Book Review

I had to read Virginia Woolf's To The Lighthouse for my college class. I was looking forward to the book as I thought Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway a nice read. I can't say the same for To The Lighthouse. Initially, I found the novel very nice. It tells of the Ramsey family and their vacation by the sea. The Ramsey family is an interesting family with a father who is a famous philosopher, a mother who has a heart of gold, and eight children. We learn about them and friends who are staying with them. Then, Woolf takes us forward 10 years. We learn Mrs. Ramsey died unexpectedly. Andrew, the eldest son, dies in World War I in France. Prue, the eldest daughter, marries and dies of a disease associated with childbirth. Some of the family friends end up having disastrous marriages while others find success in their careers. It was this second part that really saddened me. I felt it was reflective of life and it may have hit a little close to home. It caused me to remember sadly how things turned out for a cousin and a childhood friend. I suspect Woolf was trying to be realistic about life but, I don't care to read about such realism. I know first hand the boy doesn't always get the girl and we all don't live happily ever after. I don't need a novel to tell me this.

Overall, I feel Woolf did a great job of writing in the streams of conscousness style but I can't recommend the novel. Perhaps most of your memories are more cheerful than mine but for me, the novel reminded me of too many stories that went bad. If you want to read a nice cheerful Woolf novel, I'd recommend Mrs. Dalloway. To me, To The Lighthouse starts off nice but left me feeling sad at the end. I definitely wouldn't recommend this novel.