The earlier review complains that the author uses too many big words. But this is an intellectual biography of Virginia Woolf (which focuses on her relationship with her husband). Ummm.... Let me repeat: Virginia Woolf. Has the reviewer actually read anything by Virginia Woolf? Because her prose is not of the Mary Higgins Clark sort--or even Thomas Cahill, if you want a non-fiction author. It's rich, complex, allusive, layered, appealing, difficult, and generally not for someone who wants to read *Hop on Pop* or what have you. So it seems unjust to expect a biography of Woolf to be simplistic or written to appeal to the lowest common denominator.



I actually found this book quite intriguing; very basically it examines the ways in which Virgina, while belonging to the elites of her day both on account of birth and intelligence, nevertheless shared with her husband Leonard, who was Jewish, a profound sense of alienation because she was a woman who struggled with emotional illness and could not participate fully in life. It weaves together the stories of their lives as individuals and as a couple, and I learned a great deal about the time period and about Virginia and Leonard Woolf. It's a sensitive, well-researched, and fascinating book. If you have any interest in Virginia Woolf, I highly recommend it. And yes, it's pitched a bit above the average. If that bothers you or puts you off, then go read something more appropriate for your abilities.

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