Orlando: A Biography

So Orlando by Virginia Woolf is basically what happens when someone decides “what if gender, time, and reality were more like… suggestions?” It starts with Orlando, a dramatic, slightly delusional nobleman in the era of Queen Elizabeth I, writing poetry as if his life depended on it and falling in love as if he were the only person ever to have experienced emotions. Enter Sasha, mysterious ice-skating chaos woman, whom he immediately decides is the love of his life. Obviously, she disappears and ruins him. As they do. As the story progresses, Orlando is still… Orlando. Same thoughts, same memories, same person, but different body and slightly more aware, slightly less dramatic. In short, a rich man/woman’s 500-year journey of awareness and enlightenment. What I loved is how radical this book is. Remember, this was written in 1928 – yes, these ideas were radical then, though quite commonplace now. It doesn’t scream “gender is a construct,” it just casually flips it on its head and moves on. Same with time. Same with identity. Woolf really said “none of this is as fixed as you think” and then wrote a whole novel proving it. In terms of reading experience, it’s not plot-heavy, more like plot-lite. It’s not even trying to be logical half the time. I loved parts of it, and others were just alright. Overall, it’s thoughtful in a way that once I finished it, I was like, okay, I think I just understood something about being human, but I can’t fully explain it.

This is my first time reading the book and I still was not done by Dec 14, 2025. I don't know anything about the book and didn't want any spoilers. For that reason, I chose not to join the discussion 😔. But I am enjoying the book. The writing style is different from modern writing. I love the character development, the description of the environment and I find a lot of Orlando's experiences eerily relatable. Still not done reading, but it's a hard 10/10 from me.

My favorite Woolf.

Previously read by LezRead May 2013

Progressive viewpoints on gender ideology for her time. This is chaotic novel based on the life of an aristocratic lover Virgina experienced her first true feelings of romance with.