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Mrs Dalloway
Mrs Dalloway
Dec 31, 2025 7:05 AM

Author:Virginia Woolf

Mrs Dalloway

In Mrs Dalloway, Virginia Woolf explores the events of one day, impression by impression, minute by minute, as Clarissa Dalloway's and Septimus Smith's worlds look set to collide - this classic novel is beautifully repackaged as part of the Penguin Essentials range.

'She had a perpetual sense, as she watched the taxi cabs, of being out, out, far out to sea and alone; she always had the feeling that it was very, very dangerous to live even one day.'

On a June morning in 1923, Clarissa Dalloway, the glittering wife of a Member of Parliament, is preparing for a party she is giving that evening. As she walks through London, buying flowers, observing life, her thoughts are of the past and she remembers the time when she was as young as her own daughter Elizabeth, her romance with Peter Walsh, now recently returned from India; and the friends of her youth. Elsewhere in London Septimus Smith is being driven mad by shell shock. As the day draws to its end, his world and Clarissa's collide in unexpected ways.

In Mrs Dalloway Virginia Woolf explored the events of one day, impression by impression, minute by minute, and recorded the feel of life itself.

'One of the most moving, revolutionary artworks of the twentieth century' Michael Cunningham

'Woolf is Modern. She feels close to us.' Jeanette Winterson

Born in 1882, Virginia Woolf was the daughter of the editor and critic Leslie Stephen, and suffered a traumatic adolescence after the deaths of her mother, in 1895, and her step-sister Stella, in 1897, leaving her subject to breakdowns for the rest of her life. With her sister, the painter Vanessa Bell, she was drawn into the company of writers and artists such as Lytton Strachey and Roger Fry, later known as the Bloomsbury Group. Among them she met Leonard Woolf, whom she married in 1912, and together they founded the Hogarth Press in 1917. Her first novel, The Voyage Out, appeared in 1915, and her major novels include Mrs Dalloway (1925), the historical fantasy Orlando (1928), written for Vita Sackville-West, the extraordinarily poetic vision of The Waves (1931), and Between the Acts (1941). Woolf lived an energetic life, reviewing and writing and dividing her time between London and the Sussex Downs. In 1941, fearing another attack of mental illness, she drowned herself.

Reviews

One of the most moving, revolutionary artworks of the twentieth century

—— Michael Cunningham

Woolf is Modern. She feels close to us.

—— Jeanette Winterson

Funny, touching, well-constructed, sharply evocative of time and place and written with characteristic Amisian aplomb. It is a first class addition to his oeuvre

—— Spectator

Will have you whooping with delight

—— John Osborne , Literary Review

An almost flawless story of love... Moran emerges as a true hero

—— Los Angeles Times

Tyler is not merely good, she is wickedly good

—— John Updike

Pure magic, a contemporary fairy tale that overflows with affection, mystery and laughter

—— Washington Star

Naqvi's fast-paced plot, foul-mouthed erudition and pitch-perfect dialogue make for a stellar debut

—— Publishers Weekly

Welsh performs the mysterious feat of making you think that his characters are real.

—— Theo Tait , Guardian

A brilliantly funny, scary, sweeping novel with all the energy of Welsh's debut, but imbued with a wider sense of political and social engagement.

—— Doug Johnstone , Independent on Sunday

It’s brilliant and even more thrilling than its predecessor.

—— Simon Humphreys , Mail on Sunday

Like Trainspotting, Skagboys thrusts along with the exuberance of its episodic stories. Welsh hasn't lost his flair for comic set pieces.

—— Robert Collins , Sunday Times

Quite simply a masterpiece…at least as assured and vibrant in its characterization as Trainspotting, Skagboys is even more on the money politically… This novel more than any other, (including its brilliant predecessor) stands as our spiritual and moral history.

—— Scotsman

It was never going to be light reading, but Welsh's vigour, wit and energy still make it compulsive.

—— Charlotte Sinclair , Vogue

Skagboys is a compelling tale…a seriously entertaining piece of work.

—— Peter Murphy , The Irish Times

If you too loved the colloquial tangle of Trainspotting, you'll find a similar rhythm in Skagboys.

—— Andrew Collins , Word Magazine

There is enough of what Welsh does well - needle-sharp dialogue, vivid characters and a certainty of place - to make Skagboys his best work in many years…an essential read.

—— Timothy Mo , Irish Examiner

A cracking read.

—— Time Out

Very good.

—— Sam Leith , Prospect

The prose flows easily, underpinned with a wry humour that counters the harsh, modern realism

—— Big Issue in the North

Totally awesome!

—— Edinburgh Evening News

I would recommend this book in a heartbeat...young or old - it's just brilliant!

—— Books4Teens.co.uk

In the safe hands of none other than Mr. Steven Spielberg, this is your last chance to read the book before the movie hype drowns out the written word. A mixed up dystopian fantasy adventure novel with more nods to 80’s pop culture than even the biggest John Hughes fan will be able to handle, it’s just a whole lot of fun to read

—— 'Best books of 2015’, All in London

This is one you need to read before EVERYONE knows about it!

—— So Feminine

Ultimately entertaining, enthusiastic and enjoyable. A real must-have for any collection…a beautifully constructed piece of escapism which will pull you in with such vigour that you miss your train stop.

—— Live Magazines

Powerful and very timely message

—— Guardian

This novel's great achievement is to capture the tensions and subtleties of a married life cut short… I read [it] virtually in one sitting, but that's a fairly common experience with Anne Tyler books… I didn't want it to end. Which is also a fairly common Tyler thing.

—— Viv Groskop , Independent on Sunday

The Beginner’s Goodbye is a very funny book … every incident is at once recognizably true to life and yet somehow utterly off-kilter.

—— Edmund Gordon , Times Literary Supplement

Brims with wry perceptiveness and rueful humour

—— Peter Kemp , Sunday Times (Books of the Year)

Tyler's playful humour imbues this unsentimental portrait of a mismatched marriage

—— Emma Hagestadt , Independent

A cleverly observed tale of an imperfect relationship and grief

—— Big Issue in the North

A bittersweet, utterly beguiling story of love and loss from a brilliant writer

—— John Koski , Mail on Sunday

Both compelling and deeply touching, once you start reading you won’t want The Beginner’s Goodbye to end

—— Hannah Britt , Daily Express

It begins with one of those sentences that impels you to read on…Tyler’s haunting tale of love and loss is intelligent, unsentimental and often wryly funny

—— The Lady

A lovely, stylish way to write a novel about marriage

—— William Leith , Evening Standard

A beautifully poignant portrait of marriage, loss and grief

—— Good Housekeeping

Exhibit[s] all the delicious readability that admirers of Tyler expect

—— Brandon Robshaw , Independent on Sunday

Both compelling and deeply touching, once you start reading you won't want The Beginner's Goodbye to end

—— Hannah Britt , Scottish Daily Express

An emotionally satisfying book with wise and moving moments

—— Good Housekeeping

Cline [crafts] a fresh and imaginative world from our old toy box ... Cline strikes the nerves of nerd culture as expertly as Andy played that skeleton organ in The Goonies.

—— Entertainment Weekly
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