A review by nigel_hakeem
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I don't know if I actually enjoyed reading this book, but I'm glad I read it. Woolf moves from the perspective of one character to the next rapidly and often in the same sentence. This was difficult and confusing at first but as the novel goes on, the voices start flowing together and there is a rhythm to the characters. This culminates at the dinner scene when everyone starts to speak as one consciousness and you see how and why people are connected. The last third of the book dragged and felt like an elongated epiphany moment. I don't feel like I learned more about the characters, but the characters learned more about themselves. Ultimately, this is not a book about things happening, but about people thinking about things happening.