To the Lighthouse

Worth persevering!

Would you listen to To the Lighthouse again? Why?

Definitely not as although it was an ultimately fulfilling listen it was hard work and demanded a lot of concentration and perseverance.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Loved the quality of the writing.

Have you listened to any of Nicole Kidman’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to Nicole Kidman narrate an audiobook before but think she is an amazing actor. She narrates this book perfectly and evokes the perfect, mesmerising atmosphere.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Definitely not! Could only listen in half an hour sittings.

Any additional comments?

I really think this would be an easier read than a listen. I first read this almost 30 years ago and felt it was time to revisit it. The writing is beautiful and I could listen to Nicole Kidman read the beautiful prose for hours. However in order to keep focused and keep up with who was who I had to listen in short bursts.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

Enjoyable reading of a classic

Nicole Kidman's dry, deep voice really adds to this classic novel. I found it a little hard to get used to her at the beginning, but after a couple of chapters couldn't imagine anyone else reading it. I hadn't read (listened to!) any Virginia Woolf for a long time, and it was a pleasure to rediscover 'To the Lighthouse'. The shifts in perspective are brilliant. I love the way a character's view of another character can shift so many times in a short walk to the village.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Disappointing :(

I went into this audiobook with high expectations. Admittedly, the coastal settings were evocative, the prose beautiful, the characters interesting. However, I found it somewhat inaccessible and rambling in places, and struggled to empathise with any of the characters. This was due in no small part to Nicole Kidman's rather unemotional (monotonous) narration, delivered at almost breakneck speed. Disappointed.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Nicol Kidman's voice is grating

Would you try another book written by Virginia Woolf or narrated by Nicole Kidman?

No

What did you like best about this story?

Its got some fantastic character portraits

How could the performance have been better?

If someone else had read it

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I like Virginia Woolf's writing

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Bleak performance

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Only for a lover of Woolf. I find her stream of consciousness works dreary.

Has To the Lighthouse put you off other books in this genre?

Not really.

What didn’t you like about Nicole Kidman’s performance?

Everything. I thought, since she played Woolf in The Hours, she would nail it, but it was very bad and very boring to listen to. Firstly, she assumes her natural American accent, which I found unfitting for a book taking place in Scotland and by an English author. Secondly, her voice is very mellow, it wasn't clean enough to make the performance stand out, it seemed as if she were murmuring the book to herself. There were many instances in which she resorted to vocal fry, which I found particularly unpleasant to listen to. I think she killed the book with her performance.

Any additional comments?

Never ask Nicole Kidman to narrate anything again!

4 of 7 people found this review helpful

Someone paid Nicole Kidman to read this?!

I tried several times to start listening to this book before returning it as i could not get into it at all. I found Nicole Kidman’s performance incredibly awkward and difficult to follow. She made the oddest intonations resembling a primary school child reading something for the first time. Amazing choice of reader! Big star shines very dull indeed. Meow.

Beautiful narration

Listening to this was almost like listening to petter and beautifully narrated by Nicole Kidman.

Masterful use of language

The overall synopsis of the story is very simple and about a family, their holiday within Skye and whether they will go to see a lighthouse which is situated on a rock just out to sea. What on paper appears to be a very boring and strange story when it is actually read suddenly becomes more alive.

What the story is actually about is the individual thoughts and their thought process. It is a book which is entirely in the moment and with the strange random thoughts that often ping into people’s minds.

For me what brought the book alive was Woolf’s masterful use of language; the beauty and weird nature of words which can evoke so much. I loved the sometimes rhythmic words, the use of poems and reiteration of the same word. The impact of these was lovely and I found at times that I just wanted all these words to wash over me. The impact of this was that I found that I sometimes did not pay enough attention to listening to the story and found that I was a bit lost as to what was happening.

I think this is a book which requires repeat listening to both fully understand the linear story and also to begin to get to grips with each characters individual consciousness.

A tough book but one which is worthwhile!

An amazingly written novel "to the lighthouse"

I had in my mind Virginia Wolf played by Nicole Kidman in the film the hours which was the previous title of Mrs Dalloway hence why choosing her voice for the narration of " to the lighthouse". I find that her reading and intonation are impeccable. Highly recommended

Beautiful writing read seamlessly

A beautifully written book with such vivid descriptions of surroundings and characters brought to life through the superb reading using the words the author so carefully wove onto the pages.