The Waves Virginia Woolf - Innovative and deeply poetic, The Waves is often regarded as Virginia Woolfs masterpiece. It begins with six childrenthree boys and three girlsplaying in a garden by the sea, and follows their lives as they grow up, experience friendship and love, and grapple with the death of their beloved friend Percival. Instead of describing their outward expressions of grief, Woolf draws her characters from the inside, revealing their inner lives: their aspirations, their triumphs and regrets, their awareness of unity and isolation.