"“The Annotated Mrs Dalloway is timely… Emre finds Woolf’s life surfacing everywhere. Woolf’s thoughts, and her self, are irrepressible... Emre has created a kaleidoscope of revealing and illuminating images... Just as Woolf’s fragmentary syntax reflects the irrepressible flux of a busy mind, the images and footnotes give a sense of the emergent bustle of London… the annotations show what a marvel it is that Woolf managed to hold together this strange and vivid story ― in her head and on the page.”
-Henry Oliver, UnHerd

"I spent many happy hours lost in The Annotated Mrs. Dalloway. The meticulously researched comments and range of illustrations enrich our understanding of Woolf’s masterpiece and of Clarissa Dalloway’s vanished world, and Merve Emre’s brilliant Introduction connects elements of the author’s life with her vision and her art in new and profoundly insightful ways. A gorgeous book and an all-round cause for celebration.”
-Sigrid Nunez

“What a treasure is Merve Emre’s The Annotated Mrs. Dalloway! In this gorgeously illustrated volume, for which she provides a perceptive and enriching introduction, Emre proves an erudite and sensitive companion, leading the reader by the hand on an illuminating journey through the historical streetscapes and the interior landscapes of Virginia Woolf’s masterpiece.”
-Rebecca Mead

“Merve Emre brilliantly shows how Woolf’s understanding of Clarissa Dalloway and other characters, and her mastery of novelistic design, evolved almost day by day. This beautiful book is a treasure trove of information and a demonstration of how much this approach to a classic modern novel can add to the reading experience for both experts and enthusiasts.” --
-Elaine Showalter

“Possibly the ultimate tribute anyone can pay to a great novel is to excavate it from its time and circumstances―to dig around it with the care of an archeologist; to follow its roots to their beginnings while respecting the magic and mystery of the object itself. Merve Emre’s The Annotated Mrs. Dalloway is a remarkable act of excavation. By illuminating the otherwise invisible points at which Virginia Woolf’s life and mind crossed wires with the writing of the novel, Emre serves to deepen our wonder at Mrs. Dalloway, and at the phenomenon of genius itself.” --
-Michael Cunningham

“I am tempted to say ‘at last, the Mrs. Dalloway we deserve’― but let’s face it, this Mrs. Dalloway is way better than we deserve. Merve Emre’s wide-ranging, rigorous, illuminating, and affecting annotations, alongside the generous and brilliantly curated illustrations, shine new light on Woolf’s London, Mrs. Dalloway’s consciousness, and the tragedy of Septimus Smith." --
-Elif Batuman