Dear Great Book Guru, I was at the fabulous new Five Napkin Burger in Manhattan on 14 Street and 3rd Avenue this weekend . What fun and what great food! Chef Andy D'Amico has yet another winner. While we were there, one of the happy diners was going on about a book she had read long ago in college and had just reread recently with great pleasure. It was TO THE LIGHTHOUSE by Virginia Woolf . I have never read anything by Woolf since she always seemed so intimidating but this sounded very good. What do you think?
Afraid of Virginia Woolf

Dear Afraid, I was at the new Five Napkin Burger this weekend too and I agree: great food, great location, great restaurant! I do think you should give TO THE LIGHTHOUSE a try. It is a short novel (203 pages) divided into three parts: The Window which describes one day in the life of the Ramsey family ; Time Passes, the shortest of the three, covers the events of the next ten years; and finally, To the Lighthouse recounts one morning. It is a story of family, of marriage, of friendship but mostly it is a story of time - how we perceive it, how it changes us, and how in time our lives are lived "each alone." I listened to a beautiful reading of this novel on a set of CD's that I borrowed from the Sea Cliff Library; it added immeasurably to my understanding and appreciation, so I would recommend you do the same. This is not an easy read, but a very, very rewarding one!