Book Snails Book Group discussion

Since more people wanted a BoM than not, we're bringing it back for 2023. As it is nearly Jan, I used a random book selector to choose our first Book of 2023. January's book is the British classic To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf. If you plan on reading or have read this book, please, share your views. Though we do ask that you use spoilers where necessary. Happy reading.


Synopsis-
The serene and maternal Mrs. Ramsay, the tragic yet absurd Mr. Ramsay, and their children and assorted guests are on holiday on the Isle of Skye. From the seemingly trivial postponement of a visit to a nearby lighthouse, Woolf constructs a remarkable, moving examination of the complex tensions and allegiances of family life and the conflict between men and women.

As time winds its way through their lives, the Ramsays face, alone and simultaneously, the greatest of human challenges and its greatest triumph—the human capacity for change.

To slightly formalise the BOM and, hopefully, get a bit of discussion going I am posting a reading schedule and questions. Obviously, this is completely optional. There is absolutely no stress to follow this schedule. Read at your own pace. This is simply for those that might find it useful, and to keep me focused as a mod, so I can get some questions out. I will use chapters instead of page numbers, so that no matter the edition you can follow along.

🔹️Week 1 - Jan 1-7
I - The Window: Chapters 1-9
🔹️Week 2 - Jan 8-14
I - The Window: Chapters 10-17
🔹️Week 3 - Jan 15-21
I - The Window: Chapters 18-19
II - Time Passes
III - The Lighthouse Chapters 1-3
🔹️Week 4 - Jan 21 - 31
III - The Lighthouse Chapters 4-13

I'll track down my copy of the book!

Oh yes! I need to get back on track on reading.
Will borrow book from library. :)

I have another book to finish, but then I will read this one 😃

Awesome. I've got my copy and will crack it open tonight. I wanted to get a little further into Ruby Fever and restart Gone with the Wind. My reading plan is to read 1 big book a month and work the others around it. Since I am going to try and read as many of our BOM as possible, those I can get my hands on anyway, and posit questions for discussion, these will also be spread out over a month. Hopefully, I will not over tax myself.

Questions for I - The Window: Chapters 1-9

1. What do you think about the writing style?
2. How do you find the characters, now that we've been introduced to many of them?
3. What do you think this book is about?
4. We've glimpsed Mr Tansley's longing, and Mr Ramsay's, Mr Bankes's, and Lily's, but what of Mrs Ramsay?

1. What do you think about the writing style?
I find this book a little frustrating. The outrageously long sentences took me a little while to get used to. The shifts between thoughts of the past and present actions are jarring. Both of these issues combined with the florid language of the period make the novel rather dense. Hopefully, as I read on it will get easier
2. How do you find the characters, now that we've been introduced to many of them?
Not sure about any of them except Mr Bankes, in respect to liking them. I do find their actions vs their thoughts interesting. I like little James, boy does he dislike his dad.
3. What do you think this book is about?
No clue.
4. We've glimpsed Mr Tansley's longing, and Mr Ramsay's, Mr Bankes's, and Lily's, but what of Mrs Ramsay.
I don't know what to make of her. She is middle class and adored for her beauty, yet she doesn't seem to care too much about that. She appears sincere in her kindness, though she does have that moment with Mr Carmichael passing when she fears her kindness is possibly just vanity. However, she seems genuine. But is Woolf just giving us an idea of this middle aged woman, juxtaposing her character against the views and desire of those around whom she comforts and attends to, before we get into where Mrs Ramsay is going? I should probably read the synopsis.

Not so long ago, I thought I had to finish a book no matter what, even if I couldn’t stand it, as if someone somewhere was keeping score of my reading habits, and if I dared to put a book down, say, a quarter the way through with absolutely no intention of ever returning to finish it, as if thumbing my nose at the personage keeping said score ( I pictured said personage as an elderly female ) heaps of scorn, the likes of which had not touched my consciousness in any circumstance, would rain down upon me with such vehemence that I would certainly recant, on my knees, forthwith, well, need I say more? Until one day, when as it happened that I myself became such an elderly person, though truly not a personage, per se, it dawned on my bruised and battered consciousness that I could, indeed, simply stop reading the offending tome at any point, nay, any page I chose to do so. Therefore, dear readers, I hereby bow out and look about the heaps of other books which might give me pleasure without a care in the world. I bid you adieu.

Candace wrote: "Not so long ago, I thought I had to finish a book no matter what, even if I couldn’t stand it, as if someone somewhere was keeping score of my reading habits, and if I dared to put a book down, say..."

Lol, Candace. I am with you on leaving books if they don't work. But parts of this are keeping me hooked. I kind of need to know where Ms Woolf is going with this.
"The extraordinary irrationality of her remark, the folly of women's minds enraged him"
"...she did not like, even for one second, to feel finer than her husband; and further could not bear not being entirely sure, when she spoke to him, of the truth of what she said"
"But in her opinion one liked Mr Ramsay all the better for thinking that if his little finger ached the whole world must come to an end. It was not that she minded. For who could be deceived by him...What she disliked was his narrowness, his blindness..."
With gems like these, I feel this could be leading somewhere.

Bravo Candace! That was spot on! How did you do that? I love it!
And I agree, I feel the same responsibility to finish, especially when it’s a classic book. But I don’t get this book at all! On the other hand, I enjoy the ‘tone’ of the book.
I’m reading another, easier to read book next to Woolf’s and have not yet decided if it’s bolder to finish or go on with it 😉

These gems remind me of Pride and Prejudice, except that one had style.

Thanks, Pien. I’m reading two fascinating - to me - books. One is a thriller, Someone Else’s Life, and the other is the last of a Dune trilogy which just came out. Reading To The Lighthouse didn’t compare. At least not for me. Mind you, I’ll read Dickens and the like all day long, but not this.

Classics are tricky. It's why i trnd to avoid them. It took me a whole year to finish Sense and Sensibility. I tried all the others before going back to that one. I forced myself to finish it because i think I should at least see what so many rave about. Turns out it was noty thing. However, I didn't mind reading it. Unlike ready player one. That author owes me 18 hours of life!

Pien, I'd quit if you are not feeling it. Or give it 50% and if it hasn't hooked you by then, let it go.

Yes, I’ll give it one last try and if I don’t like or get it then I’ll quit. Did you dislike Ready player one that much? It might be hard to get those hours back but maybe he can buy you dinner 😄

Glad to see the group is still going strong. And I’ll pass on this one this month. Too much going on in this new year that’s already flying by! Cheers to those reading and enjoying.

I had to return my copy of To the Lighthouse a week ago. Once I get it back, i will be carrying on.

Candace - that's brilliant, and I agree. I've been wading through it for a week, and although I think Woolf is a clever psychologist, I'm not sure that's enough to entice me to reach the end

Jane, thanks. There’s just no need to waste time like that when you can’t stand what you’re reading. L O L.

Alright, i got to 48% and had to bow out. I liked the weird run-ons at first, but the more I read the more they started to annoy. Then we got to a bit about a brooch, which lasted ages, and I couldn’t take any more. So I, too, am with Candace on this one.

Well Keli, I would say that 48% is very good. try bravo.