Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

Mrs Dalloway follows Clarissa Dalloway, a high-society woman in post-WWI London, as she prepares for a party. Over the course of a single day, Woolf weaves together the inner thoughts of Clarissa and those around her, including a shell-shocked war veteran named Septimus. The novel’s stream-of-consciousness style immerses readers in the characters’ memories, anxieties, and fleeting joys. Themes of time, mental health, and societal expectations intertwine as Clarissa reflects on her choices and Septimus grapples with trauma. Woolf critiques the rigid class structures and gender roles of her era while celebrating the beauty of everyday moments. The book’s lyrical prose and layered storytelling cement its status as a modernist masterpiece, resonating with readers today as a meditation on existence and connection .