It wasn't Mrs. Dalloway. Which is not fair at all, because Mrs. Dalloway is one of my most favorite of books.
I did like seeing how Woolf used the same stream of consciousness frame in the two stories. I love the juxtaposition between the perfect English house (though in the Hebrides quite a way from England!) and the inner turmoil of Mrs. Ramsay
I didn't think I was making much of a connection with the characters, but I kept reading. And then I hit the second section. And when I read "[Mr. Ramsay, stumbling along a passage one dark morning, stretched his arms out, but Mrs. Ramsay having died rather suddenly the night before, his arms, though stretched out, remained empty]" I felt like I had been punched in the chest. So I guess I was wrong about not connecting.
I finished it a few weeks ago (which is like dog years to me in terms of past books). So now that the kids are in bed, I'm going to do some reading online about this book. I'm excited to hear your thoughts!
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Well now I have to read Mrs. Dalloway.
That was definitely an unexpected passage for me too. The first section had centered around her so much that I was surprised to find her gone. And so suddenly.
Someone at work asked me what the book was about. "Um, a family living in the Hebrides...with guests...mostly focused on the characters..." Wholly inadequate.
Such melancholy. I wondered if I would have felt that differently reading it at a different time of the year. But with days short and gray in reality, the fictional aging, moldy house falling into ruin and the endless anxiety and unease of the characters created such a melancholy mood! How would it be to read it on a beach with sun and waves?
I found the most connection with Lily Briscoe perhaps because she stood somewhat apart from the rest of the characters - she was the most like an outside observer. I enjoyed her relationship with her painting - the description of the blank canvas and her frustration with her inability to achieve the vision she holds in her mind.
I wanted to know more about what happened to Mr.Bankes as he got older.
I am curious about Mr. Carmichael. I find myself wondering what purpose he serves in Woolf's creation. He was the only character who seemed at his ease throughout. And wasn't he older even at he beginning of he story? So he lived a long life but without any mention of infirmity or discomfort or even shrinking (as with Ms. Briscoe).
Loved the imagery, especially in "Time Passes." Loved the wind finding its way through the house, ruffling the flowers, going up the stairs. Beautiful and eerie.
Very glad I read it. Looking forward to hearing more of your impressions.
Sarah, your attempt at describing what the book is about made me laugh out loud because I had a similar experience. Usually at lunchtime I read the People magazines that live in the meeting/lunch room. The day I walked in with To the Lighthouse, my co-worker said, "Excuse me!...What's it about?" Erm, uh, well, it's stream of consciousness, but...thbbt. Forget it.
Melancholy hits it right on the nose. I actually attempted to read in on beach with sun and waves, and it was such a juxtaposition, that I had to put it back in my suitcase, and wait for the plane ride home. How's that for having a strong sense of mood?
I think that's why I like Mrs. Dalloway more. Melancholy is still the dominate mood in that one, but there is some joy in very small doses in there as well.
I'm off to look into Mr. Charmichael some more. He's the one who was pretty stand-offish in the first part, and then ends up being a fairly famous poet after the war, right?
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