The Modern Library 100 Best Novels Challenge discussion

February 2010

To the Lighthouse

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I just decided to post my review, because it says it all for me on this book --

Can a book be brilliant and boring at the same time? To the Lighthouse seems to fit that bill. Woolf's innovation of stream-of-consciousness narrative makes many of the sentences too long and they vary between being choppy and flowing. There are far more semi-colons, commas and question-marks than periods on many of the pages. It can be hard to follow.

The story is extremely simplistic, and you find that the majority of the book is not about the story at all. To the Lighthouse is divided into three parts: “The Window,” “Time Passes,” and “The Lighthouse.” Basically, the Ramsay family and house guests are vacationing in the Hebrides. They want to go to a nearby lighthouse, but Mr. Ramsay puts off the trip. Ten years later, the trip is finally taken by Mr. Ramsay and two of his children. In reality, the story is an introspective look at relationships between husband/wife, male/female, parent/child. I understand that this is a semi-autobiographical novel as Woolf tried to come to terms with her own parents marriage and her own childhood. It also discusses feminist issues such as the necessity (or not) of marriage and women with careers in the arts (Lily Briscoe).

Did I like it? Yes and no. I had to give it 3 stars because of my indecision on it.

With Virginia Woolf its not the plot that's important but th experiments that she underatkes and the games that she plays with language. It's not so much where she takes you in this book where the journey that you take to get there.

Lynn wrote: "I just decided to post my review, because it says it all for me on this book --

Can a book be brilliant and boring at the same time? To the Lighthouse seems to fit that bill. Wo..."


You have described exactly how I feel about the book. This is the first book I have read from this author. I really don't like the long sentences...

Elena wrote: "...I really don't like the long sentences..."


Not only did this one have long sentences, but just before reading it, I read All the Names by José Saramago. Saramago uses commas to divide thoughts, conversations and details. Some of his paragraphs are up to 3 pages long. This is not a style I enjoy, however Saramago's writing was easier than Woolf's writing to read. Maybe I just read these two books close together, but it was not pretty....

Lynn wrote: "Elena wrote: "...I really don't like the long sentences..."

Not only did this one have long sentences, but just before reading it, I read All the Names by [author:José Saramago|12855..."

Woolf's purpose with To the Lighthouse was to experiment in the style of stream of consciousness. While in today's world stream of consciousness is a given, when it was written it was experimental. Same with Slaughterhouse 5--the choppiness and jumping around in narrative was an experiment in style that was a bit unheard of when the book was written. But we in the post-Pulp Fiction world take that for granted.

This doesn't mean either are necessarily enjoyable books to read (I love S5 and don't love TTL), but personally it helps me to understand how to place them in time and why it helps to read them (and to read this 100 great books list).

Its not looking good for me to finish this one by the end of February. Work has kept me occupied from waking to sleeping. But the book hasn't fought for its time. Slaughterhouse fought for its time. No matter how late I came in from work or went to bed, I always tried to spend some time reading it. With Lighthouse, I just think, "Ehhh, I'm to tired."

Looking forward to March!

Yes, the book didn't fight for its time with me either. I like how you put it :)

Agree with the last two comments. Cheers you have given me the reason I needed to be able to put it in the "own not read" pile.

I will get to it one day, only now we are in March and another two await!

I read this one in college as an English major and remember barely making it to the end because I was not into it at all (I am not rereading this one for the challenge) - thank goodness the class was salvaged by reading one of my now all-time favorites, Written on the Body.

Playing 'catch up' with To the Lighthouse, and wholeheartedly agree with the posts. I think any given chapter of the book is brilliant on its own, but I'm having trouble enjoying this book as a whole. I'm a little over halfway through and can appreciate that the book is extremely well written, and yet have no desire to continue . . . but I will of course.

Yet, a number of authors have used the last scene in their books. She was a master of her craft and tried hard to push the boundaries of what is a novel. When you push at the seams failure is often something that might happen.