Book Summary and Reviews of Adeline by Norah Vincent

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Rebecca_R

Struggling to Review This
I am glad that I read this book, but it was neither an "easy read" or one that was easy to rate. The fact that I found some of the characters' personalities disturbing at times made me settle on a 4 rating since I feel that author has done his or her job if the reader feels a response. This is probably not a book for people to select for entertainment or the average book club since many of the characters seem to be somewhat tortured souls at times (half sister ends up in an asylum, awkward "friendships" that seem more like competitions) and not being able -or willing- to live openly as they truly are (gay and lesbian or bi with the public persona of being monogamous, heterosexual married couples.)

I thought I knew a little about Virginia Woolf when I selected the book, but as I read it, I quickly realized I actually only knew her name, titles of her famous works and where/when she lived. I had a lot to learn, and that part is enjoyable - even though the details of Virgina's life aren't happy. There seemed to be an insinuation that her half brother George abused her, and she denigrates even her husband, Leonard. I found myself wondering what ever brought this couple together.

I was a little confused at first as to whether Virginia's comments were Adeline's (after she adopted the name Virgina) or the words of her namesake. I think (but am not sure without rereading the book) that sometimes it was both of the Virginias. I also found myself stopping as I read and making a few notations on things I wanted to research: why did Virgina send the insulting blank-page book to Vita Sackville, a woman with whom Virgina had an affair although Vita went on to marry a man, and is there more information on T.S. Eliot's wife, Vivien? (She doesn't seem too likeable, yet Virgina and Leonard seem to count this couple among their supposed friends.) An unexpected plus to reading this book is that suddenly T.S. Eliot's famous poem "The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock" made a little more sense to me. But that sensibility is not a happy one. There is a reference to this very poem on page 178 of the book, Adeline. I also knew nothing about the Steinach Operation until I had read this book. So, the book was quite a learning experience, although the lives of the people often seemed depressing. The author truly captured the mental turmoil and debilitating feelings of depression with her descriptions, such as this passage for a dress that Virgina wore over and over : a "wad on the floor... threadbare, seldom washed, grubby with use" so that even her husband complained of its smell. That is actually quite powerful writing, so I commend the author for that.

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