Book Club #9 Orlando: Recap
Some thoughts and further inspiration on "Orlando" by Virginia Woolf
For this round of our book club, we dived into a classic: on March 29th, we discussed Orlando: A Biography by Virginia Woolf.
This fascinating novel plays with time, gender, and identity, offering a satirical yet thought-provoking take on literature and society across four centuries. Published in 1928—almost 100 years ago—its exploration of gender fluidity and feminist themes remains just as relevant today. Plus, it has some truly laugh-out-loud moments!
If you haven’t shared your thoughts yet, feel free to do so in our book club chat!
That said, Orlando isn’t the easiest book to read. Many of us agreed that it’s not a casual, in-between read—it requires focus and might even benefit from a reread. Woolf’s rich, meandering prose, filled with long sentences and historical references, can be challenging to follow at times. Still, its wit, originality, and boldness made for a compelling discussion.
Our ratings ranged from 3 to 5, with an overall average of 3.88. Check out our previous book club picks. Personally, I really enjoyed the first chapters, especially since I didn’t expect the humor. But the last two chapters were much harder to get through, so I landed on a 4-star rating.
Thoughts from our discussion:
“what a touching tribute of love this is to Vita Sackville-West - how amazing it must be to have someone write a book like this about you” (Maggie)
“To me, the oak tree in Orlando is a powerful symbol—it stands as a silent witness to Orlando’s transformation across the centuries, embodying continuity amid change. It resonates deeply with themes of identity, time, and enduring love, much like the poem Orlando navigates throughout life.” (Huaming)
Favorite quotes from the book:
⭐ For once the disease of reading has laid hold upon the system it weakens it so that it falls an easy prey to that other scourge which dwells in the inkpot and festers in the quill. The wretch takes to writing.
⭐ Memory is the seamstress, and a capricious one at that.
⭐ This extraordinary discrepancy between time on the clock and time in the mind is less known than it should be and deserves fuller investigation.
⭐ Already— it is an effect lists have upon us we are beginning to yawn.
⭐ Orlando had become a woman there is no denying it. But in every other respect, Orlando remained precisely as he had been. The change of sex, though it altered their future, did nothing whatever to alter their identity.
⭐ No passion is stronger in the breast of man than the desire to make others believe as he believes.
⭐ Society is the most powerful concoction in the world and society has no existence whatsoever.
⭐ Illusions are to the soul what atmosphere is to the earth.
⭐ … where the Mind is biggest, the Heart, the Senses, Magnanimity, Charity, Tolerance, Kindliness, and the rest of them scarcely have room to breathe.
Holistic Reading
For those who want to explore Orlando further, here are some recommendations that came up during our discussion:
🎬 ORLANDO the film, based on the novel (1992, directed by Sally Potter)
🎬 ORLANDO, MY POLITICAL BIOGRAPHY: a documentary by Paul B. Preciado featuring trans and non-binary individuals in the role of Orlando
💌 Love Letters by Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf (here are 14 romantic quotes from the book)
🎶 Spotify Playlist: orlando by virginia woolf - the soundtrack to our book club meeting
🎭 A theater production of Orlando at the Akademietheater in Vienna
Have you read this classic? What were your thoughts? Share in the comments or in our book club chat!
I can’t wait for our next book club meeting on April 26th, where we’ll be discussing Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar! Learn more about our book club here!
Keep reading and stay curious! 📚☕
Yours,
Caroline 🧚