A Passionate Apprentice - Virginia Woolf

Advantages: Most interesting stream-of-consciousness read
Disadvantages: Not quite "light reading"

...Published in 1925, Mrs. Dalloway is Virginia Woolf’s masterpiece in what is termed “stream of consciousness”. Ms. Woolf loved to experiment and worked diligently at her art. This is enjoyably obvious in Mrs. Dalloway. This novel bursts with metaphors and each sentence, image, and scene is carefully crafted. The story covers one day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, her thoughts, people she comes in contact with (and their thoughts), which enables the reader to glance at a kaleidoscope of life experiences, childhoods, and issues. The reader follows Mrs. Dalloway, age 52, on the day that she throws her big party. She remembers her friends who one encounters “in person” later at the party. Clarissa also has a male double, Septimus Warren Smith, a young war veteran who deals with the same issues Clarissa dealt with, but comes to a very... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Wonderfully written, moving and thought-provoking
Disadvantages: Due to Woolfe's unique writing style, some confusion is inevitable!

...This is a wonderful book, which explores the inner workings of people's minds as they go through everyday life. The focus is on one family, in particular the mother and father, who are both very complicated psychological character, and Woolf focuses on themes of communication, interruption and isolation, in her own unique third person interior monologue, or stream-of -consciousness style, which constantly shifts from one character's perspective to another, creating a contiually changing, sometimes contradictory narrative which leaves a lasting impression and a deeper, if more confused, idea of the human mind and also of the conventions of society, especially those sutrrounding male and female roles. If you are familiar with Woolf's novel 'Mrs Dalloway', you will see many similarities here, both in terms of writing style and themes... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: You'll be immensely satisfied if you stick with it and finish it
Disadvantages: Some readers may dislike the use of the difficult to negotiate "stream of consciousness" style

...Virginia Woolf is a name which, like those of James Joyce or Joseph Conrad, often strikes terror into the hearts of usually keen readers. This is no doubt because of her use of the literary technique known as "stream of consciousness". To describe what this is, I am pleased to be able to refer to Educating Rita", one of my favourite films: Rita (with little experience of critically studying literature) is studying some poetry and comes across some verse which does not rhyme. Her tutor explains that it is the vowel sounds which match in this instance (known as "assonance") not the consonants. Rita simplifies this into her own terms "Oh, so assonance means getting the rhyme wrong". My simplified explanation of "stream of consciousness" is "getting the grammar wong". The application of this technique results in long, long sentences... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful