Mrs. Dalloway

By: Virginia Woolf

Narrated by: Annette Bening

Mrs. Dalloway, perhaps Virginia Woolf’s greatest novel, follows English socialite Clarissa Dalloway as she prepares for a party in post-World War I London. Four-time Oscar nominee Annette Bening (American Beauty, The Kids Are All Right) performs Woolf’s stream-of-consciousness style of storytelling brilliantly, exploring the hidden springs of thought and action in one day of a woman’s life.

When we first meet Clarissa Dalloway, she is preoccupied with the last-minute minutiae of party-planning while being flooded with memories of long ago. Clarissa then examines the realities of the present as the story travels forwards and back in time and in and out of different characters’ minds.

Mrs. Dalloway is daring not only in its stream-of-consciousness form, but also in its content. Woolf’s depiction of Septimus Warren Smith brings to light the ugly and often ignored truth of how the brutality of war can drive men mad. We also get to see in depth how our main protagonist, Clarissa Dalloway, suffers from her own form of psychological damage: the more subtle, everyday oppression of English society.

Explore more titles performed by some of the most celebrated actors in the business in Audible’s Star-Powered Listens collection.©1925 The Estate of Virginia Woolf (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Bening's work here is fine…her tone offers its characteristic grace…both this narrator and this novelist offer tremendous gifts.” (AudioFile)

Superb narration

Narration brought life to the characters. My first reading of a book by Virginia Woolf. Audible was definitely better than trying to read it.

I now remember I don't like V. Wolf!

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Not at all. I kept waiting for something to happen. It was dull I sped up the voice to get it over faster. There was a lot of talking but she really didn't have anything to say.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Something more fun, like War and Peace

Which character – as performed by Annette Bening – was your favorite?

None. Though she was good.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Nope.

Exquisite, poetic prose

I was almost scared away from this book by reading some of the reviews, but I'm glad I wasn't. I've read and disliked some books that have been described as "stream of consciousness" before, but I totally loved this one - I guess it just depends on whose consciousness you're streaming. Virginia Woolf's communicates the beauty and terror of existence as fully as the best poetry, even while sticking to the realm of everyday life.

I'm glad I listened to it instead of just reading it, because I was able to hear more of the lyric beauty in the sounds of the language than I would've in print. Still, I'm not sure Annette Bening was the right choice for this one. Her reading was too breathy and precious, I think a delivery with more frankness and straightforwardness would've let the beauty of the writing shine through better, rather than getting in the way. Still, this is definitely one I'll listen to again.

A stream of consciousness

Really well done performance of a classic novel. Mrs Dalloway was a novel that was part of the modern movement in literature. It is one day in the life of the title character, a sort of shallow upper class london housewife, and a second wife, a woman who's husband has come back from WWI a hero, with a severe case of PTSD. There's no "story" as such, nothing happens, but rather it's streams of consciousness as the individuals go through the day. Woolf is more interested in how these characters think than what they do. And of course, it involves suicide... because that was an impulse Woolf struggled with for years (it's generally accepted that she suffered from bipolar disorder and had her first breakdown at age 13) until she finally lost the fight.

Great Book!

I really loved this book. I read along and also had some supplementary materials to make sense of it, but it was a great read, meaningful, and beautiful. The narration was also great!

The unique writing style and the way that everything fell into place by the end of the story.

Not the most exciting or interesting book. Not very easy to understand. All that being said I really liked the actual book itself. It was a nice quick read.

Narration was painful; increase speed to tolerate.

Love Annette Bening the actress but this narration was sooo slow and the mid sentence pauses for breath (or intended emphasis?) made listening painful for me. Increasing speed by 15% finally allowed me to focus on and enjoy the actual storyline.

Airy

Unless you are an upper class person who throws parties, you are going to get lost on more than one occasion. Great book to fall asleep to.

An outstanding rendition

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes and with an unqualified positive recommendation. The performance presents the story in an engaging way that keeps the listener hanging onto every word.

What did you like best about this story?

The focus on internal dialogs.

What about Annette Bening’s performance did you like?

Ms. Bening's reading is highly nuanced, evidence of a deep understanding of the book and of her finely honed acting skills.

If you could rename Mrs. Dalloway, what would you call it?

EITMOB (Engagingly Inside The Minds of Brits)

Any additional comments?

Get Ms. Bening back in the studio ASAP.

Junior High School reading

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

It's hard to concentrate when it seems that the reader -- Bening - isn't. Her reading is amateurish -- surprising -- and one feels she is not "present.' Her voice is pleasant enough, but that's not enough. She's supposed to be an actress.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

yes