Reviews

I can’t say I would have liked this as much if I read it on my own but I read it for a Virginia Woolf class and having historical and background context for it was really interesting. I feel like I related to a lot of it and being able to dissect Woolf’s writing with other people just made the experience 10x better.

raluca_39's review against another edition

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challenging reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

imclaugh's review against another edition

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5.0

In its way just as beautiful (if somewhat less polished and lyrical) as To the Lighthouse, and possibly more important. On its way to smashing biographical conventions (not to mention the male ego), the book subtly undermines the barriers between nature and civilization, the present and the past, the living and the dead. Woolf's clear-eyed yet deeply empathetic evaluation of the doomed youth Jacob is a model to all who wish to avoid the "You're bad and should feel bad" style of cultural commentary so prevalent today. At once social critique, philosophical investigation, and experimental fiction, Jacob's Room is a book for the ages.

"...as we lift the cup, shake the hand, express the hope, something whispers, Is this all? Can I never know, share, be certain?" (126)

"They were boastful, triumphant; it seemed to both that they had read every book in the world; known every sin, passion, and joy. Civilizations stood round them like flowers ready for picking. Ages lapped at their feet like waves fit for sailing" (101).

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