To the LighthouseTo the Lighthouse
Score Classic
What it's about
The Ramsay family and their guests spend summers at a house on the Isle of Skye before the First World War. Young James wants to sail to the lighthouse, but his harsh father says the weather won't allow it. Then time passes, ten years in a few short pages, bringing war and death. Afterward, some of them return, and a painter, Lily Briscoe, tries to finish her picture.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the TIME, Modern Library and Bokklubben lists of the greatest novels. It's Woolf's masterpiece, a novel about time, memory and loss, told from inside her characters' minds.
You'll love it if you liked
Mrs. Dalloway
The Hours
MiddlemarchGood to know
There's little plot; it's told through shifting thoughts. The middle section, Time Passes, is short and devastating.
By the numbers
- Readers12 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics92 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller30 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #165 of the 309 literary novels we rank
- #405 of the 762 classics we rank
- #1389 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving
More by Virginia Woolf
If you like this, read next
The Color Purple
The Caine Mutiny
East of Eden
I, Claudius
Angle of Repose
The Winds of WarExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is To the Lighthouse worth reading?
Yes. It's on the TIME, Modern Library and Bokklubben lists of the greatest novels. It ranks #1,389 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 69.2 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is To the Lighthouse about?
The Ramsay family and their guests spend summers at a house on the Isle of Skye before the First World War. Young James wants to sail to the lighthouse, but his harsh father says the weather won't allow it. Then time passes, ten years in a few short pages, bringing war and death. Afterward, some of them return, and a painter, Lily Briscoe, tries to finish her picture.
How long does it take to read To the Lighthouse?
About 6 hours (260 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after To the Lighthouse?
If you liked it, try Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, The Hours by Michael Cunningham or Middlemarch by George Eliot.