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The Waves

The Waves

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  • Create Date：2021-06-13 05:52:24
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Virginia Woolf
  • ISBN：184022410X
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Summary

Set on the coast of England against the vivid background of the sea， The Waves introduces six characters—three men and three women—who are grappling with the death of a beloved friend， Percival。 Instead of describing their outward expressions of grief， Virginia Woolf draws her characters from the inside， revealing them through their thoughts and interior soliloquies。 As their understanding of nature’s trials grows， the chorus of narrative voices blends together in miraculous harmony， remarking not only on the inevitable death of individuals but on the eternal connection of everyone。 The novel that most epitomizes Virginia Woolf’s theories of fiction in the working form， The Waves is an amazing book very much ahead of its time。 It is a poetic dreamscape， visual， experimental， and thrilling。

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Reviews

Hugo ，

（1） C’est un livre grandiose， extraordinaire， à l’écriture unique， évocatrice， sensuelle et profonde， un chef-d’œuvre， un vrai。 Rarement ai-je les des descriptions de la nature aussi élégantes ; jamais les phrases ne pèsent， tour à tour musicales et poétiques， qui disent le bonheur et les affres d’être humain。 La traduction que j’ai lue （folio classique） était excellente。 En revanche， la construction particulière de ce très long poème en prose， où on suit le dialogue intérieur de plusieurs perso （1） C’est un livre grandiose， extraordinaire， à l’écriture unique， évocatrice， sensuelle et profonde， un chef-d’œuvre， un vrai。 Rarement ai-je les des descriptions de la nature aussi élégantes ; jamais les phrases ne pèsent， tour à tour musicales et poétiques， qui disent le bonheur et les affres d’être humain。 La traduction que j’ai lue （folio classique） était excellente。 En revanche， la construction particulière de ce très long poème en prose， où on suit le dialogue intérieur de plusieurs personnages en alternance à différents moments de leur vie， me fait hésiter à le conseiller à tout le monde。 La progression est impressionniste， décousue comme la vie elle-même ; j’ai perdu le fil souvent， relisant parfois des passages sans me rendre compte que je les avais déjà lus。 Pour moi， ce n’est pas un défaut， au contraire。 C’est le signe qu’il s’agit d’une de ces oeuvres inépuisables qui s’enrichissent au fil des relectures。 。。。more

svalleballe ，

Golvad！！！ Som det mustigaste från Mot fyren blandat med Azorno？？ Bilderna？？ oj

Doug ，

RTF

Ermocolle ，

"Ho fenduto le acque della bellezza nella sera， quando le colline si chiudono come ali d'uccello ripiegate。 Talvolta ho colto un garofano rosso， e mannelli di grano。 Mi sono lasciata cadere tutta sola sull'erba tenera e toccando con le dita qualche vecchio osso ho pensato: quando il vento si chiamerà a spazzare questa cima， possa non trovare altro che una manciata di polvere。"Il corso del sole nell'arco di un'intera giornata， metafora del ciclo della vita dalla nascita fino alla morte。Sei person "Ho fenduto le acque della bellezza nella sera， quando le colline si chiudono come ali d'uccello ripiegate。 Talvolta ho colto un garofano rosso， e mannelli di grano。 Mi sono lasciata cadere tutta sola sull'erba tenera e toccando con le dita qualche vecchio osso ho pensato: quando il vento si chiamerà a spazzare questa cima， possa non trovare altro che una manciata di polvere。"Il corso del sole nell'arco di un'intera giornata， metafora del ciclo della vita dalla nascita fino alla morte。Sei personaggi che si raccontano a ruota libera， pensieri e parole in libertà senza un costrutto logico o temporale。Ognuno si racconta e parla a senso unico， senza confronti diretti con gli altri personaggi sulla scena， in lunghi soliloqui come quelli tipici di alcuni personaggi Shakespeariani。 。。。more

