“Daughter Dalloway” by Emily France is a compelling historical fiction that serves as a retelling of Virginia Woolf’s classic “Mrs. Dalloway”. Set in 1952, the novel follows Elizabeth Dalloway, the daughter of the character from Woolf’s work, as she navigates the complexities of her identity and legacy in post-war London.

The plot unfolds with Elizabeth, now 46 years old, feeling overshadowed by the memory of her mother, Clarissa Dalloway, a paragon of elegance and societal perfection. The narrative takes us through Elizabeth’s introspective journey as she stumbles upon a World War I medal inscribed with a cryptic message from her mother to a soldier, Septimus Warren Smith. This discovery propels Elizabeth on a quest across London to unravel the mystery of her mother’s disappearance after the summer of 1923.

Emily France’s writing is rich and evocative, capturing the essence of the era and the internal struggles of a woman who feels inadequate in comparison to her mother’s towering image. The story alternates between the events of 1952 and flashbacks to 1923, offering a poignant contrast between Elizabeth’s youthful aspirations and her present-day reflections.

The novel is not just a journey through time but also a commentary on the societal expectations placed on women. Despite the decades that have passed, Elizabeth realizes that the pressures to conform and excel in every aspect of life remain unchanged. The book delves into themes of self-discovery, the weight of legacy, and the pursuit of individuality amidst rigid social norms.

While “Daughter Dalloway” pays homage to Woolf’s masterpiece, it stands on its own as a novel that explores the timeless struggle of living up to expectations—both self-imposed and societal.

This novel is the sequel to Mrs. Dalloway. It focuses on her daughter Emily. I wished the novel focused solely. I wasn’t really invested in the other characters. I also thought it was slow moving. There were some scenes that disturbed me. Still, I recommend this for fans of Virginia Woolf!

Emily France is a phenomenal author, and her respect for Virginia Woolf's original novel "Mrs. Dalloway" is extremely clear. Her storytelling jumps right off of the page, and the themes prominent throughout this book are written in such a powerful way.

This book focuses mainly on Mrs. Dalloway's daughter, Elizabeth, as well as on Octavia Smith. With various timelines interweaving throughout, parts of each story begin to connect to one another. Ms. France seamlessly weaves elements from the original story with new.

I recommend this book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC of this book, and to Blackstone Publishing for sending me a physical ARC as well. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thank you NetGalley, Publishers and Emily France for gifting me a copy of Daughter Dalloway in return for my honest opinion.

3/5 stars

A retelling of Virginia Woolf's classic Mrs. Dalloway, from the point of view of the famous socialite's only child, Elizabeth

It is 1952 and forty-six-year-old Elizabeth Dalloway--arguably the most inept socialite in all of London--is fresh off yet another of her awkward parties. She feels she has failed at almost everything in life, especially living up to her perfect mother--the elegant Mrs. Dalloway, the woman who never made a misstep, the woman who never arrived for her very own party at the end of the 1923 Season. And hasn't been heard from since.

Elizabeth has given up ever finding out what really happened that summer until she comes across a WWI medal inscribed with a mysterious message from her mother to a soldier, Septimus Warren Smith. Elizabeth sets out to find a member of his family in the hopes she will finally learn her mother's fate. Her journey takes her across London as she pieces together that last summer of 1923 when Elizabeth was a seventeen-year-old girl who escaped her mother's watchful eye and rebelled against the staid social rules of prewar England. A girl who caroused with the Prince of Wales and sons of American iron barons, a girl determined to do it all differently than her mother. A girl who didn't yet feel like a failure.

Faithful to the original yet fully standing alone, Daughter, Dalloway follows Elizabeth as she discovers the truth: though decades have passed and opportunities for women have changed, expectations haven't: to be it all, whatever the costs. And that she shares much more with her mother than she ever knew.

This was a tough one for me. There were too many timelines and characters to keep up with so some chapters were disjointed and hard to follow. I wish she had either cut one of the timelines out or focused on one less character.

I did like how Emily France tied mental health into this novel. I wish it had come about a little quicker but I'm glad to see a book address it, especially from a book set in this time-frame.

All in all, other than touching on mental health issues there wasn't a lot that jumped out and grabbed me with this book. I think there is a lot of potential but it wasn't there for me yet.

For starters, this is a retelling of Mrs. Dalloway so I suggest reading that first. I feel like the stories were gross referenced a lot. I was kind of lost at some points, but in the end everything was tied up. This does talk a lot about mental health and there are some triggers so know that before going into it!

