It was like an elegy for Virginia Woolf's mother. Her mother had died when Woolf was around 13 or so, and so she grew up without her. Basically, it's about this rich family who have a vacation home in Scotland. The mother is very positive/optimistic, and tells her children that they will go to the lighthouse the next day, while the father wants to be honest above everything else. He is harsh and tells the children that it will be too stormy. The first day that takes place in the novel is about how the mother effects everyone a different way and how they all need and love her. She dies in her sleep, and for ten years the summer home decays with time and slowly falls apart. People decide to restore it, and then the family who have been kind of uncomfortable with each other since, have decided to go back and see the lighthouse. It's a pretty good book. Kind of stream-of-consciousness narrative, so a bit frustrating at times. But the themes behind it were really touching. Have you seen The Hours? Apparently that movie's based on another of Woolf's novels, Mrs. Dalloway. We read that one as well (and are watching the movie later in the semester). It was also good. You should read her if you haven't :)
Reply
Leave a comment