maggie ，

i can already tell i’ll be rereading this

Tia ，

This was my second attempt to read Woolf’s masterpiece， The Waves， after having purchased it for my birthday in London in 2018。 On the first attempt， I got so lost that I eventually gave up; while a lot still escaped me this time around， I decided that it made sense to not fight the confusion， but to let it carry me， to get lost in the fluidity and lack of containment for which the novel is known。 After all， if Woolf wanted it to be clear and simple to follow， she would have written it that way！ This was my second attempt to read Woolf’s masterpiece， The Waves， after having purchased it for my birthday in London in 2018。 On the first attempt， I got so lost that I eventually gave up; while a lot still escaped me this time around， I decided that it made sense to not fight the confusion， but to let it carry me， to get lost in the fluidity and lack of containment for which the novel is known。 After all， if Woolf wanted it to be clear and simple to follow， she would have written it that way！In so many ways， The Waves is capital-B Brilliant， capital-L Literature。 Not only are the sentences so marvellously crafted with precise and surprising diction and imagery， but moreover， the kind of philosophising that Woolf does here remains fascinating and again， reveals a mind that was in some ways so far ahead of its time （more on this later）。 The book’s interest in the porousness of lives， bodies， identities， time， and space is its heartbeat， in my opinion。 This sense of dissolution is at first rhapsodically rendered， but after death， the characters experience the impulse to shore up the self against its dissolving; but fluidity is， at the end of the day， inevitable。 Woolf writes of a kind of magnetic， harmonious form of contact， though this is where things get politically dicey as this contact is only extended to some （white， wealthy） bodies while colonial others are made distant by the lowliness she ascribes to them。 Brits are given over to constant motion， while colonial subjects are by contrast rooted and fixed in a ‘primitive’ time。 Again， here is where Woolf becomes so confusing to me， whereby on the subject of race and imperialism she contradicts herself again and again， and seems to differ across fiction， essays， and diaries， as if sometimes writing for herself and at other times writing in the voice of the 20th-century Imperial British Man — though that is not to soften the racism and anti-Semitism to which she obviously did subscribe to some extent。 Though the rhythms of contact are so beautifully realised in the bulk of the book， they are contingent on the ways in which the protagonists — Bernard， Neville， Louis， Percival， Susan， Rhoda， and Jinny — seem to be the only ones who ‘fit’ one another， who hold each others’ shapes。 This reads simultaneously as both sacred friendship and troubling factionalism。 The book’s essential beauty lies in its embrace of porosity and non-fixity， which at its best might be thoroughly harnessed against the racist， exclusionary tendencies that are also espoused。 。。。more

Youmna Hammouda ，

Everytime I read even as little as one line for Virginia Woolf， I become incredibly aware of the power of words and also question how someone with a human soul like the rest of us be capable of using words like such， how someone who breathed the same air as us be capable of provoking so much emotions？ I'm once again reminded why Woolf is my favorite writer。 5🌟______________________"But let me be unseen。 I am green as a yew tree in the shade of the hedge。 My hair is made of leaves。 I am rooted to Everytime I read even as little as one line for Virginia Woolf， I become incredibly aware of the power of words and also question how someone with a human soul like the rest of us be capable of using words like such， how someone who breathed the same air as us be capable of provoking so much emotions？ I'm once again reminded why Woolf is my favorite writer。 5🌟______________________"But let me be unseen。 I am green as a yew tree in the shade of the hedge。 My hair is made of leaves。 I am rooted to the middle of the earth。 My body is a stalk。"______________________"I will take my anguish and lay it upon the roots under the beech trees。 I will examine it and take it between my fingers。 They will not find me。"______________________"Let me pull myself out of these waters。 But they heap themselves on me; they sweep me between their great shoulders; I am turned; I am tumbled; I am stretched， among these long lights， these long waves， these endless paths， with people pursuing， pursuing。"______________________"Alone， I often fall down into nothingness。 I must push my foot stealthily lest I should fall off the edge of the world into nothingness。 I have to bang my head against some hard door to call myself back to the body。"_______________________"Come， pain， feed on me。 Bury your fangs in my flesh。 Tear me asunder。 I sob， I sob。"_______________________"These are fantastic pictures—these are figments， these visions of friends in absence， grotesque， dropsical， vanishing at the first touch of the toe of a real boot。 Yet they drum me alive。 They brush off these vapours。 I begin to be impatient of solitude—to feel its draperies hang sweltering， unwholesome about me。"_______________________"Let me now raise my song of glory。 Heaven be praised for solitude。 Let me be alone。 Let me cast and throw away this veil of being， this cloud that changes with the least breath， night and day， and all night and all day。 While I sat here I have been changing。 I have watched the sky change。 I have seen clouds cover the stars， then free the stars， then cover the stars again。 Now I look at their changing no more。 Now no one sees me and I change no more。 Heaven be praised for solitude that has removed the pressure of the eye， the solicitation of the body， and all need of lies and phrases。"_________________ 。。。more

