Kelly reads Mrs. Dalloway

Ah, Mrs. Dalloway. There is something to be said about this marvelous book. Sadly, I feel inadequate being the one who does so. Many have read Virginia Woolf and have tossed her aside judging her to be some sort of ultra-feminist/the original hippie/champion for the gay and lesbian community/madwoman. All sorts of things. Labels, labels everywhere and not a real hint of understanding. But here's the deal: In my eyes (perhaps this is my own version of labeling good ol' Virginia) Virginia Woolf's writing style gave birth to our modern novel, and we owe her ever so much for that. And despite whatever it is people think about her, I believe Virginia Woolf to be one of this world's most brilliant minds and she will always and forever be on my list of people I hope to meet in heaven (yes, there exists an actual list). I would just love to pick her brain. Someday Virginia, someday. (Lora and I actually have Virginia Woolf t-shirts. One of my most prized possessions). 

But back to Mrs. Dalloway . . . 

I LOVE reading this book. The language is impeccable. Everything about it feels so incredibly tangible. This is where Virginia developed writing in the "stream of consciousness". It is one wonderfully developed series of thoughts. One of the beauties of this book is that you can easily get lost in your own thoughts because of the thoughts of the characters. And I can't decide if Virginia did that on purpose or not. Who's to say? I love this book, and I would hope that you would love it as well. 

But here is the thing that most people get hung up on: There are no chapters and there is very little plot. Truly, Mrs. Dalloway is just stream of consciousness. There is hardly even a break when thoughts switch from one character to another. Then you'll read this 200 page novel waiting and waiting for something to happen. A fight to break out at the party, a mad love scene between Peter Walsh and Clarissa. Just something. But no, not a thing. Just thoughts. *SPOILER ALERT* Someone does die, but if you blink you might miss it. 

There are two types of people in this world: Those who love Virginia Woolf and those who hate Virginia Woolf. You must judge for yourself. 

-KB

Rating: 5/5