Virginia Wolf’s The Years

I read one page of this, I paused, and I went to check out the reviews online from other literary experts. Then, I read the introduction to the book by Susan Hill. Okay. So much to say, actually not really. Ms. Hill gives a good introduction that really describes the book well. It was really popular, but it was not Virginia Wolf’s best work. The copy that I bought at Waterstones is from Vintage Classics, and it has a really nice, artistic cover. But, I’m so glad that I did not invest in a more expensive copy right away. There may be one with more literary criticism excerpts attached within circulating around, like the kind that W.W. Norton & Company publish. But, I’d have to look into that if I ever decide to incorporate this particular book into a Modernist course or something.

Being familiar with Virginia Woolf’s work, I thought this would be closer to Mrs. Dalloway. But, in all honesty, it is a longer and more boring version of To The Lighthouse, of which I intend to do a review soon. Anywho… I tried switching hats as a reader and modifying my perspective from entertainment reader to hardcore literary critic. It didn’t work. I’m only slightly embarrassed to say that I re-homed this particular book in the trash bin. Ouch! Maybe one day I will try again because, come on, it’s Virginia Freakin’ Woolf. I don’t think there is a film version of this. Again, the closest one would be The Hours with Nicole Kidman. It’s such a female, angsty film. One for the feminists in the room. Read The Years if you want to fall dead asleep or get side-tracked in a random daydream. Otherwise, for the (contemporary) pleasure reader, this one is a skip it.

Works Cited

Woolf, Virginia. The Years, with an introduction by Susan Hill. Penguin: Vintage Classics, 2016.