Jim Lovell ，

What I would really like to do is to read Woolf again but with a Woolf scholar， someone that can help guide me to appreciate her skill。 By myself， I think it is a little beyond me to fully grasp。

Nix ，

Es un libro complejo de leer， la elección de lenguaje， aunque bella es difícil de entender en varios momentos， pero aun así， es un buen libro， con varias frases memorables y distintos mensajes interesante， creo que simplemente no es el libro adecuado para mi。

Adam McAuley ，

This was a stream of consciousness effort。

Lucas Ladeia ，

The waves of life through the minds of a group of characters。 Very deep on thoughts and vague on objective happenings， as always I think with Woolf and the "stream of consciousness" stuff。 I haven't already got the full mood to appreciate it as I believe it can be enjoyable and fertile of insights， anyway it was a beautiful reading。 Hope I'm better within myself next time I try， if I ever do it again。 The waves of life through the minds of a group of characters。 Very deep on thoughts and vague on objective happenings， as always I think with Woolf and the "stream of consciousness" stuff。 I haven't already got the full mood to appreciate it as I believe it can be enjoyable and fertile of insights， anyway it was a beautiful reading。 Hope I'm better within myself next time I try， if I ever do it again。 。。。more

dani ，

The first 70 pages were an absolute slog to get through。 I had to readjust to the writing style of huge paragraph of stream of consciousness， but once I hit page 100， it was off to the races for me。 I felt so invested in these characters （obviously some more so than others） but damn， Woolf sure does know how to write beautifully。 I annotated the shit out of this book because of all the beautiful one-liners。

Ignisalge ，

I saw traces of my own personality displayed in the characters of Bernard， Rhoda and Neville。 The question of how and to what extent others inform my character， my desires and my life is one of the things that has been tormenting me for a quite some time now， as the eternal quandary of self-determination。 It's a concept beautifully realized in the interactions between the main characters and all their little grievances and mutual desires。 Even the mere fact that I liked is riddled with doubts ab I saw traces of my own personality displayed in the characters of Bernard， Rhoda and Neville。 The question of how and to what extent others inform my character， my desires and my life is one of the things that has been tormenting me for a quite some time now， as the eternal quandary of self-determination。 It's a concept beautifully realized in the interactions between the main characters and all their little grievances and mutual desires。 Even the mere fact that I liked is riddled with doubts about how much I'd have liked it if it wasn't a well known classic， which only gets worse when I think about the fact that， since English isn't my mother language， I struggled quite a bit in understanding what certain segments were trying to describe。 This is my first Woolf， taken as a personal challenge of sorts and I must admit I'm very satisfied with the experience。 Impeccable， lyrical experience。 。。。more

eliannaa ，

one of the most beautifully written books i’ve ever read。 even though it’s a novel it felt like poetry and every single sentence made me want to cry。 cant really describe this book other than it felt like a very moving portrait of human existence。 definitely one of my favourite books of all time。

Nona ，

For such a shot book， it took me an unacceptably long time to finish it。。。 and I have not read anything else on the side。 I loved Mrs。 Dalloway and I was so sure I was going to love this one as well。。。 however， it felt like a chore。 It's also not my first try at getting through it。 The first time I tried， though， I was in high-school and it was on a recommended list for my universal literature class; I was unable to finish it， so at least this time I can call it a success。My rating does not nece For such a shot book， it took me an unacceptably long time to finish it。。。 and I have not read anything else on the side。 I loved Mrs。 Dalloway and I was so sure I was going to love this one as well。。。 however， it felt like a chore。 It's also not my first try at getting through it。 The first time I tried， though， I was in high-school and it was on a recommended list for my universal literature class; I was unable to finish it， so at least this time I can call it a success。My rating does not necessarily reflect my enjoyment in reading this， as I guess it's quite obvious from the introduction。 But I do recognize its literary value。 Virginia Woolf was definitely a pioneer when it comes to modernism。 I absolutely loved her writing in terms of vocabulary， phrase construction。 The poetry of it all enticed me， enveloped me in a warm fuzzy blanket of beauty。But something about it felt tedious， maybe her stylistic choices， the multiple points of view， the abstractness of it all。 The novel is mostly a reflection on life， with barely any plot， events and life stages being associated with never-ending the movement of the waves。 I found it mostly sad， with few and widely spaced moments of joy， everything revolving around the death of a non-POV character。It is my understanding that Woolf wrote this novel as an experiment and the characters are modeled after real life people， artists in their own right， that she personally knew。 There's a fluidity to it all， a never before （and， to my knowledge， unrepeated） biographical exercise where the focus is less on the facts of life and more on conscience， feelings， state of mind。 I found it haunting and profoundly intimate。I hope I will someday find the courage to read it again， maybe in a different state of mind， because I do find it brilliantly written and it deserves more from me than I was able to give it right now。 。。。more

