This book really wasn’t for me at all. There were some beautiful quotes but there were too many things that stopped me enjoying it. Because of the omniscient narration and the lack of chapters it felt like stream of consciousness. In fact it reminded me of the 12 pages I once managed of Ulysses before returning it to the university library unfinished.

Mrs Dalloway is about several characters in their 50s and a few of them spend the book lamenting the too-swift passage of time and looking back on their younger years with regret, dissatisfaction and shame. The most interesting character for me was Septimus but his story was brief. He was tragically misunderstood by those close to him, and is ultimately reduced to a talking point at a party.

In short this is my most depressing read of 2021, ostensibly because it felt so real. It’s set in 1920s London society and the characters are just living their lives; their concerns are silly but very realistic.

This is the first book by Woolf I’ve read and I feel put off looking into her other novels.