Orlando

Orlando
Virginia Woolf
Penguin Books, 1993

First impression:
The very first impression was how absurd and funny it is in describing Orlando's self-indulgent youth. Not yet having read that far, however, I cannot stand for how the narrative may develop as he does. The unravelling of plot is very abstract, difficult to describe and sometimes confusing, but at least I do not dislike the work at this point.

Review:
Although I quite enjoyed it, I was never entirely engulfed by the book as I would have liked. The narrative style is (as mentioned) peculiar, and an idle reader like myself is often confused by the lack of obvious markers as to change of scenery, event and topic. I found the intrusiveness of the "biographer" both charming and annoying, as it excused the occasional spurs of poetic flourish, but also distracted further from a plot that is already hard to pin down. As far as ficticious biographies go, it is insightful and intriguing; providing food for thought, but not so much of a coherent story or resolution.

Rating: Good