Arden ，

THE VIRGINIA WOOLF PROJECT: THE WAVESBook 1: Orlando [3。5/5]Book 2: To The Lighthouse [5/5]Book 3: Mrs。 Dalloway [4/5]Book 4: The Waves [4。5/5]I want to bottle the feeling of finishing a Woolf novel late at night and live in it forever。 To get new followers and friends acquainted， The Waves is the fourth novel I've read in a self-imposed project to read all of Virginia Woolf's novels。 Yes， you read that right。 A high school student with absolutely no pressure from English class to read more than THE VIRGINIA WOOLF PROJECT: THE WAVESBook 1: Orlando [3。5/5]Book 2: To The Lighthouse [5/5]Book 3: Mrs。 Dalloway [4/5]Book 4: The Waves [4。5/5]I want to bottle the feeling of finishing a Woolf novel late at night and live in it forever。 To get new followers and friends acquainted， The Waves is the fourth novel I've read in a self-imposed project to read all of Virginia Woolf's novels。 Yes， you read that right。 A high school student with absolutely no pressure from English class to read more than one book every two months decided to tackle the entirety of a classic author's work of her own volition。 If you think I'm pretentious online， you should see what I'm like in real life。 However， I digress—the point is that reading this book was the latest instalment in this project。It was really， really exceptional。 It's a very experimental novel—it's told in the form of soliloquies from six different characters， with third-person descriptions of waves interspersed—but it has such a uniquely humane perspective on life and relationships that it succeeds in being a compelling story。 It reminds me of one of my favourite films， Mirror （or The Mirror， depending on the translation） in that it feels like art that is meant to be felt rather than understood。 I couldn't dissect this book's plot if you asked me， but I know I felt a visceral ache in my chest for more than half of it。For lack of a better word， The Waves feels like a dream。 You wander around a plain filled with people， listening to their stories while waves （sorry， it is genuinely relevant） crash in the background。 While you may not be able to puzzle out what the story means to each specific person， or even what they mean to say from a chronological point of view， you feel a deep transfer of emotion while absorbing the story。 It does take a while to get into it （hence 4。5 as opposed to 5） but once you're in， you're done for。 Naturally， this absorption is assisted by the insane caliber of Virginia Woolf's prose。 I cannot stress this enough: Woolf was an utter genius who deserves to be taught alongside Orwell， Salinger， and Shakespeare。 （I did a quick search for most common authors taught at the high school level because I go to an alternative school。 It's okay to be pretentious if you admit to it！）I finished reading this book fifteen minutes ago; I always feel such an intense urge to write about Virginia Woolf's novels immediately after I read them。 I suppose that this review is my way of trying to bottle this feeling， to articulate in some form the sheer emotional response that finishing a book like this causes。 In a similar sense to Bernard's final words， I felt as though I was every character （Neville， Jinny， Louis， Rhoda， Susan， Bernard， and even Percival） and yet， in an incoherent but relevant way， utterly myself。 This book earns my highest recommendation。 I think that this project may end up causing me eternal emotional distress， and I mean that as a compliment。 Next up， I'll take on Woolf's first novel。 Join me in the coming weeks in reading The Voyage Out。 。。。more

