Book Review: Orlando, by Virginia Woolf

This is a review of the book Orlando, by Virginia Woolf. You can find a summary of the plot and some comments.

Summary of Orlando

Published in 1928, this book follows the story of a British nobleman, Orlando, over a span of almost three hundred and fifty years, from 1589 to 1928.

At the beginning of the story, Orlando is portrayed as a young man who loves writing poetry and spending time by himself. We get to know about his life during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, as well as his first love affairs.

Halfway through the story, Orlando awakes in Constantinople, where he has been working as an ambassador, to find out that he is a woman. Throughout the next chapters, he must find a way to adapt to the limitations and implications of his new sex. This change allows him to understand both genders in-depth, and experience in his own flesh the obligations and constraints of each one.

Comments on Orlando

“Orlando” is actually the first of Woolf’s books I read. It is a very interesting story, way ahead of the time of its publication. It explores the themes of sexuality and shifting gender. As the story develops, we cannot be completely sure if Orlando is a man or a woman.

As a matter of fact, Woolf wrote this book to her lover, Vita Sackville-West, with whom she had an affectionate relationship. She used the character of Orlando as a commemoration of Vita’s atypical life.

A biography beginning in the year 1500 and continuing to the present day, called Orlando. Vita; only with a change about from one sex to the other.

Virginia Woolf in one of her diaries.

Star rating

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I hope this review of Orlando was useful! You can check out others I wrote here, or download the book on Amazon.