I just couldn't get into it at this point in my life. It's been gathering dust.

Offered to K00kaburra on May 11, 2006.

En route to k00kaburra soon.

Looking forward to reading this book :) I will get to it as soon as I can!

I almost put this book down after the first 100 pages. The writing was difficult to get into and I kept thinking to myself, "is it worth the bother?"

I am SO glad that I did persist through the book, because it certainly was worth it. Woolf's writing is very lyrical and flows so freely (and so scattered!) that I sometimes had to re-read sentences multiple times to make sure I'd understood things correctly. It was slow going compared to my usual reading; but it was so beautiful! There's a passage in the book where Mr. Ramsey is reading, and it explains my approach to the book rather well:
"He read...as if he were guiding something, or wheedling a large flock of sheep, or pushing his way up and up a single narrow path; and sometimes he went fast and straight, and broke his way through the bramble, and sometimes it seemed a branch struck at him, a bramble blinded him, but he was not going to let himself be beaten by that; on he went, tossing over page after page."

Woolf's briar patch of words is thick and convoluted, but it was completely worthwhile picking it apart in spite of the slow start.

This is book no. 686 on the "1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die" list.