“Clarissa Dalloway, elegant and vivacious, is preparing for a party and remembering those she once loved. In another part of London, Septimus Warren Smith is shell-shocked and on the brink of madness. Smith’s day interweaves with that of Clarissa and her friends, their lives converging as the party reaches its glittering climax.”

This took me a month to read which is rather pathetic considering the book is only 212 pages in length. It was an immensely slow read and rather boring in certain parts. Woolf is a wonderful writer and her characters are very three-dimensional and colourful, however, she’s not particularly talented at maintaining the reader’s attention. The plot, or lack thereof, was the culprit in this case.

For those of you who enjoy reading novels which concentrate heavily on the intricate details of events that unfold throughout the story, read ‘Mrs. Dalloway’. Personally, I wasn’t too pleased with this book, it was poignant and evocative midway but it lost its lustre about three quarters in. There is an excess of superfluous information which originally should have been omitted. That said, it’s worth reading if only for the sake of being able to say that you’ve read a Virginia Woolf book.

“Absorbing, mysterious, of infinite richness, this life.”

finally i’m done with this horrible book. it took forever seeing how it was under 200 pages long. clarissa is throwing a party. we are involved in all the little details of her preparations to the actual party plus all the details of the people she meets’ lives. i admit the language is well and i really liked the character of septimus but that’s it. it seems like woolf thought when a woman marries she eventually loses her independence and meshes into her husband. did she feel this way about her own marriage or am i way off?

this is taking longer than i thought seeing how it’s under 200 pages. i have to keep reminding myself to read slow because otherwise i lose the whole meaning of the book.

I’ve got too much on my mind as of late to think as deeply into this one as it’s asking for. I’m sticking to lighter reading until I have some time off to really enjoy this.