♥
There’s nothing like the feeling…
of crossing something off a list. And just now I got to strike right through Mrs. Dalloway on my reading list! I read bits and pieces of the novel in college, and studied it then, too, but without managing to pass through every page. Now, thankfully, I’ve given it a more thorough read and found that the fluidity of this novel is astounding – especially considering the number of characters whose perspectives we dove into, and the corners of London that we toured around with them.
The structure was admirable; beginning the book when Mrs. Dalloway descends the staircase from her room to greet the day, and finishing up when she prepares to engage in her last conversations of that same day before climbing the stairs again. Every page in between is alight with fluttering and flourishing language, but grounded with an occasional simple sentence for emphasis.
It was a portrait of sorts. Seeing as to know anyone “one must seek out the people who completed them; even the places”, we cannot know Clarissa Dalloway without meeting those people from her past + present and the places, too, that have made her who she is. And so in this book we explore the city, its people, and their memories {within a day!} – all of which connect to our leading lady. Well done, Virginia, well done.
Next up is Peter Pan!
xx.
