Introduction and Notes by Deborah Parsons, University of Birmingham.

"I am writing to a rhythm and not to a plot," stated Virginia Woolf about her eighth novel, The Waves. Widely regarded as one of her greatest and most original works, it expresses the rhythms of life in synchrony with the cycle of nature and the passage of time. Six children - Bernard, Susan, Rhoda, Neville, Jinny, and Louis - meet in a garden near the sea, their voices resonating over the incessant echo of waves rolling back and forth from the shore.

The continuous development of these six main characters, as they evolve from childhood to maturity, pursuing various passions and ambitions, is interspersed with interludes from the timeless and unifying chorus of nature. With pure stream-of-consciousness, Woolf presents a cross section of multiple but parallel lives, each marked by the dissolving force of a common tragedy.

The Waves is her quest through the exploration of individual and collective identity, and the observations and emotions of life, from the simplicity and rushing optimism of youth to the emptiness and despair of middle age.

Pages: 192, Dimensions: 12.9x12.9cm