I think you are the only person who has actually talked me into giving Woolf a second chance. My only experience with her was Night and Day, and, to be honest, I didn't think much of it. Doing a quick search online, I've found there is only one translation of The Years to Portuguese, which kind of explains why this book isn't really talked about here (and this one edition is unavailable in all major bookshops websites). But if I were to give Woolf a second chance, would you say I'd better read To The Lighthouse or The Years? I loved the second part of this newsletter. Literature is interesting, but History is a passion. Your 'piece' on Devil's Acre reminded me of Notes of Old Edinburgh by Isabella Bird. Its a heartbreaking read (and it seems she is describing something out of a horror film) but it shows how deep Victorian 'poverty rabbit hole' was.
Hello Diana. Thanks so much for your comment. I haven't read Night and Day yet but I believe The Years is quite close to that style. So, if you're looking to try something different, then To The Lighthouse might be best. Like Night and Day, The Years has a more traditional story structure and prose, while To The Lighthouse is much closer to the stream of consciousness style. I tried To The Lighthouse a few years ago and gave up after seventy pages because I couldn't get into its rhythm. So I think it's a novel that demands the right kind of mood. The second time I tried it I couldn't put it down. There is a wonderful, haunting section in the middle that will stay with me for a long time. I wonder if you've thought about reading Woolf's Orlando? The concept is wild - following one character who lives for over three hundred years - but it covers quite a lot of history. I will definitely look up Isabella Bird's Notes of Old Edinburgh. Thank you for recommending!
Orlando sounds like something I could really enjoy. It certainly explains why Tilda Swinton wears an 18thc costume on the film poster for Orlando. Notes of Old Edinburgh will haunt me forever. It shows poverty at its lowest and horrifying level.
I think you are the only person who has actually talked me into giving Woolf a second chance. My only experience with her was Night and Day, and, to be honest, I didn't think much of it. Doing a quick search online, I've found there is only one translation of The Years to Portuguese, which kind of explains why this book isn't really talked about here (and this one edition is unavailable in all major bookshops websites). But if I were to give Woolf a second chance, would you say I'd better read To The Lighthouse or The Years? I loved the second part of this newsletter. Literature is interesting, but History is a passion. Your 'piece' on Devil's Acre reminded me of Notes of Old Edinburgh by Isabella Bird. Its a heartbreaking read (and it seems she is describing something out of a horror film) but it shows how deep Victorian 'poverty rabbit hole' was.
Hello Diana. Thanks so much for your comment. I haven't read Night and Day yet but I believe The Years is quite close to that style. So, if you're looking to try something different, then To The Lighthouse might be best. Like Night and Day, The Years has a more traditional story structure and prose, while To The Lighthouse is much closer to the stream of consciousness style. I tried To The Lighthouse a few years ago and gave up after seventy pages because I couldn't get into its rhythm. So I think it's a novel that demands the right kind of mood. The second time I tried it I couldn't put it down. There is a wonderful, haunting section in the middle that will stay with me for a long time. I wonder if you've thought about reading Woolf's Orlando? The concept is wild - following one character who lives for over three hundred years - but it covers quite a lot of history. I will definitely look up Isabella Bird's Notes of Old Edinburgh. Thank you for recommending!
Orlando sounds like something I could really enjoy. It certainly explains why Tilda Swinton wears an 18thc costume on the film poster for Orlando. Notes of Old Edinburgh will haunt me forever. It shows poverty at its lowest and horrifying level.
I love the Orlando film with Tilda Swinton. It opens in the Elizabethan age and there’s a gorgeous scene where the river Thames is frozen over.