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To the Lighthouse cover art

To the Lighthouse

By: Virginia Woolf
Narrated by: Nicole Kidman
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Summary

To the Lighthouse is Virginia Woolf’s arresting analysis of domestic family life, centering on the Ramseys and their visits to the Isle of Skye in Scotland in the early 1900s. Nicole Kidman (Moulin Rouge, Eyes Wide Shut), who won an Oscar for her portrayal of Woolf in the film adaptation of Michael Cunningham’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Hours, brings the impressionistic prose of this classic to vibrant life.

Split into three parts, the story observes Mrs. Ramsay, Mr. Ramsey, and their children at their vacation house on the Isle of Skye. While the novel follows seemingly trivial events between the family members, the plot takes a backseat to philosophical introspection, which gave the novel its fame as an icon of modernist literature. The Ramseys’ quest to recapture meaning creates a powerful allegory of man’s impermanent battle with the tangible world.

©1927 Virginia Woolf (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about To the Lighthouse

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Worth persevering!

Would you listen to To the Lighthouse again? Why?

Definitely not as although it was an ultimately fulfilling listen it was hard work and demanded a lot of concentration and perseverance.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Loved the quality of the writing.

Have you listened to any of Nicole Kidman’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to Nicole Kidman narrate an audiobook before but think she is an amazing actor. She narrates this book perfectly and evokes the perfect, mesmerising atmosphere.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Definitely not! Could only listen in half an hour sittings.

Any additional comments?

I really think this would be an easier read than a listen. I first read this almost 30 years ago and felt it was time to revisit it. The writing is beautiful and I could listen to Nicole Kidman read the beautiful prose for hours. However in order to keep focused and keep up with who was who I had to listen in short bursts.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Bleak performance

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Only for a lover of Woolf. I find her stream of consciousness works dreary.

Has To the Lighthouse put you off other books in this genre?

Not really.

What didn’t you like about Nicole Kidman’s performance?

Everything. I thought, since she played Woolf in The Hours, she would nail it, but it was very bad and very boring to listen to. Firstly, she assumes her natural American accent, which I found unfitting for a book taking place in Scotland and by an English author. Secondly, her voice is very mellow, it wasn't clean enough to make the performance stand out, it seemed as if she were murmuring the book to herself. There were many instances in which she resorted to vocal fry, which I found particularly unpleasant to listen to. I think she killed the book with her performance.

Any additional comments?

Never ask Nicole Kidman to narrate anything again!

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable reading of a classic

Nicole Kidman's dry, deep voice really adds to this classic novel. I found it a little hard to get used to her at the beginning, but after a couple of chapters couldn't imagine anyone else reading it. I hadn't read (listened to!) any Virginia Woolf for a long time, and it was a pleasure to rediscover 'To the Lighthouse'. The shifts in perspective are brilliant. I love the way a character's view of another character can shift so many times in a short walk to the village.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Nicol Kidman's voice is grating

Would you try another book written by Virginia Woolf or narrated by Nicole Kidman?

No

What did you like best about this story?

Its got some fantastic character portraits

How could the performance have been better?

If someone else had read it

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I like Virginia Woolf's writing

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Disappointing :(

I went into this audiobook with high expectations. Admittedly, the coastal settings were evocative, the prose beautiful, the characters interesting. However, I found it somewhat inaccessible and rambling in places, and struggled to empathise with any of the characters. This was due in no small part to Nicole Kidman's rather unemotional (monotonous) narration, delivered at almost breakneck speed. Disappointed.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Stream of etc

I read this many years ago for my degree, and it was nice to listen and not have to deconstruct et cetera. Although Nicole doesn’t have an upper-class English accent, I found her voice quite relaxing. I think she did well.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Bored me silly.

“She thought, he thought” over a couple of hours. Nothing wrong with the narration but talk about pretentious b******s! Oh and there’s a lighthouse they look at whimsically.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Superb performance

Kidman's reading is a joy, her performance commendable. Of course Woolf's prose is a delight. Thoroughly enjoyable.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • JR
  • 21-03-21

I mean, it doesn't get better than this!

Nicole Kidman reading Virginia Woolf is nothing shy of perfection. Possibly the best audible I've done yet.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Beautifully read

Quite a slow but very descriptive, melancholy story, read beautifully by Nicole Kidman. I enjoyed it.

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