From the Bookshelf of Reading List Completists…

To the Lighthouse

Virginia Woolf

Start date: February 1, 2020

Finish date: February 29, 2020

Discussion: Group Reads

Why we're reading this: February 2020 Completist Selection
[close] February 2020 Completist Selection

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Group Reads

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What Members Thought

Feb 10, 2020 Matthew rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020, completist-book-club, audio, classic, hoopla, library, least-favorite

1 to 1.5 stars

I had to go look at some other reviews before I wrote this. I can honestly say that I am shocked to see so many 4 and 5 star reviews. That does not mean I think those reviews are incorrect, I am just surprised at how many people connected with this book in a very positive way. I will hang out in the cellar of the 1 and 2 star reviews, because in this case, those are my people!

I always want to try new and interesting books from a variety of genres. Sometimes I find some big, positiv 1 to 1.5 stars

I had to go look at some other reviews before I wrote this. I can honestly say that I am shocked to see so many 4 and 5 star reviews. That does not mean I think those reviews are incorrect, I am just surprised at how many people connected with this book in a very positive way. I will hang out in the cellar of the 1 and 2 star reviews, because in this case, those are my people!

I always want to try new and interesting books from a variety of genres. Sometimes I find some big, positive surprises, other times I find books I struggle to finish. In this case, it was a struggle. I read this book as part of my Completist Book Club as this book is featured on Time’s All Time Best 100 Novels list. And, since I am seeing lots of passionate 5-star reviews, many agree with this assessment for To The Lighthouse. And, with that in mind, if you have a passion for the classic must-reads you may enjoy this one. However, I enjoy many, many, classic must-reads so that may not be the best criteria to use.

Within minutes of starting this book, I was confused. I reread the beginning a few times and it still was not clicking. Over the course of the book, I reread several sections to try and connect to the writing and pull something from the story. I also read an online summary of every chapter TWICE! Often, after reading a summary section, I would say to myself “Did I really just read and reread sections of this book!? Nothing in that summary sounded familiar!” And, when I got to the end of the summary I figured it would clarify for me the whole point, but it really didn’t. I know the book is about life, death, and relationships and I get the impression it is somewhat dark. But, after all that, I think I would have taken more away from it all, but I’ve got nothing.

I will say that the one silver lining about it that kept me interested in it is that one of the main characters is named Minta. I have a friend with the same name and always thought it was an unusual name that her parents made up. But, when I asked her, not only did her parents not make up the name, they didn’t get it from this book, either! So, just hearing her name frequently as the book went along kept me somewhat engaged.

So, yeah . . . this book is a BIG no for me. It is very obviously a masterpiece for some, and maybe it will be for you. But after the effort I put into it and still feeling nothing but nothing, I cannot join the masterpiece crowd.

And . . . I guess I’m afraid of Virginia Woolf! ...more

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Jul 10, 2021 Suzy Davies rated it it was amazing

Shelves: art, favorite-novels-for-adults-classics

This book, written in a poetics of the body, is one of my all-time favorites. For me, it is a masterpiece. Not least because it examines the dialectical relationship between Life and Art. For Woolf, Mrs. Ramsey's meal - her creation - is a metaphor for the nature of creativity. Artist writer figures in the work show forth the nature of this creativity. Woolf wanted to show that we create Life, just as artist/writer figures create Art. I love the sentiment that we each have a part to play in the ...more

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Sep 24, 2020 Suzy Davies rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: i-read-a-different-edition-of-this, read-other-version

Please see my review for a different edition of the same work

1 like · Like · see review

Apr 23, 2020 Taz Shaikh-Shenk rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-these-first, abandoned

I don’t know why people love this one. I’ve tried. I’ve tried but I couldn’t get into it. I finally decided it’s time to abandon it. The reason I finally abandoned it because I read life is too short to be reading books that you don’t enjoy.

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