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A review by moseslh
Between the Acts by Virginia Woolf
3.0
This is far from Virginia Woolf's greatest novel, but it's hard to beat Woolf's painfully beautiful prose. Unfortunately, I had trouble finding much substance beyond the prose. Between the Acts seemed little more than word porn, candy for English majors, a guilty pleasure, enthralling in the moment but leaving me unfulfilled and longing for something deeper.
Like most of Woolf's novels, this isn't a book one should read for the plot. The main characters are audience members for a play, and much of the book's dialogue is nothing more than their snarky whispered commentary.
I have to confess - Woolf's writing is, by design, difficult to follow, and I know that a lot of this book went over my head, particularly the literary allusions that abound in it. I would have gotten more out of it in the context of a class or book club where I could discuss it with other people. In the absence of that, reading the introduction after finishing the book did help me understand it better.
On the whole, not a super accessible book, but certainly worth reading if you've already read Woolf's best works and are craving more.
Like most of Woolf's novels, this isn't a book one should read for the plot. The main characters are audience members for a play, and much of the book's dialogue is nothing more than their snarky whispered commentary.
I have to confess - Woolf's writing is, by design, difficult to follow, and I know that a lot of this book went over my head, particularly the literary allusions that abound in it. I would have gotten more out of it in the context of a class or book club where I could discuss it with other people. In the absence of that, reading the introduction after finishing the book did help me understand it better.
On the whole, not a super accessible book, but certainly worth reading if you've already read Woolf's best works and are craving more.