- Book Club: To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf (1927)Link visible for attendees
Welcome to the 15th best novel on our list and one of literature's great treasures.
This novel explores the dynamics of the Ramsay family over a span of ten years, centered around their summer vacations to the Isle of Skye in Scotland before and after World War I.
Woolf does not use a single protagonist in the traditional sense; instead, she features a collective of central characters, with the narrative focus shifting between them. There are two characters whose inner lives and perspectives are most deeply explored: Mrs. Ramsay and Lily Briscoe.
Mrs. Ramsay is pivotal in the first part of the novel. Her role as a mother, wife, and hostess of the Ramsay's holiday home explores themes related to family, gender roles, and the nature of fulfillment.
Lily Briscoe emerges more prominently in the latter parts of the novel, where her journey as an artist seeking to find her voice and vision parallels the broader themes of perception, creativity, and the search for meaning.
Woolf's exploration of these themes encourages readers to reflect on their own experiences of the impermanence of life, loss, and the search for understanding.
Give this a read and join me for an engaging discussion!