Orlando
by Virginia Woolf · first published 1928
83% recommend17% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Playful novel about an English nobleman who lives for centuries and changes gender, exploring identity and aging; an entry point to Woolf for readers curious about her fiction.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
In her most exuberant, most fanciful novel, Woolf has created a character liberated from the restraints of time and sex. Born in the Elizabethan Age to wealth and position, Orlando is a young nobleman at the beginning of the story-and a modern woman three centuries later.
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I recently read and enjoyed Orlando by Virginia Woolf. It tells the story of an English nobleman who lives for hundreds of years and accumulates a bunch of experiences. To me, its main point is about the fluidity of identity and what it…
on “Ask HN: Which non-programming books are a beneficial read for programmers?” ↗Woolf’s To the Lighthouse and Orlando are under a 4. But under a 4 is guaranteed bad? LOLWUT. And that’s just the first author I checked. Vonnegut’s Deadeye Dick (less of a crowd pleaser than his handful of biggest books, but certainly…
on “The murky math of the New York Times bestsellers list” ↗If you haven't read any Virginia Woolf, I strongly recommend Mrs Dalloway. Just an incredible novel and more approachable as a starting point than, say, Orlando.
on “Genius and Ink by Virginia Woolf review – essays on ‘how to read’ (2019)” ↗On the other side, for people who are interested in Virginia Woolf as a novelist and wanna get fucked up, check out "Orlando".
on “Virginia Woolf's list-making” ↗…Left Hand of Darkness -- Ursula K Le Guin - The Man in the High Castle -- Philip K Dick - Microserfs -- Douglas Coupland - Neuromancer -- William Gibson - Nineteen Eighty-Four -- George Orwell - Orlando -- Virgina Woolf - The Shockwave Rider -- John Brunner - Snow Crash -- Neal Stephenson - Stand on Zanzibar -- John Brunner - Stranger in a Strange Land -- Robert Heinlein - Trouble with lichen -…
on “Ask HN: What are you reading?” ↗Oh neat! One of these takes place in Virginia Woolf's book Orlando and I wasn't sure which parts were historical and which were fanciful.
on “River Thames Frost Fairs” ↗