Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
The novel chronicles a day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, a high-society woman in post-World War I England, as she prepares for a party she is hosting that evening. Throughout the day, she encounters various characters from her past, including a former suitor and a shell-shocked war veteran. The narrative jumps back and forth in time and in and out of different characters' minds, exploring themes of mental illness, existentialism, and the nature of time.
The 38th greatest book of all time
Ranking Details:
Our ranking system awards points to books based on their appearance and position on curated lists. Here's how it works:
Unranked Lists: For lists without specific rankings, each book receives points equivalent to the list's weight. This approach recognizes the book's inclusion on prestigious lists.
Ranked Lists: Books on ranked lists receive points in two ways:
- Base Points: Initially, every book is awarded points equal to the list's weight, acknowledging its significance.
- Bonus Points: Additionally, books earn bonus points based on their ranking. The total bonus pool, equal to 100% of the list's weight, is distributed among the books, with higher-ranked books receiving more points.
Exponential Distribution: The distribution of bonus points follows an exponential model. This means the top-ranked book (#1) receives significantly more bonus points than those further down the list (e.g., #100). Our algorithm ensures that higher placements are rewarded more generously, reflecting the achievement of a top rank on any given list.
This scoring system ensures that each book's ranking reflects both its presence on multiple lists and its positions within those lists, providing a comprehensive measure of its acclaim and popularity.
Total Points: 4214
This book was first published in 1925
59 Lists
- score: 217 -- The 100 Best Books from 1900 to the Present - 2024 (Weight: 190)
- score: 206 -- Fifty French Writers Choose Their Favorite 10 Books - 2022 (Weight: 170)
- score: 200 -- Top 100 Works in World Literature - 2002 (Weight: 200)
- score: 195 -- The Top 10: The Greatest Books of All Time - 2007 (Weight: 180)
- score: 195 -- The 100 Greatest British Novels - 2015 (Weight: 160)
- score: 191 -- The 100 Best Books of World Literature - 2018 (Weight: 190)
- score: 190 -- El Pais Favorite Books of 100 Spanish Authors - 2008 (Weight: 190)
- score: 190 -- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die - 2006 (Weight: 180)
- score: 188 -- The 50 best books of the past 100 years - 2022 (Weight: 167)
- score: 180 -- For The Love of Books - 1999 (Weight: 180)
- score: 170 -- Best Foreign Work of Fiction Chosen by Francophone Writers - 2006 (Weight: 170)
- score: 169 -- Harenberg Buch der 1000 Bücher - 2005 (Weight: 160)
- score: 150 -- 100 Books You Must Read Before You Die - 2020 (Weight: 142)
- score: 148 -- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read - 2009 (Weight: 140)
- score: 145 -- The Ideal Library - 2024 (Weight: 120)
- score: 145 -- Best Books (Fiction, Prose) : Experts Choose Their Favourites - 1996 (Weight: 137)
- score: 134 -- The 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century - 1999 (Weight: 118)
- score: 124 -- The 100 Stories that Shaped the World - 2019 (Weight: 120)
- score: 116 -- 100 Books, 100 Companions - 2023 (Weight: 110)
- score: 105 -- 200 Books That Shaped 200 Years of Literature - 2021 (Weight: 105)
- score: 104 -- The Triangle’s 100 Best - 1999 (Weight: 97)
- score: 93 -- The 100 Most Important Translations - 2018 (Weight: 80)
- score: 83 -- Radcliffe's 100 Best Novels - 1998 (Weight: 80)
- score: 63 -- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon - 1994 (Weight: 60)
- score: 60 -- Our Users' Top 100 Favorite Books of All Time - 2024 (Weight: 60)
- score: 42 -- A Century of World Literature 1925 - 2025 - 2025 (Weight: 40)
- score: 38 -- Harvard Book Store Staff's Favorite 100 Books - 2011 (Weight: 33)
- score: 31 -- The New Lifetime Reading Plan - 1999 (Weight: 30)
- score: 31 -- Gabriel García Márquez’s Formative Reading List - 2003 (Weight: 30)
- score: 31 -- The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time - 2004 (Weight: 30)
- score: 30 -- 100 Greatest Books of All Time - 2024 (Weight: 30)
- score: 28 -- A Hundred Novels to Change Your Life - 2019 (Weight: 28)
- score: 21 -- 100 Essential Books - 2009 (Weight: 20)
- score: 21 -- The Spouter-Inn; or, A Conversation with Great Books - 2024 (Weight: 20)
- score: 21 -- 12 Novels Considered the Greatest Book Ever Written - 2016 (Weight: 20)
- score: 20 -- The 500 best books of all time from Culture Café users - 2008 (Weight: 20)
- score: 17 -- 100 Best Books to Read by Women Authors - 2021 (Weight: 16)
- score: 16 -- TIME Magazine All Time 100 Novels - 2005 (Weight: 16)
- score: 11 -- The Telegraph’s 100 Novels Everyone Should Read - 2009 (Weight: 10)
- score: 10 -- Nancy Pearl's 100 Good Reads, Decade by Decade - 2009 (Weight: 10)
- score: 10 -- Masterpieces of World Literature - 1991 (Weight: 10)
- score: 10 -- How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Reading List - 2003 (Weight: 10)
- score: 10 -- The 100 Greatest Novels of All Time: The List - 2003 (Weight: 10)
- score: 10 -- Everything You Should Read without Being a Library Rat - 1972 (Weight: 10)
- score: 10 -- The 100 Greatest Novels - 2007 (Weight: 10)
- score: 1 -- Entertainment Weekly's Top 100 Novels - 2013 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The Complete 500: OCLC - 2024 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The Well-Educated Mind - 2003 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 125 Books We Love for Adults - 2020 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- A Century of Reading - 2018 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 100 Great 20th Century English-language Works of Fiction by Women - 1998 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 100 Best Novels Written in English - 2015 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Novels that Changed The World - 2022 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books - 2013 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Books by Women That Every Man Should Read - 2022 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 500 Must Read Books - 2013 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 50 Best-Loved Novels Written by a Woman (United Kingdom) - 2003 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 100 Must-Read Classics, as Chosen by our Readers - 2022 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 50 Classics You Must Read Before You Die - 2024 (Weight: 1)