Mrs. Dalloway

By: Virginia Woolf

Narrated by: Annette Bening

Mrs. Dalloway, perhaps Virginia Woolf’s greatest novel, follows English socialite Clarissa Dalloway as she prepares for a party in post-World War I London. Four-time Oscar nominee Annette Bening (American Beauty, The Kids Are All Right) performs Woolf’s stream-of-consciousness style of storytelling brilliantly, exploring the hidden springs of thought and action in one day of a woman’s life.

When we first meet Clarissa Dalloway, she is preoccupied with the last-minute minutiae of party-planning while being flooded with memories of long ago. Clarissa then examines the realities of the present as the story travels forwards and back in time and in and out of different characters’ minds.

Mrs. Dalloway is daring not only in its stream-of-consciousness form, but also in its content. Woolf’s depiction of Septimus Warren Smith brings to light the ugly and often ignored truth of how the brutality of war can drive men mad. We also get to see in depth how our main protagonist, Clarissa Dalloway, suffers from her own form of psychological damage: the more subtle, everyday oppression of English society.

Explore more titles performed by some of the most celebrated actors in the business in Audible’s Star-Powered Listens collection.©1925 The Estate of Virginia Woolf (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Bening's work here is fine…her tone offers its characteristic grace…both this narrator and this novelist offer tremendous gifts.” (AudioFile)

Stunning narration, stunning story

Virginia Woolf’s prose is brought to life masterfully by Annette Bening. The characters in this story are larger than life.

Shan't give up the dialogue in my mind, not yet

Annette Bening's marvelous performance!

There I was, walking down the streets of London, an insider to every thought and observation. There the clock went, telling them/us the hour: one, two, three.... there, time to go.

Perfect

Great vocal performance, but didn't like the story

I teach British Literature at a High School and hadn't ever read Mrs. Dalloway. It has amazing literary merit, but it was hard to follow especially as an audiobook. The switch of characters' stream of consciousness is more difficult to discern who it's coming from because there are no visual or audio cues. If you're looking for a challenge and to immerse yourself in one of the first stream of conscious novels and the epitome of Modern (post WWI, pre WWII) era literature, go for it.

A Classic of the Earlyt 20th Century

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Bening's performance was masterful, and while it can be slightly difficult to follow between the different characters, the story remains as interesting as ever with some truly great lines

Which character – as performed by Annette Bening – was your favorite?

I think it would have to be between Peter Walsh and Lucrezia.

Pure description of our inner and outer reality

24 of our inner and outer reality.... Amazing!!!! Highly reccomend.... The performance was also very good and entertaining