Kit ，

I thought Orlando was different。The first few pages of reading the Waves is a jarring experience。 Not that anything extreme happened in the plot， for the book lacks the plot itself， but the surprise comes in the actual form of the novel。 Woolf is no stranger to pushing the conventions of the novel， but each book of hers that I've read blows my head right open。The Waves is made up purely of internal / external monologues of its six very different characters as they navigate through life from thei I thought Orlando was different。The first few pages of reading the Waves is a jarring experience。 Not that anything extreme happened in the plot， for the book lacks the plot itself， but the surprise comes in the actual form of the novel。 Woolf is no stranger to pushing the conventions of the novel， but each book of hers that I've read blows my head right open。The Waves is made up purely of internal / external monologues of its six very different characters as they navigate through life from their childhood to old age。 For each different phase of their lives， the book is divided by the different phase of the day， from dawn to past dusk。 Each of these passages begin with the waves at the sea， to the forests of birds， to an ambiguous room where the light of the day gradually reveals and eventually hides again the contents of the room。It is like nothing you'll ever read before and like nothing you'll ever read again。 Then again， I said this after having read Orlando。 It is demanding， as most Virginia Woolf books are - but it is infinitely rewarding - as all Virginia Woolf books are。 When the characters get going in their inner monologues， they are emotionally exposed， vulnerable only to the reader。 We know their weaknesses and fears， their ambitions and accomplishments， but they still cast a shadow。 We know the thoughts of each one and yet， for each of the characters there is still something intangible， ambiguous and makes them even more real。I can relate with every single one， as it may or may not be intended - the six different characters are six different consciousness， which can be present in a single character。 As Bernard described "。。。 I am not one person; I am many people; I do not altogether know who I am - Jinny， Susan， Nevilla， Rhoda or Louis; or how to distinguish my life from theirs。" Do the characters only exist in Bernard's minds， and if they do exist， how much of the soliloquy are properly theirs？In some ways， the book is about relationships - how individuals affect each other and change one another， how the environment affects the individual and the role of memory。 People change overtime， as these characters do， but even years later when they are more mature， there is something that remains static in each of these characters。 As much as it is a book about relationship， it is equally a book about the self。 This can get complex， especially when the reader takes on gendered reading and tussles between the character's own struggles between the masculine and feminine selves。Characters are put into a blender remade in our minds from what they say themselves and from what others say of them， sometimes mockingly sometimes with affection。 Bernard still struggles to finish his stories， and only collected quotes into a little book with no place to put them; Louis， the Australian struggles with his "colonial" accent and as successful as he was， still thirsts for the approval of others， and Jinny， who is constantly sensual。Out of all the characters， I connected with Bernard the most。 For most of the beginnings of each new phase， he kicks off the soliloquy and the others jump in after him。 He is a storyteller who can seldom ever finishes his stories， he is constantly distracted， yet he is the most meditative and he is kind。 The one I understand the least is Rhoda， who I find the most bitter in her outlook on life and culminated in her own suicide。The Waves in the novel is multi-faceted， like the seven sided flowers in the middle of the table， with a different perspective from each side。 The waves is the constant repetition of the rhythm of life， moving in cycles until it ebbs。 It is the singular journey of one wave from its rise to its decline， coming crashing down。 It is the representation of the constant and the chaos， the surface and the depth。 Woolf is a fucking genius。By pushing the form of the novel， Woolf manages to push the form of the language。 Make no apologies for reading this book out loud。 It sounds amazing read aloud。 Woolf is a master weaver of rhythm and language that it is criminal not to listen to how the prose sounds。 Read it aloud in your minds at the very least。 。。。more

Alessia Russello ，

Outstanding 。 A work of art

Lola Sehil ，

J'ai rien compris， mais c'était une lecture incroyable。 Lecteur， attention : si tu te jettes sans rien connaître du roman， les premières pages risquent d'être。。。 désarmantes （ce fut mon cas， oups）。 Qu'on aime ou qu'on n’aime pas， ce roman est un concentré de génie。 Le pitch : nous suivons la vie de six personnages tandis qu'ils grandissent， sous la forme de longs monologues。 Toute l'essence du roman réside dans l'introspection， le flux de conscience。 Rien n'est tangible， tout est intuitif， et si J'ai rien compris， mais c'était une lecture incroyable。 Lecteur， attention : si tu te jettes sans rien connaître du roman， les premières pages risquent d'être。。。 désarmantes （ce fut mon cas， oups）。 Qu'on aime ou qu'on n’aime pas， ce roman est un concentré de génie。 Le pitch : nous suivons la vie de six personnages tandis qu'ils grandissent， sous la forme de longs monologues。 Toute l'essence du roman réside dans l'introspection， le flux de conscience。 Rien n'est tangible， tout est intuitif， et si tu ne comprends rien， ce n'est pas grave。 J'ai été ébahie par ce roman， mais je n'ai pas vraiment apprécié ma lecture plus que ça， d'où les trois étoiles。 Ça reste une expérience de lecture unique。 。。。more

