This is a short story that reads like an impressionistic painting in words. Just beautiful! ( )

Interesting play with scale and interspecies' perspectives, I love the way the language blends at the end.

Tres relatos de Virginia Woolf son los que componen este libro y que muestran lo que a ella le gustaba denominar momentos de existencia. En ellos, personajes y acciones quedan supeditados a imágenes poéticas, alejadas de las banalidades de la vida.
En «Kew Gardens» ambientado en el fabuloso jardín botánico de Londres, nos introduce, como diría T. S. Eliott, en «un montón de imágenes rotas» que van desde el movimiento perezoso de un caracol a las conversaciones de los paseantes por el jardín.
En «Una casa encantada», publicado por primera vez en la antología Monday or Tuesday, reescribe un tradicional cuento de fantasmas. Una pareja recibe la visita de unos espectros que ponen en evidencia el mundo de lo superficial.
En el tercer cuento, «La marca en la pared», hace uso del monólogo escrito en primera persona para hacernos volar de un recuerdo a otro, teniendo como origen la marca en la pared de su habitación.
Acompañan a estos magníficos cuentos las ilustraciones de Elena Ferrándiz, que consiguen sumergirnos en el personal mundo de Virginia Woolf a través de un trabajo lleno de metáforas y símbolos maravillosos.

Kew Gardens was originally published with illustrations by Vanessa Bell, Virginia Woolf's sister. I'd love to read that edition (or a reproduction, something that doesn't cost a hundred dollars). I imagine it would add another layer to this interesting slice-of-life story. Kew Gardens is very fluid, but I suppose that is just part of the Stream of Consciousness style. I think you have to be in the mood to read Stream of Consciousness/Virginia Woolf. She is not a writer you can casually pick up, I think. Her work requires a certain amount of focus.

Kew Gardens feels like an escape from the city. Four different sets of people move in and out of the narration as they pass an oval flower bed in Kew Gardens. It's an observational story. The reader gets to watch these people (and the snail) and hear little snippets of their conversations. I enjoyed it and it's left me wanting to read more Woolf. Maybe next week I'll take on Solid Objects. If you want to sample Woolf, get a taste of her style, Kew Gardens is a great place to start. It's a wonderful and very short story. However, if you can't handle the style of Kew Gardens, I'd steer clear of To The Lighthouse and Mrs. Dalloway. For me, Kew Gardens was a reminder of how much I enjoy Woolf. ( )

Only read it because it is so short!

And I don't remember any of it! ( )