392. The Years

The Years
Virginia Woolf
1937
Around 445 pages

There are way too many Woolf novels on this List, and I say that as a fan. Although I enjoy some of her other works, the only novels I would label as essential reads are Mrs. Dalloway, Orlando, and To The Lighthouse. And we are still not done! Reading this one just bummed me out, considering her mental state at the time.

The novel traces the history of the Pargiter family for nearly 50 years. She has a brilliant way of opening each chapter with a simple sentence to establish the time of year. This really makes the story seem timeless, rather than fixed on certain dates in the twentieth century. Although I usually enjoy family sagas, she tends not to dwell on the juicy and scandalous details. Instead, we just see single days in the lives of fairly ordinary people.

I don't find the scattered prose easy or enjoyable to read. Maybe it was Mrs. Dalloway length, it would have been more digestible. One more to go before the official Woolf ranking.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Last novel published in her lifetime.

Woolf's sister designed the cover art.

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