To the Lighthouse Audiobook By Virginia Woolf cover art

To the Lighthouse

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To the Lighthouse

By: Virginia Woolf
Narrated by: Nicole Kidman
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To the Lighthouse is Virginia Woolf’s arresting analysis of domestic family life, centering on the Ramseys and their visits to the Isle of Skye in Scotland in the early 1900s. Nicole Kidman (Moulin Rouge, Eyes Wide Shut), who won an Oscar for her portrayal of Woolf in the film adaptation of Michael Cunningham’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Hours, brings the impressionistic prose of this classic to vibrant life.

Split into three parts, the story observes Mrs. Ramsay, Mr. Ramsey, and their children at their vacation house on the Isle of Skye. While the novel follows seemingly trivial events between the family members, the plot takes a backseat to philosophical introspection, which gave the novel its fame as an icon of modernist literature. The Ramseys' quest to recapture meaning creates a powerful allegory of man’s impermanent battle with the tangible world.

Explore more titles performed by some of the most celebrated actors in the business in Audible’s Star-Powered Listens collection.©1927 Virginia Woolf (P)2012 Audible, Inc. Classics Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Heartfelt Classics Literature Collection

Critic reviews

"If Virginia Woolf herself can’t narrate her 1927 novel To the Lighthouse, then Nicole Kidman - who won an Oscar for her role as Woolf in 'The Hours' - is the next best thing. With her cut-glass Australian enunciation, Kidman skips nimbly between the minds of each character at the Ramsays’ Scottish summer cottage, slowing and softening to convey the sobriety of Mrs. Ramsay’s maternal guilt ('she was certain that he was thinking, we are not going to the Lighthouse tomorrow; and she thought, he will remember that all his life'), and tightening her voice to reiterate time and again one houseguest’s sneer that women 'can’t paint, can’t write.'” (The New York Times Book Review)

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Beautiful Writing • Poetic Language • Psychological Depth • Introspective Narrative • Evocative Imagery • Soothing Voice
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I hadn’t read or listened to any Virginia Woolf novels and wanted to venture into this classic. I didn’t find the story to carry any interest with little plot to speak of l and was hoping for more from Nicole Kidman, better characterization with male vs female roles. Didn’t happen.

Probably should find a different Woolf book

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If you are looking for a fast pace novel, this is not it. However, the author use an interesting method. This is a novel about persons and their interior lives versus a story or event. The events and locales are merely the background for the characters. It is a novel to read once, and carefully, but I am uncertain if I will re-read again.

To the Lighthouse - Performed by Nicole Kidman

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So confusing! The chapters are really out of order. Other than that I love the atmosphere of the book.

The chapters are so out of order.

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Modernism is the British Library’s name for the writing style of this elegant novel. It requires more than one listening (two for me), similar to revisiting a painting in a museum. Recommend reading commentary about the book prior and during listening. Look for an annotated version to supplement listening.

Listening to a Painting

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I had to force myself to finish the audiobook. The story was very difficult to follow, it was if all the characters molded into one, additional, the narrator Nicole Kidman read most of it as it there were no punctuations.

She ended her sentences/chapters on a high note, but flat.

They were no “joy” in the story. No love…
There were no identification to say the story was a 3 part narrative. It was just all over the place. I was waiting to find out what caused of the sudden death but of Mrs. Ramsey but didn’t hear it.
It was chaotic and read more like a poetry than an ordinary story.

If you want to be tortured, go ahead a purchase this book.

Difficult to follow

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monotone voice and complete lack of emotion made it nearly impossible to keep my attention.

Terrible narration

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A difficult read by lovely to listen to. Much easier to follow the audible version.

Beautiful reading by Nicole Kidman

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Not sure why I stuck with it. Kidman wasn't clicking in the first few chapters. I was surprised they didn't go back and rerecord them later to get a better take. But when she found her voice I got drawn in more and more. Woolf's rhythmic and repetitive writing is hypnotic, like waves in a sea of words, but never overwhelming. While I didn't really know what was what or who was who in the first part, like I was eavesdropping on strangers' conversations and town gossip while on summer vacation, the second part of the book clicked for me psychologically, deftly adding details to the canvas to make an impressive impressionistic collage of images and thoughts.

It picks up if you give it a chance.

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Nicole Kidman does a fantastic job.
Beautiful wring, beautiful story!
Much easier to listen to the book than to read it one’s self.

I loved it!

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I enjoyed the read and the narration was amazing. The only problem was that It was a little difficult to keep along with the story line.

Good

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