A review by hollyway
Orlando by Virginia Woolf

challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

Wow!!!!!! I was already a Virginia Woolf fan but oh my god??! This novel is just... something else. More than anything this is a study of specific ideas (gender, nature, poetry, life, death) but it doesn't feel dry or self-important. It feels lush and magical. The magnitude of a modern myth with the spellbinding quietude of a charming fairytale. I was swept along on all Orlando's adventures as well as their musings, wanderings and daydreams. This novel has such a unique atmosphere about it, it was a pleasure for the senses while also being challenging and stimulating to the mind. It's a short but dense book - that's Woolf for you - and I hope to revisit it many times to gain a fuller understanding of the ideas she explores here. But also, just because it slaps!!