Book Review: Mrs. Dalloway

“She knew nothing about them, only jumped to conclusions, as one does, for what can one know even of the people one lives with every day?”

Mrs. Dalloway is widely regarded as Virginia Woolf’s best novel.

Summary

The book starts with Clarissa Dalloway picking up flowers for a party she is hosting later that day. As she gets back to her house, Peter Walsh, an old friend pays her a surprise visit and brings back to her a rememberance of her memories as a young woman in the countryside. As she meets Peter, it makes her wonder about the choices she took in her life; marrying Richard Dalloway, an accomplished politician, instead of the energetic and adventurous, Peter, who is still in love with her.

The narration then follows Peter as he observes Septimus Warren Smith, a fist world war veteran and his Italian-born wife Rezia sitting on a park bench. Suffering from what appears to be post-traumatic stress disorder, Septimus is in a very bad shape; hearing voices from dead people and hallucinating. Despite this, we see no empathy from the doctors treating him.

Review

Peter then proceeds to go to Clarissa’s party where we see all the characters together at the party. He runs into Clarissa’s dearest friend Sally, both waiting for Clarissa, and both of them feel nostalgic as they talk about the old days. As the party ends, Peter is filled with ecstasy as Clarissa gets back to them.

Woolf’s beautiful writing style turns even ordinary things into something unique and interesting. We are taken into each of the character’s conciousness as we hear about their thoughts and emotions. The characters are continuously looking back, having deep realizations and thinking about the future.