The delicate artistry and lyrical prose of Woolf's novels have established her as a writer of sensitivity and profound talent. Virginia Woolf displays genuine humanity and concern for the experiences that enrich and stultify existence. Society hostess, Clarissa Dalloway is giving a party and her thoughts on that one day, and the interior monologues of others with interwoven lives reveal the characters of the central protagonists. To the Lighthouse is the most autobiographical of Virginia Woolf's novels. Based on her early experiences, it touches on childhood and children's perceptions and desires. It is at its most trenchant when exploring adult relationships and the changing class-structure in the period spanning the Great War. Orlando, 'the longest and most charming love letter in literature', playfully constructs the figure of Orlando as the fictional embodiment of Woolf's close friend and lover, Vita Sackville-West. 'I am writing to a rhythm and not to a plot', said Woolf of The Waves. Regarded as one of her greatest and most original works, it conveys the rhythms of life in synchrony with the cycle of nature and the passage of time. Other titles included in this book Jacob's Room, A Room of One's Own, Three Guineas and Between the Acts.
(Adeline) Virginia Woolf was an English novelist and essayist regarded as one of the foremost modernist literary figures of the twentieth century.
During the interwar period, Woolf was a significant figure in London literary society and a member of the Bloomsbury Group. Her most famous works include the novels Mrs. Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927), and Orlando (1928), and the book-length essay A Room of One's Own (1929) with its famous dictum, "a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction."
brilliant work. Not only is Virginia Woolf writing beautiful, but she also writes in a way that pulls you in and makes you want to read more. Favourite : A Room of One's Own ♥
Now that I’ve read all of Virginia Woolf’s novels, it’s time for some awards!
Best book: it’s a tie! The Waves and To the Lighthouse (these two are also tied with Ulysses for the best books ever) Best main character(s): Mrs. Ramsay (To the Lighthouse), Lily Briscoe (To the Lighthouse), all six narrators in The Waves Best structure/most experimental novel:The Waves Most accessible novel(s):Flush, Night and Day, The Voyage Out, The Years Least accessible novel:Jacob’s Room (but a lot of people would argue it's The Waves) Best ending:Mrs Dalloway, closely followed by Jacob’s Room Best lgbt character: Neville (The Waves) Funniest/most playful book:Flush The ones that are not quite as good as the others:Night and Day, The Voyage Out Most forgettable novel:The Voyage Out Most exciting plot:Orlando Biggest jerk: Charles Tansley (To the Lighthouse) Most likely to hold a grudge: James Ramsay (To the Lighthouse) Most shocking death: Saddest death: Best minor character: the housekeeper in The Years (idk I really liked her) The book you should read first: fuck it, start with The Waves; I did, and it only made me want to read more
The novels, ranked: 1. To the Lighthouse, The Waves 2. Jacob’s Room, Mrs Dalloway, Orlando, The Years 3. Flush 4. Between the Acts 5. Night and Day, The Voyage Out
[This edition doesn't include Flush, The Voyage Out and Night and Day]
Ha sido una lectura impresionante, la última novela es la más lírica y toca temas profundos, se publicó después de su muerte… Un regalazo tremendo, el libro completo 😚💖
It took me three intense months and a half to read six novels and two essays by Virginia Woolf, but it feels more honest to say it took me years to prepare for that journey. Not because of the number of pages, but because reading Woolf demands a different kind of attention—one that’s slower, more reflective, and open to ambiguity. You don’t simply read her; you have to meet her on unfamiliar ground. Her stream-of-consciousness style, her shifting perspectives, the dense layers of symbolism—none of it is easily absorbed without time, patience, and, in my case, a few trusted reader’s guides.
And yet, once I entered her world, I didn’t want to leave.
Jacob’s Room was my quiet entry point: fragmented, elegiac, and modern in the best sense—it taught me how to read her. Mrs Dalloway captured a single day and made it feel as expansive as a lifetime. To the Lighthouse was, for me, the most emotionally resonant: a novel about time, art, memory, and all that goes unsaid in families. Orlando surprised me with its playfulness and daring exploration of gender and history. The Waves was the most challenging, but also the most hypnotic—less a novel, more a philosophical poem about identity and time. Between the Acts felt like a gentle goodbye, full of loss and theatre, beauty and dread.
Then there are the essays: A Room of One’s Own is a feminist classic for a reason—brilliant, ironic, and painfully relevant. Three Guineas is more fiery, more polemical, and shows how Woolf’s intellect could cut through the noise with sharp, unrelenting clarity.
What I’ve come to appreciate most is how Woolf doesn't offer conclusions—she opens questions. She gives form to the formless, and dares you to find meaning in the drift of consciousness. She's not always easy, but she's always worth the effort.
I’m no longer afraid of Virginia Woolf. In fact, I feel braver having read her. Are you afraid of her?
Three stars pertain to "Orlando" and none of the other stories. Woolf writes beautiful language but I felt rather lost and at times disinterested in the fate or fortune of anyone related to this story.
Five stars, perhaps four for "A Room of One's Own". I was bored and moved to intrigue and brought back to shore. There were pages, such as 104, the I casting shadow, wanting more and then 49-52...the first 48 pages of no concern. (The page numbers do not correspond to the collected works edition but rather a thin blue pbk with a pen, flower and chair on the cover.) The historical understanding of women writers was necessary but without flavor.
As for the other stories I set them aside, until I get to reading "Waves". I do find as I read her, the scattering of beautiful verse compensates for the dryness experienced in between.
As a person who strives to write as good as her, this review is harsh, but the honest reality of how I felt upon closing the cover is nothing less.
DNF. I am sorry. I truly am. I dont know what possessed me to think that this gigantic book would be an excellent way to jump start my classic reading journey because it is not for me yet. My brain is unable to comprehend it, and for that, I apologise.
It gives me immense pleasure to always read literary works of Virginia Woolf and now I'm a proud owner of this beautiful and gorgeous hardback clothbound Classic Wordsworth Edition
... se requiere guia para entender la importancia de lo leído, porque incorpora los conceptos de modernismo y transcurrir de la conciencia, tan nuevos, comparados con las novelas clásicas del romanticismo, por ejemplo. Acá, la autora le dedica mas tiempo a mostrar cómo estructurar el personaje, qué piensa en su transcurrir, cómo cambia de una idea a otra, que a narrar un paisaje particular o una escena especifica. Si no se tienen en consideración estas premisas, se convierte en una narración pesada e ininteligible. De lo contrario, se empieza a evidenciar claramente la tendencia de la literatura del siglo XX
Enjoying me time and trying to organize my bookshelves, and then I saw this. An all-in-one package of Virginia Woolf's works; Jacob's Room (1922), Mrs Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927), Orlando: A Biography (1928), A Room of One's Own (1929), The Waves (1931), Three Guineas (1938), and Between the Acts (1941). And I then remember that the last time I re-read this book was almost one year ago. Time surely flies by so fast...
Tried to begin Mrs. Dalloway and found it very difficult to follow. Huge sentence structures and rambling thoughts. Will try again at a later date as it is considered a classic. I was drawn to attempt it after viewing the movie "The Hours".
Jacob's room ( 1 star ) Mrs Dalloway ( 3 stars ) : it is not what I expected it to be but it is better than Jacob's room . To the Lighthouse ( 3stars ) A Room of One's Own ( 5stars) Orlando ( 3stars)