The novel takes place during a single day in London 5 years after the end of World War I in the summer of 1923.  Clarissa Dalloway who is a well-to-do socialite is concerned with preparing for an upcoming party she is holding to which even the Prime Minister may drop in.  The story is written from the perspective of many of those who are attending the party, their views of Clarissa and her life as well as her reflecting on her own choices and the path her life has taken.  

 

One of the main focuses in the novel is that of Septimus Warren, a young traumatised soldier with a family who has struggled to reintegrate into society his mind unable to cope with the memories and experiences which have led to his complete mental breakdown.  Virginia Woolf herself suffered from mental illness so she herself understood the terrible effect of mental illness and she was ahead of her time in discussing and tackling the difficult topic of the human psyche in this way. 

 

There are no chapters in the novel it feels like a freewheeling expression of consciousness as the characters express their feelings through their various thoughts as they come to mind.  I think it is really well written but nonetheless is not an easy book to read.