Mrs. Dalloway

I've read Mrs Dalloway twice before. Loved did but failed to connect it all together and feel its moments. Listening to it being much faster that reading it, transmitted the true spirit of the book. And being Mrs Dalloway, the characters minds and imaginative thoughts enchanted me completely. It is as if I have never read it before. The sense is magical.
I understand now the genius of Woolf's flow of thoughts. I am not a fast reader but if you are then you probably are lucky enough to get the sense by reading alone.
For me, I cannot wait to listen to all Woolf's books and live the magic.
And important to say, an excellent narrater such as Juliet Stevenson is key to that wonderful and accurate transmission.

Beautifully narrated. Listener is transported into the world of Clarissa Dalloway and all the thoughts that percolate through her mind on a june day in London of the 1920's. Wonderful listening, all the nuances articulated with aplomb and brings the book to live.

I read English Literature at University and Virginia Woolf always used to bore me. To The Lighthouse was compulsory reading but I never got past like page 10. Then my favourite movie of all time The Hours came out and I saw some extras about how it's related to Mrs Dalloway and I dashed to a book shop and bought the novel. When I started reading it I found myself actually speaking out the words under my breath, it was so absolutely beautiful, I had to hear the words. (In this way I was only able to read it when I was alone in my room). So the first book I downloaded from Audible was Mrs Dalloway, the second one To The Lighthouse. Juliet Stevenson is the perfect narrator for this book. The detail with which everything and everyone is described blows my mind and I don't mind the slowness because it's like a painting where you just have to stop and look at every little detail, you can't skip anything. Woolf was clearly not only genial but also a beautiful, beautiful mind.

This works so well read out loud, at least when the reader is as good as Juliet Stevenson. You get a real feel of a stream, with London almost one of the characters. I loved the way impressions of the most worthy and formal characters change as they remember their childhood.