To the Lighthouse

Set on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, To the Lighthouse centres the Ramsay family and their beautiful summer home that overlooks the bay. Through her characteristic stream-of-consciousness technique, Woolf invites readers into the inner thoughts and emotions of her characters, particularly Mrs. Ramsay, who embodies the nurturing force within the family, and Mr. Ramsay, a philosopher preoccupied with his legacy. When we first meet the Ramsays, their home is alive with the vibrancy of life and the hopeful plans of a visit to the nearby lighthouse. Over the course of a decade, Woolf paints a hauntingly beautiful portrait of the family and the passage of time. At the approach of the First World War, the tone of the novel shifts and we witness the house's gradual decay.

First published in 1927, To the Lighthouse is a meditation on the passage of time and the persistence of memory. Woolf's innovative narrative structure and poetic prose have made this novel one of the most celebrated works of modernist literature.