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mrswythe89's review against another edition
4.0
Virginia Woolf was startlingly classist and (sadly, less surprisingly) racist, but so charming, brilliant (and pleasingly aware of it), warmly human. I read this slowly, beginning to end, and felt so upset when I read her last two letters: it was a little like losing a friend.
lylah's review
5.0
I drank this book slowly for half a year, and what a book it was.
First off, I'd like to say that the many footnotes were crucial to comprehension and very helpful on Joanne Trautman Banks's part, and I thought the letters she chose for this selection were great at serving their purpose of giving us a real picture of Virginia Woolf through her own words.
It was interesting getting to know Virginia as a person; I'm a bit sad to have finished the book because it feels like saying goodbye to a good friend, and of course the last two letters are suicide notes to her sister and husband. I'm glad there are volumes of more letters I could explore if I wished to; Virginia had many friends and correspondents.
It really surprised me how many names I recognized. All the authors of the time seem to have known each other, had controversial opinions on one another. Their connections were very interesting and have made me look into works that seem long forgotten today.
I loved learning of Virginia's jealousies of other writers, her passionate love affairs with men and women, her relationship with her sister and her nephews and her long-winding mental health journey that culminated in her suicide. Her issues with writing, her goals and her own opinions of books that I've read. It was all very intriguing and I feel motivated to read everything she's ever written. Even in letters, her writing is beautiful.
This is, of course, no fault of the book, and I am thankful these negative things were included by the editor—it is ALWAYS very disappointing, though not unexpected, when supposed intellectuals can overcome the prejudice of their own gender, but not prejudices of race (she makes many absurd jokes about Jewish people, even while she married one), class (she mistreats her servants, calls poorer classes stupid and hardly sees them as human), and she's incredibly xenophobic to anyone who isn't British, particularly Americans but reaching other cultures. How hard would it be for a woman with so much going for her to overcome these prejudices of the time? Truly very disappointing to see, over and over again, with favorite authors of older times.
Overall, in spite of my frustrations with Virginia's racism and classism, I greatly enjoyed the novel and getting to know one of the great literary women of history.
First off, I'd like to say that the many footnotes were crucial to comprehension and very helpful on Joanne Trautman Banks's part, and I thought the letters she chose for this selection were great at serving their purpose of giving us a real picture of Virginia Woolf through her own words.
It was interesting getting to know Virginia as a person; I'm a bit sad to have finished the book because it feels like saying goodbye to a good friend, and of course the last two letters are suicide notes to her sister and husband. I'm glad there are volumes of more letters I could explore if I wished to; Virginia had many friends and correspondents.
It really surprised me how many names I recognized. All the authors of the time seem to have known each other, had controversial opinions on one another. Their connections were very interesting and have made me look into works that seem long forgotten today.
I loved learning of Virginia's jealousies of other writers, her passionate love affairs with men and women, her relationship with her sister and her nephews and her long-winding mental health journey that culminated in her suicide. Her issues with writing, her goals and her own opinions of books that I've read. It was all very intriguing and I feel motivated to read everything she's ever written. Even in letters, her writing is beautiful.
This is, of course, no fault of the book, and I am thankful these negative things were included by the editor—it is ALWAYS very disappointing, though not unexpected, when supposed intellectuals can overcome the prejudice of their own gender, but not prejudices of race (she makes many absurd jokes about Jewish people, even while she married one), class (she mistreats her servants, calls poorer classes stupid and hardly sees them as human), and she's incredibly xenophobic to anyone who isn't British, particularly Americans but reaching other cultures. How hard would it be for a woman with so much going for her to overcome these prejudices of the time? Truly very disappointing to see, over and over again, with favorite authors of older times.
Overall, in spite of my frustrations with Virginia's racism and classism, I greatly enjoyed the novel and getting to know one of the great literary women of history.
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