Quick and Dirty⁣
-a retelling of Virginia Wolff's classic⁣
-dual timeline, dual POV historical fiction⁣
-Bright Young Things subplot⁣
-suicide trigger warnings ⁣
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Musings⁣
Wonderfully transportive and entertaining, the book was easy to read and highly character driven. I loved following Elizabeth’s “summer” of adventure and awakening. The Bright Young Thing generation is a favorite era of mine to read about, and this did not disappoint in that arena. Her transformative summer reminded me of some of my own, which is never bad. The Octavia/Septimus storyline was a bit confusing at first leaving me wondering what it had to do with Elizabeth’s story, but in the end, things wrapped up neatly. Seeing 1920s London through the eyes of a country girl come down was fun, and the street urchins she meets certainly take her and the reader on a ride! But all that to say I wish I would have read Mrs. Dalloway first. This is supposed to be a stand-alone, a retelling of Mrs. Dalloway from the perspective of her daughter. Sadly, for me, not having read the Wolff classic I found the drama lacking at times. They really should accompany each other IMO. The combo would be great for anyone looking to add more classics to their repertoire! Overall, this is a well-written book with a powerful subplot about mental health, mothers & daughters, and a coming-of-age story. I just wish I would have read the original first!

One question hounded me while reading, what happened to Mrs. Dalloway??
France focuses on Dalloway’s daughter, Elizabeth. Flitting back and forth between the 1920s and 1940s, readers slowly gain more insight into just what actually occurred.
I liked how the author described why she was so inspired by the story, valuable information when it came to crafting the book.
I love the cover and enjoyed reading the book.

"Perfect for fans of Marie Benedict and Renee Rosen, Daughter Dalloway is both an homage to the Virginia Woolf classic and a brilliant spin-off - the empowering, rebellious coming-of-age story of Mrs. Dalloway's only child, Elizabeth.

London, 1952: Forty-six-year-old Elizabeth Dalloway feels she has failed at most everything in life, especially living up to her mother, the elegant Mrs. Dalloway, an ideal socialite and model of perfection until she disappeared in the summer of 1923 - and hasn't been heard from since.

When Elizabeth is handed a medal with a mysterious inscription from her mother to a soldier named Septimus Warren Smith, she's certain it contains a clue from the past. As she sets out, determined to deliver the medal to its rightful owner, Elizabeth begins to piece together memories of that fateful summer.

London, 1923: At seventeen, Elizabeth carouses with the Prince of Wales and sons of American iron barons and decides to join the Bright Young People - a group of bohemians whose antics often land in the tabloids. She is a girl who rebels against the staid social rules of the time, a girl determined to do it all differently than her mother. A girl who doesn't yet feel like a failure.

That summer, Octavia Smith braves the journey from the countryside to London, determined to track down her older brother Septimus who returned from the war but never came home. She falls in with a group of clever city boys who have learned to survive on the streets. When one starts to steal her heart, she must discover whether he is a friend or foe - and whether she can make it in the city on her own.

Elizabeth and Octavia are destined to cross paths, and when they do, the truths they unearth will shatter their understanding of the people they love most."

The hook here is Mrs. Dalloway disappeared!

Virginia Woolf’s novel, Mrs. Dalloway, is a genuine favorite of mine. I have read it twice and will be rereading it for a class this semester. I am excited about that. So, given my admiration for that novel, I was very curious to read Daughter Dalloway. I admire the audaciousness on the author’s part in taking on a modern classic but was not sure how I would feel about the book. So, I will just say upfront, that I enjoyed this title.

Many people and scenes from Mrs. Dalloway are in this book’s pages. Readers will undoubtedly remember Mrs. Dalloway going out to buy flowers, as she does here and may also recall her relationship with her husband, with Peter, and with others who are found here as well.

The story is told in differing time frames and perspectives. One focus is on Elizabeth who is the Daughter Dalloway. Readers get to know her in her contemporary time period and also as she was when younger. She is a complex character who has quite a mother with whom to contend. Elizabeth also wants to be her own person, not just a daughter.

Readers of Mrs. Dalloway also will remember Septimus. His sister is the other focus of the story. She bravely goes to London to try and find her brother and to understand the course that his life has taken. Will she find him and, if so, what will she find?

The lives of these two women intersect over the course of the novel. Each learns a lot about herself and those around her as a result.

I think that historical novel will be enjoyed by those with some connection to Mrs.Dalloway although there may be others who feel that they do not want anything to interfere with their love of the original titie. Those who have not read Mrs. Dalloway may find that they want to after spending time with Elizabeth and Octavia.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

This novel is inspired by Virginia Woolf's "Mrs. Dalloway," (a.k.a. Clarissa Parry) but focuses on her daughter Elizabeth. The story lines are split between Elizabeth as an adult in her 40s (discovering a mysterious medal belonging to her missing mother), Elizabeth as a teenager, Clarissa Dalloway as a teenager, and Octavia Smith, who seems to be the connection between them all.

I found the story and plot intriguing, and this type of historical fiction is just my cup of tea, but I found the all the chapters disjointed and difficult to follow. For some reason this particular novel was confusing for me, even though I frequently read books with alternating timelines/points of view. The author deals with important mental health topics which seem to tie some of the characters together, but this is not clear until the very end of the book.

I wanted to love this book, but it was just mediocre for me. Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for an advance e-book copy!