I am so thrilled to be reading Mrs. Dalloway for the second time! As soon as I finished reading it the first time, six or so years ago, I thought to myself that I had not gotten nearly as much from the book as I wanted to. To begin reading Mrs. Dalloway on a June day seemed like the absolutely perfect time as, of course, it is on a June day that Mrs. D is having her party. The book makes more sense to me this time and I think it helps to already understand the ways in which time is represented along with already having a sense of the characters. I find, too, that the book truly resonates for me this time. So much of life is included in these pages. The novel bustles with the city, moves from adolescence to middle age, looks at the choices that characters make and how they live with them and more. It is truly an amazing book. Those of you who have read this novel, please let me know your impressions.
By the way, I am reading this book for a class so the discussion adds a great deal to my understanding. Yesterday all of the students were instructed to go out in the city for half an hour and pay attention to their impressions. There was excellent discussion following this of how Woolf captures places and how one’s mind moves back and forth in time when out and about.
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 