The Waves traces the lives and interactions of seven friends in an exploratory and sensuous narrative. The Waves was conceived and written during a highly political phase in Woolfs career, when she was speaking on issues of gender and of class. This was also the period when her love affair with Vita Sackville-West was at its most intense. The work is often described as if it were the product of a secluded, disembodied sensibility. Yet its writing is supremely engaged and engaging, providing an experience which the reader is ...
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The Waves traces the lives and interactions of seven friends in an exploratory and sensuous narrative. The Waves was conceived and written during a highly political phase in Woolfs career, when she was speaking on issues of gender and of class. This was also the period when her love affair with Vita Sackville-West was at its most intense. The work is often described as if it were the product of a secluded, disembodied sensibility. Yet its writing is supremely engaged and engaging, providing an experience which the reader is unlikely to forget. With an Afterword by Sam Gilpin.
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This was the second novel that I read by Virginia Woolf, and I was not disappointed. Woolf's superior ability to delve into the human mind and show us a character's thoughts is showcased in The Waves as she uses the interior soliloquy to lead us into the minds of six characters. Soon enough, one can identify the character without even reading who is speaking. Woolf's central idea is the constancy of life, how we carry the same thoughts and misgivings with us throughout time. I was engrossed by this novel and plan to read it a second time, because there is something on each page that catches your attention and speaks to you. If you are looking for a novel that will speak to you and that you can become involved in, The Waves is for you.
