook)
Published: May 14th, 1925
My Rating: ★
Read: 6/14/2023 – 6/20/2023
Review:
I’m a classics fan but I’ve never been particularly drawn to Virginia Woolf. I picked up a copy of Mrs. Dalloway because the cover was pretty. I hadn’t the faintest idea what it was about. When the Audrey app chose this as one of their listen-alongs, I figured now was as good a time as any to read it.
Some classics are wasted on people… this one was wasted on me. I wanted to like it so much given the time it was written and the portrayals of PTSD and mental health disorders. By the time I got to this point, I was painfully bored and cared nothing about the characters. Personally, it was not a good time to read it, either.
Whether it’s a matter of the wrong place, the wrong time, or the book itself, it wasn’t for me. I know I’m in the minority here but even lively discussion couldn’t draw me in. It only made me ask if I was really listening to the same book as everyone else.
Likes & Dislikes:
What I liked:
- I enjoyed the first few pages.
What I didn’t like:
- Chaotic yet slow writing.
- No real plot.
- For lack of a better word, I found it whiny.
Afterthoughts:
This just wasn’t a book for me. My mom speaks highly of another one of Virginia Woolf’s works, so I’m not opposed to trying something else by her in the future.