ŷ������

“He smiled the most exquisite smile, veiled by memory, tinged by dreams.��
To The Lighthouse ~~ Virginia Woolf



To The Lighthouse was my first exposure to Virginia Woolf. I was working on a production of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf & I thought I should read something by Woolf. For no particular reason I chose To The Lighthouse . I remember enjoying it, being fascinated by it, but not really understanding what I'd read.

How could I have missed the brilliance and artistry of To The Lighthouse on my first read? How could I have been so blind? Sadly, I could not see how Woolf shows us that time changes everything ~~ and more importantly ~~ changes nothing. I had read Dickens, Twain, the Brontes, Austen, Porter, Dostoyevsky, & reveled in their insights on the human condition. Why then was I so blind to what Woolf had to offer? As I look back on this first reading, I was probably too young & obviously too stupid to comprehend To The Lighthouse .

Years later I became a huge fan of Woolf. In fact, I've been on Woolf binge the last two years, but never found my way back to To The Lighthouse .

Fast forward to 2019. My friend, Srđan, was reading To The Lighthouse ; his excitement was contagious, so I decided to revisit To The Lighthouse . I'm so glad I did. Revisiting this book was a revelation.



"She had known happiness, exquisite happiness, intense happiness, and it silvered the rough waves a little more brightly, as daylight faded, and the blue went out of the sea and it rolled in waves of pure lemon which curved and swelled and broke upon the beach and the ecstasy burst in her eyes and waves of pure delight raced over at the floor of her mind and she felt, It is enough! It is enough!"
To The Lighthouse Virginia Woolf



What words would best describe To The Lighthouse ~~ exquisite, impressionistic, simple and most of all luminous. The prose cradles and rocks the reader just like the sea that surrounds the Ramsay family.

Woolf saw To The Lighthouse as a requiem to her parents, and her childhood. The themes here are marriage, childhood, parentage, reminiscence and grief ~~ all themes familiar to Woolf.

To The Lighthouse is a portrait of a family's holiday in the years before and after World War I. Mrs. Ramsay is at the center of this world ~~ a wife, mother to eight children, the hostess to the guests who fill the holiday home in the Hebrides ~~ where an expedition to the lighthouse may or may not happen. Mrs. Ramsay's spirit permeates every page of To The Lighthouse ~~ no easy feat considering the events that take place.

Again, Woolf uses her stream of consciousness and multiple perspectives technique. This allows the reader a feeling of living in the pages of To The Lighthouse , creating a very intimate experience for the reader.

To The Lighthouse is divided into three sections, The Window, Time Passes, and The Lighthouse. The first section portrays the tensions of her family's holiday ~~ the Ramsays have been joined by a group of friends and colleagues. A planned journey to the fabled lighthouse lies at the center of section one.

We also meet painter Lily Briscoe early in the first section. She is attempting to paint a picture of Mrs Ramsay and James, but she is unsure of herself as an artist, her confidence is shaken by Charles Tansley as he declares that women cannot write and cannot paint. Lily ~~ or should we say Virginia ~~ will hear this thought echoing in her mind throughout the rest of her life.



The second section To The Lighthouse is brilliant. Time indeed does pass ~~ things have changed. We learn what has happened to the Ramsay family over the past 10 years. The house stands empty, abandoned by the family these past 10 years for reasons you must discover on your own. What fascinates me most about Time Passes is how the house becomes a character in its own right ~~ the house is a living thing.

In the final section of To The Lighthouse, members of the Ramsay family and their guests from ten years earlier return to the house ~~ another trip to the lighthouse is proposed. We see the changes ~~ and more importantly the lack of change ~~ that has taken place in the Ramsay family. It is a fascinating view of both the Ramsay family and Lily Briscoe.

I find my review to be wanting. This review ~~ none of our reviews ~~ can sum up what an extraordinary experience reading To The Lighthouse is.

To The Lighthouse is a captivating, fascinating, thought-provoking novel that sparks endless introspection and reflection with its many intriguing themes. Thank you Srđan for helping me to rediscover such a brilliant piece of writing.