Rosamund ，

Extraordinary。 The prose is close to perfection。

T。E。 ，

I am a fool and thought this book was dull and unreadable because I tried to read it once about 5 years ago in a vague and desultory way。 Woolf has shown me the error of my ways。 An exceptional read

Brandon Cook ，

Moral/ Spiritual value: 0Plot: +1Characters: +5Prose: +5Enjoyability: +3Identities shift。 The thing that makes a person is not a thing， not a person defined by its position in time and space， but a succession。 Life is composed of stories: those stories are told from cradle to grave。 Youth begins in passion， fades into disappointment in middle age， fades into boredom in later years。 This is a beautiful book， though Woolf's attitude is fundamentally life-endearing， rather than life-affirming。 Her Moral/ Spiritual value: 0Plot: +1Characters: +5Prose: +5Enjoyability: +3Identities shift。 The thing that makes a person is not a thing， not a person defined by its position in time and space， but a succession。 Life is composed of stories: those stories are told from cradle to grave。 Youth begins in passion， fades into disappointment in middle age， fades into boredom in later years。 This is a beautiful book， though Woolf's attitude is fundamentally life-endearing， rather than life-affirming。 Her works attain the greatest heights that sheer tragic artistry can reach， but they lack the comedic dimension。 With Joyce's "Ulyssses，" we end "yes， yes， yes;" I'm afraid with Woolf， I cannot help but say "yes yes yes but--" 。。。more

sofia ，

beautiful sobering hideous fantastic :）

Michele ，

🥀💌But alsoWTF Virginia woolf WTF？！？ HOW？！？！ Were you human？ How do you find the words， how can you latch onto that quicksilver vein inside you that recognizes and produces life？！ That vein is so flimsy and rough and drains every light and warmth out of the body， how can you hold it for so long？！ This is not even a book， it is an experience of consciousness， of holding your brain and soul in your hands。 It's bewildering and the most deeply satisfying and moving thing I have experienced。 It took m 🥀💌But alsoWTF Virginia woolf WTF？！？ HOW？！？！ Were you human？ How do you find the words， how can you latch onto that quicksilver vein inside you that recognizes and produces life？！ That vein is so flimsy and rough and drains every light and warmth out of the body， how can you hold it for so long？！ This is not even a book， it is an experience of consciousness， of holding your brain and soul in your hands。 It's bewildering and the most deeply satisfying and moving thing I have experienced。 It took me 10 days to read the first 80 pages， I was unfolding them like a present or a riddle， letting the pictures be recognized by my mind。 Growing an attachment on my brain， a seperate room to fill with what this book has to offer。 I read the last 100 pages in a day。 My brain flowered l。 I am stunned。 。。。more

Ashling ，

' All mists curl off the roof of my being。 That confidence I shall keep to my dying day。 Like a long wave， like a roll of heavy waters， he went over me， his devastating presence - dragging me open， laying bare the pebbles of the shore of my soul。' The waves is a beautifully poetic novel that had me marking every page。When I started this novel， I had no clue what it was about， and when I began， it wasn't what I expected。 This book， to me， is one giant poem， and it is so beautiful。 A lot of the ' All mists curl off the roof of my being。 That confidence I shall keep to my dying day。 Like a long wave， like a roll of heavy waters， he went over me， his devastating presence - dragging me open， laying bare the pebbles of the shore of my soul。' The waves is a beautifully poetic novel that had me marking every page。When I started this novel， I had no clue what it was about， and when I began， it wasn't what I expected。 This book， to me， is one giant poem， and it is so beautiful。 A lot of the lines spoke to me in ways I never expected。 The entire book is about living， growing and death， and we follow the characters all through their lives as children， adults and seniors。 There isn't much to say in plot or character development because it isn't much; it's all lives put into words that create a poem that moves with the waves。 It is a beautiful book; however， I feel like I need to share the issues I found。（I got bored。。。）“There was a star riding through clouds one night， & I said to the star， 'Consume me。” Towards the end， I got bored。 Although I still found the book beautiful， the words didn't resonate with me， and maybe its because I am still too young to understand， and at a later stage may resonate and connect with them more; however， at this point， I could not love them as I did the first chunk of the book。 I think this book is beautiful， and at a later stage in my life， I will re-read to see if I resonate more with the words in the last portion of the book。 。。。more

Cate Tedford ，

A poetic， philosophical， literary masterpiece。 ilysm Virgina Woolf。 I want to live in the pages of this book。 " 'In a world that contains the present moment，' said Neville， 'why discriminate？ Nothing should be named lest by doing so we change it。 Let it exist， this bank， this beauty， and I， for one instant， steeped in pleasure。 The sun is hot。 I see the river。 I see the trees specked and burnt in the autumn sunlight。 Boats float past， through the red， through the green。 Far away a bell tolls， bu A poetic， philosophical， literary masterpiece。 ilysm Virgina Woolf。 I want to live in the pages of this book。 " 'In a world that contains the present moment，' said Neville， 'why discriminate？ Nothing should be named lest by doing so we change it。 Let it exist， this bank， this beauty， and I， for one instant， steeped in pleasure。 The sun is hot。 I see the river。 I see the trees specked and burnt in the autumn sunlight。 Boats float past， through the red， through the green。 Far away a bell tolls， but not for death。 There are bells that ring for life。 A leaf falls， from joy。 Oh， I am in love with life！' " 。。。more

Jules。614 ，

Bellissimo， il mio preferito di Virginia Woolf。 Un lungo flusso di coscienza che racconta le vite di un gruppo di amici。 Fra tutti spicca Rhoda， alter ego dell'artista。 Bellissimo， il mio preferito di Virginia Woolf。 Un lungo flusso di coscienza che racconta le vite di un gruppo di amici。 Fra tutti spicca Rhoda， alter ego dell'artista。 。。。more

Fran ，

I reject the notion that your life peaks at twenty-five and is over by your mid-forties。 Death to the cult of youth。Aside from that， I hate how this book is written。 I understood every word when taken individually but when read in the order that they'd been arranged into a sentence， they made no sense。 Sentences would arrive that when taken in the abstract could mean something but had no surrounding context so were nonsense。 Something would be likened to this， and that， and the other in one sent I reject the notion that your life peaks at twenty-five and is over by your mid-forties。 Death to the cult of youth。Aside from that， I hate how this book is written。 I understood every word when taken individually but when read in the order that they'd been arranged into a sentence， they made no sense。 Sentences would arrive that when taken in the abstract could mean something but had no surrounding context so were nonsense。 Something would be likened to this， and that， and the other in one sentence， resulting in a confusing overload of imagery。 Pick something and stick with it， Virginia。 I know scores of people love this book but what others， apparently， find ~*poetic*~ I found to be pretentious trite。 The characters were pretty much all insufferable too。 Bernard， in particular， needed a slap。 Susan is the most tolerable of all of them。 Rhoda needs a hug and a lot of therapy。 I get it， life is hard and we all have our own internal struggles。 I have no desire to wallow in someone else's self-indulgent misery while they pass judgement on their peers and feel superior to those lower in status than themselves。 Characters would repeat their insecurities in every section as if that's somehow profound and not just tedious。 I get it， Louis， you're embarrassed about your father and have a chip on your shoulder about your accent。 Owning your own publishing house surely has its positives， but also its negatives。 Would Virginia Woolf's works have been published if she hadn't had her own press？ Maybe not， and that would assuredly be a loss。 If she had received acclaim， would she have had the privilege accorded to weighty authors of getting whatever they want published？ Probably not。 There can be strength in a collaborative process and sometimes someone telling you 'no， not this' is beneficial。 This probably wasn't the best Woolf to read as my introduction to her writing。 I will try something else， eventually， because what made this experience so infuriating was that there were a few （very few） glimpses of how good her writing could be。 Unfortunately， they were all instantly overshadowed by some navel gazing， but there were moments。 So no， Virginia， not this。 Skimmed from pg 117， DNF'd at page 170。 May skim the last chunk before book group on Wed eve but it's all Bernard and he's the worst。 Marking as read anyway。 。。。more

ISRAEL ZAVALA ，

Poéticamente melancólico， la vida tras esa ventana opaca por tristeza en la que por momentos se cuela la luz， como caballo galopando con inconmensurable velocidad por la orilla Del Mar。 Muy personal， frágil y etéreo。Se recomienda leer otros títulos de la autora para poder entenderle a su flujo de conciencia o James Joyce， que tiene un estilo de la misma línea。

Pete ，

Fabulous。 cf。， other reviews in this section。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Waves

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Waves&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Waves&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0