The short interlude marks the passing of time.Īccording to the introduction, Woolf doubted if the portrayal of the characters and their interactions was enough. To the Lighthouse is structured in three parts, where part one and three are brief moments in time, following the Ramsay family and their summer visitors over a day a so. But the thing is: when it was good, it was really good very few authors manage to speak to me the way Woolf does. Somewhere during part one, I found myself transcending into Woolf’s world, where everything but her beautiful prose disappeared around me. For my second attempt I tried the audiobook, which others had recommended. Also, details such as Woolf’s use of brackets, which have a separate meaning, don’t come across on audio. I was afraid Woolf’s long sentences couldn’t hold my attention on audio. So I decided to give it another try.įor my first attempt I read the ebook. I had a distinct feeling, there was more to this book. I could see how well Woolf captured the essence of the characters, but it didn’t enthral me the same way as Mrs Dalloway.ĭid I give it up as a bad job? Of course not. The first attempt left me feeling rather flat. After all, I was now familiar with Woolf’s overlong sentence construction and stream-of consciousness writing.īut no. When I started To the Lighthouse, I felt hopeful it would be enjoyable in the first go. Recently, I heard a booktuber talking about a similar experience. It was worth the effort, because I ended up loving it. This recording was originally published on and was later released on Librivox when US copyright permitted.It took me at least three attempts, before I finally made it all the way through Mrs Dalloway. It’s perhaps as close as a novel can come to the highly individual experience of looking at a painting.

I hope this doesn’t make it sound ‘difficult’, it doesn’t need to be – just let the sentences flow and make your own sense of the words.

There’s insight into the world of childhood thought and emotion, and a variety of views of adult cares and perceptions. The plot is not at all the point though, as this is a book about how people think and feel and relate. The Ramsey family, with house guests, visit the Isle of Skye at least twice. Download cover art Download CD case insert To The Lighthouse

To the lighthouse by virginia woolf