50 pages • 1 hour read
The Waves
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Book Brief
324
Novel • Fiction
England • Early 20th Century
1931
Adult
18+ years
Super Short Summary
The Waves by Virginia Woolf, set in early 20th-century England, explores the intertwined lives of six friends—Bernard, Susan, Rhoda, Neville, Jinny, and Louis—from childhood to adulthood. Through stream-of-consciousness narration, it delves into their personal experiences, emotional landscapes, and evolving identities, employing soliloquies to depict their internal monologues and complex relationships. This book contains themes of depression, identity crises, and death.
Contemplative
Melancholic
Bittersweet
Nostalgic
Mysterious
Reviews & Readership
46,470 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Review Roundup
Virginia Woolf's The Waves is praised for its poetic and experimental narrative, offering deep introspection and a unique portrayal of consciousness through its six characters. However, some readers find its abstract structure challenging and less accessible. The novel's lyrical prose and innovative form are lauded for pushing literary boundaries, despite its complexity.
Who Should Read The Waves?
A reader captivated by the introspective, lyrical style of The Waves by Virginia Woolf would relish experimental narrative forms and deep psychological insight. Fans of James Joyce's Ulysses and Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time would find similar delight in Woolf's innovative, stream-of-consciousness prose.
46,470 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
324
Novel • Fiction
England • Early 20th Century
1931
Adult
18+ years
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