Goodness how time flies. Suddenly it is almost May and phase two of #Woolfalong is drawing to a close.
The idea for March and April was to read one or more of: The Voyage Out, Night and Day (Virginia Woolf’s first and second novels) or Between the Acts which was her final novel.
Having read The Voyage Out last year, I read Night and Day in March, probably Virginia Woolf’s most conventional novel, and also her longest. The novel examines relationships within marriage and asks whether love and marriage can co-exist. The novel contrasts the daily lives of the central characters in the novel. I loved it – it is just so wonderfully evocative of a time and place.
In April I read Between the Acts – Woolf’s final novel published after her death without the revisions she would have undoubtedly have made. It is a novel which heralds the coming of the war which was already raging when V W was writing. Although it won’t be my favourite novel by Virginia Woolf – it is beautifully written and so evocative again of a time and place.
There have been other people reading for phase two – and I’ll do my best to include them all here.
On Twitter Eleanor who blogs at Lit Nerd informs me she has been loving The Voyage Out, Caroline from Bookword also read The V oyage Out, which was a re-read for Caroline. While Jamie from These Infinitely Obscure Lives chose The Voyage out for her very first ever book review on her new blog. Phillipa also from Twitter has read both The Voyage Out and Between the Acts. Phillipa says it has been fascinating to read Woolf’s first and final novels. Brona has also been reading The Voyage Out – and I look forward to her thoughts. Margaret from Booksplease says she will need some time to get her thoughts together before writing about The Voyage Out. David from David’s Book World has posted his thoughts on his reading of The Voyage Out.
Like me Audrey from Books as food loved reading Night and Day a novel she says reminded her of Jane Austen.
Anneontheshelf – from Twitter was thoroughly engaged by Night and Day and also went on to Between the Acts. Liz has finished April reading Between the Acts which I am sure she will review soon, and intends to go on to read Night and Day soon.
Sarah from Hard Book Habit read Between the Acts which she says gave her much to chew on. I definitely agree with that. Karen from Kaggsy’s bookish Ramblings re-read Between the Acts she calls the prose, wonderful, vibrant and musical. Another blogger who reviewed Between the Acts was O from Behold the Stars.
Thank you everyone who has kept me company with Phase 2 – if I have missed anyone please let me know. I realy hope some of you will be back to join in Phase 3.
Phase three of #Woolfalong is just days away. The theme short stories – any collection or even just one or two single stories. I aim to read two collections. Happy Woolfing.
Giveaway results
My giveaway for the OUP editions of Orlando and Flush and a small hardback edition of Woolf’s story Kew Gardens closed on Monday night. The winners are as follows.
Orlando has been won by Margaret of Books Please
Flush has been won by Cathy at 746books
and Liz from Adventures in reading, writing and working from home – has won that lovely little copy of Kew Gardens.
All the winners have already been notified and the books will be winging their way to their new homes in the next few days.
heavenali 
Really enjoying the Woolfalong, Ali – I shall dig out some short stories soon! 😀
Ooh good glad you will be reading some shout stories.
I’m playing catch up with #Woolfalong Ali …great to have all these links & comments to compare as I do😊
Don’t worry it is hard to fit everything in sometimes. 😊
Fab ! Now the dust has settled on my move ( and the books are unpacked!) I will join you for the short stories !
Excellent I know you love your Woolf.
I’m about 2/3 of the way through the Voyage Out, so will come back and check out these reviews when I’m done.
I’m thoroughly enjoying it, but I just don’t seem to be on top of all the reading and blogging stuff this year at all. Everything is getting away from me.
I’ll be back…..:-)
Ooh I had missed you – really glad you are enjoying The Voyage Out.
That’s okay I’ve been under the radar with just about everything this year! Trying to do too many things at once – case in point replying to comments on my phone as I walk to work 😁
I’ve a collection of Woolf’s short stories winging their way to me this very moment and I can’t wait to get stuck it! 🙂
Great. I must admit I have ordered a third volume of stories which should arrive today or tomorrow – just in case.
This has been such a pleasure so far – thank you, Ali! I’m looking forward to the shorter fiction section…and to the rest of the year.
So glad you’re enjoying #Woolfalong Audrey.
PS Excited to see that you’re reading the Constance Fenimore Woolsons! I grabbed those the minute they came out but am saving them for when I have more time.
Oh yes. I can highly recommend them. I still have quite a bit of the biography to go but it is fascinating and we’ll written.
I am, as ever, late embarking on Stage 2, only beginning The Voyage Out late last night, but am smiling and sighing with pleasure already. She’s not one to rush, though, so it will be a while, I think till I post a review. Something which didn’t strike me when I first read Woolf but I’d doing so now, is just how funny she is. I wonder whether in my teens and twenties I was too into the old Romantic idea of the suffering, tortured artist, which of course she also illustrates in her death. I’m thinking youth is often black OR white, and the holding of oppositions and nuances of emotion takes time. I loved her writing then; what is happening now is loving it for more, All the things I found THEN are of course still there, but there is so much more. And it’s also easier to see the things one dislikes – class attitudes – and still love what one loves. She just makes me think so much about what I’m experiencing in reading her
Don’t worry about being late it really doesn’t matter. Really looking forward to your thoughts. I’m glad that this #Woolfalong project is so rewarding for you.
It’s being brilliant. And I’m looking forward to revisiting my first ever Woolf, the dearly loved Orlando
I’m starting Between the Acts tonight! And hope to get Night and Day in too, soon. Thank you for picking me as you winner for Kew Gardens; I reckon I’ll get that and Mrs Dalloway’s Party read in the next two months …
You have a lot of wonderful reading there ahead of you.
[…] and April it’s been Beginnings and Endings, and although Ali’s already put together a round-up post, I’m hoping I’ll be able to sneak onto […]
I have about a quarter of The Voyage Out left to read and I’ll need some time, I think, to sort out my thoughts before writing about it – there’s so much in it. I’m really looking forward to reading Orlando – thanks so much for the giveaway.
My pleasure. Look forward to your thoughts on The Voyage Out. I hope you enjoy Orlando as much as I did.
[…] I’m afraid – wanted to get the Woolf reviewed as near to the end of Heaven-Ali’s #Woolfalong Phase 2: Beginnings and Endings project as I could, and then I picked a tiny one off the beginning of the shelf to read in scraps […]
Always late to the party, but here’s my review of The Voyage Out. When I have some time I will get around to all the other reviews too 🙂
Thanks for hosting this event and getting me into my very own Woolf voyage!
http://bronasbooks.blogspot.com.au/2016/05/the-voyage-out-by-virginia-woolf.html
Thanks for the link Brona.
@Brona: Hi! I really liked your post. I had the same problem writing about The Voyage Out: I wanted to write a clever stream-of-consciousness post about it, but wasn’t able to pull it off. There’s so much to write about in the novel that in the end I found myself stymied by it. I did enjoy reading the book, though.
At long last I’ve finished writing about The Voyage Out. Here’s my post –
http://www.booksplease.org/2016/05/08/the-voyage-out-by-virginia-woolf/
Thanks for the link Margaret. ☺
[…] books today, I’m afraid – wanted to get the Woolf reviewed as near to the end of Heaven-Ali’s #Woolfalong Phase 2: Beginnings and Endings project as I could, and then I picked a tiny one off the beginning of the shelf to read in scraps […]
[…] Phase 2 – March/April – beginnings and endings – The Voyage Out/ Night and Day (Woolf’s first and second novels or Between the Acts,Woolf’s final novel […]