Stephanie Jane reviewed Jacob's Room by Virginia Woolf
Great reading for me!
5 stars
I knew that Jacob's Room was considered to be 'experimental fiction' before I started reading it so I was prepared for some unusual elements. As it turns out, I didn't find it too experimental at all and thought that Woolf's structure actually felt up to date. I guess the style has been pretty influential over the past century! Jacob's Room is composed of detailed glimpses into the life of the eponymous Jacob from his Scarborough childhood as the middle son of a widowed mother, until ... until the end of the book. I won't describe the ending too closely because I really benefited from not knowing in advance! Prior to that, we see Jacob almost entirely through other people's eyes and words. Woolf switches between incredibly vivid portrayals of scenes such as Cornish sea cliffs or the sun over Athens, and fragments of conversations which presumably happen around Jacob, sometimes …
I knew that Jacob's Room was considered to be 'experimental fiction' before I started reading it so I was prepared for some unusual elements. As it turns out, I didn't find it too experimental at all and thought that Woolf's structure actually felt up to date. I guess the style has been pretty influential over the past century! Jacob's Room is composed of detailed glimpses into the life of the eponymous Jacob from his Scarborough childhood as the middle son of a widowed mother, until ... until the end of the book. I won't describe the ending too closely because I really benefited from not knowing in advance! Prior to that, we see Jacob almost entirely through other people's eyes and words. Woolf switches between incredibly vivid portrayals of scenes such as Cornish sea cliffs or the sun over Athens, and fragments of conversations which presumably happen around Jacob, sometimes with his participation and sometimes without.
Jacob's Room was great reading for me even though I spent most of the book not quite sure what the point of the story would be. I loved Woolf's contradictions. For example, the main character is Jacob yet he is effectively absent much of the time leaving his story to be told by a supporting cast of predominately women (other than his Cambridge days which feel glaringly male). Woolf uses seemingly insignificant female chatter to make frequent - and often snarky - observations about gender roles and polite society in general at this time. Of course she is still snooty towards anyone she considers lower class, but over several novels now, I have got used to this in her writing.
Jacob's Room, I think, will always be more of a niche read than a widely popular classic and I am relieved I didn't have to closely study its issues and themes for school or college. I did enjoy this book though. Perhaps it would have only warranted a 3-4 star rating overall, but the gut-punch perspective shift at the end earns it a solid 5 stars from me.