Mrs. Dalloway: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

It is the second time I've read it, the first over 40 years ago. It is radical in so many ways, women and their roles in society, sexuality, shell shock and other, what were probably taboo subjects, being addressed according to the intelligences and through the streams of the various characters' consciousness. Seeing their world through their eyes and through the eyes of others invited to the party, a picture emerges of boundaries, privacy and the unknown qualities of those who might even be dear to each other. How well can you really know someone and even if you think you do how far can you, or indeed dare to, articulate that? I am very pleased that The Literary Queers chose this book - a book I thought I despised because of its protected and privileged characters and which I find filled with the humanity of those who have seen both despair and joy in each moment.

always a great read