To the Lighthouse
Ratings152
Average rating3.7
The way in which Woolf writes is something I fell in love with. She was one of the first writers to ever use stream of consciousness of the characters and let the audience know about the minuscule and minute details of a scene and its characters. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Took me maybe 50 pages to figure out how exactly to read this but once I did it became one of the most effortlessly beautiful books I've ever read. Woolf is able to magnify the space between sentences, where every gesture, stifled look, awkward fidget is an ocean of expression. And what's left is what's never said to the ones we love most. Wonderful!
The writer is the Lighthouse. Far away in the distance, a bright light sweeping constantly from character to character.
это самая прекрасная книга, прочитанная мной, 5 звезд здесь явно недостаточно
FINALLY!This was one of those reads that feel like being forced to eat something, you chew and chew and it grows in your mouth, a mass of something you need to swallow and you just can't... I kept reading and reading and there was always the same amount of pages left to be read. A nightmare.Nothing happens in this book. 300+ pages about nothing. I would give this book one star, had it not had its moments. Some of the things were said very beautifully. Some sentences made me feel and think about things. But I hate it. I don't want to read another Virginia Woolf in my life. I loved [b:Orlando 18839 Orlando Virginia Woolf https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1443118010l/18839.SY75.jpg 6057225] and [b:A Room of One's Own 18521 A Room of One's Own Virginia Woolf https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327883012l/18521.SY75.jpg 1315615], but that isn't enough. Anyway, this book can be divided into three parts. The book opens with James Ramsay, a toddler or so, 4-5 (Don't know, don't care), wanting to go to the lighthouse, but his father says no because it will rain. The rest of the first part is basically his mother's thoughts about things, with inserts from others. Then we have an interlude about the house, some 10-15 years or something. (Don't care to find out.) War happens. People die. The house is empty, abandoned, and slowly deteriorating. Then we have the second part, the family comes back to the house. Mrs. Ramsay has died, and we get the POV of the other characters. Her place is empty, but somehow she's still there. And James gets to the lighthouse. I don't feel my life has been in any way enrichened by reading this book. I don't care about any of the characters. I was irritated by “her Chinese eyes”. (One of the characters has “Chinese eyes”, whatever that means. I can't help but think it's racist. I assume they are black, small, and slanted. I think Virginia said something like that. sigh (Again, can't be bothered to go back and check. I hate this book so much, I'm just relieved I've finished it. Now I know it wasn't worth reading.)
Bellissimo romanzo. Pochissimi dialoghi e molti pensieri. Rapporti tra genitori e figli e il tempo che passa inesorabile. 8
What a beautiful book. Woolf writes prose like poetry and the subject matter is so personal. Ill be honest, it took me almost 80 pages to really get into it but once you get into the rhythm of it, its such a kind and giving book.
Woolf talks about nature of reality, love, death in the most beautiful way. And all this is done in such a mundane setting too. Its a story about you and me. Not heroes and villains and journeys. Its about human relationships and regular people.
I've always believed every person has a rich internal experience and this book does a brilliant job of encapsulating that.
It was definitely a good book but a very difficult read. At points it was hard to keep a lot of the characters straight. This book is a good reminder that high expectations have a lot of room for disappointment. I really liked the symbolism Woolf used throughout the book.
A masterpiece. Perfection. Had to pause and take stock of life after finishing.
Everything; every description, every character, every relationship - basically every word - works both on its own level and as a symbol for something else.
Not the easiest read in the world but the quality of the prose carries it through.
Already looking forward to future rereads.
Loved this a lot, which surprised me. I mean I read A Room of One‰ЫЄs Own which didn‰ЫЄt do much for me and Mrs. Dalloway which I only really liked because it reminded me of Lord Peter Wimsey, but then I don‰ЫЄt think I paid much attention. (I also read Orlando but that was ages ago and I remember nothing except Tilda Swinton on the cover.) Is it crazy to say that here Woolf reminds me a lot of Thomas Pynchon? Fewer songs and dirty jokes but a similar swinging swirling narration through characters and perspectives, with oodles of compassion and understanding and more sentiment than you might think. I wish I had read this Virginia Woolf sooner.
Difficult for me to get into. The book was, to me, more about the writing and language than it was about the characters or the story. I almost wanted to quit on it, but I'm one of those people that can't put down a book once I've picked it up. I wish I could get past that. I've been reading a lot of modern fiction, so perhaps I just wasn't ready for it. I'll give it another listen before returning it to the library.