Mrs. Dalloway

Phyllida Law's beautiful reading may be the perfect way to experience Woolf's modernist masterpiece. As Clarissa Dalloway goes through a day in June in London just after WWI, a day on which she is giving a party, the narrative takes her to her youth in memory, to her first loves, then forward and back again in time to the people she has admired, to the woman she has become, the marriage she has made, and her anxieties for her daughter, so different from herself. Woolf weaves in threads of people whose lives intersect Clarissa's, from the servants to the royal family, until we see a perfect portrait of a moment in place and time. Throughout, Law's ability to render distinctions of class, of age, of sex and of temperment is glorious, and makes for a gem of a literary experience. B.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine

Virginia Leishman gives a fine performance of this audiobook. Virginia Woolf's novel captures a day in the title character's life and intersperses throughout that day Clarissa Dalloway's stream-of-consciousness reminiscences. The novel can be difficult to follow at times, but hearing it performed aids in comprehension. Leishman's crisp voice goes far in lending direction to challenging prose and adding interest to moments that at first seem insignificant. Mrs. Dalloway is a woman on the verge of the next stage of her life, and hearing the novel performed offers the reader a glimpse into the fears, hopes, and inevitable changes that next stage will certainly bring. L.B.F. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine

Published in 1925 and showing the influence of Freud and Joyce, this perceptive, richly textured novel follows the title's society matron through one seemingly insignificant June day. In the hands of a mediocre interpreter, the whole exercise would sound tediously empty. Fortunately, Eileen Atkins, whose one-woman show on Woolf, A ROOM OF ONE'S OWN, captivated The West End and Broadway, displays a thorough intimacy with both style and subtext. She vigorously shares her insight, along with her excellent taste and technique, with the listener. Technically not as fine as the writing and performance, this recording nonetheless stands out as an important work beautifully delivered. Y.R. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

This audiobook, one of Woolf's most famous novels, takes place over the course of one day, following Clarissa Dalloway as she prepares to host a party. The past and present overlap in Clarissa's memory as she interacts with a broad range of characters. Woolf's stream-of-consciousness style has a halting, labored air as narrator Helen Lloyd makes her way through repetitive sentences and abrupt shifts. Lloyd's voice is lovely, and her skill as a narrator is clear, but this novel does not make the best use of these qualities. That said, some listeners may prefer the audio to the print version because it does get the story across efficiently. For other listeners, Woolf's prose may come across as too stilted and cold. L.B.F. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine