Vita and Virginia: Love Letters
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- Author：Vita Sackville-West
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Summary
'I am reduced to a thing that wants Virginia。 I composed a beautiful letter to you in the sleepless nightmare hours of the night， and it has all gone。 I just miss you。。。'
At a dinner party in 1922， Virginia Woolf met the renowned author， aristocrat - and sapphist - Vita Sackville-West。 Virginia wrote in her diary that she didn't think much of Vita's conversation， but she did think very highly of her legs。 It was to be the start of almost twenty years of flirtation， friendship， and literary collaboration。 Their correspondence ended only with Virginia's tragic death in 1941。
Intimate and playful， these selected letters and diary entries allow us to hear these women's constantly changing feelings for each other in their own words。 Eavesdrop on the affair that inspired Virginia to write her most fantastical novel， Orlando， and glimpse into their extraordinary lives: from Vita's travels across the globe， to Virginia's parties with the Bloomsbury set; from their shared love of dogs and nature， to their grief at the beginning of the Second World War。 Discover a relationship that - even a hundred years later - feels radical and relatable。
WITH AN ORIGINAL INTRODUCTION FROM ALISON BECHDEL， AUTHOR OF FUN HOME AND CREATOR OF THE BECHDEL TEST。
At a dinner party in 1922， Virginia Woolf met the renowned author， aristocrat - and sapphist - Vita Sackville-West。 Virginia wrote in her diary that she didn't think much of Vita's conversation， but she did think very highly of her legs。 It was to be the start of almost twenty years of flirtation， friendship， and literary collaboration。 Their correspondence ended only with Virginia's tragic death in 1941。
Intimate and playful， these selected letters and diary entries allow us to hear these women's constantly changing feelings for each other in their own words。 Eavesdrop on the affair that inspired Virginia to write her most fantastical novel， Orlando， and glimpse into their extraordinary lives: from Vita's travels across the globe， to Virginia's parties with the Bloomsbury set; from their shared love of dogs and nature， to their grief at the beginning of the Second World War。 Discover a relationship that - even a hundred years later - feels radical and relatable。
WITH AN ORIGINAL INTRODUCTION FROM ALISON BECHDEL， AUTHOR OF FUN HOME AND CREATOR OF THE BECHDEL TEST。
Reviews
Alice
，
It feels odd to give a rating to a collection of personal letters （and whether or not these were ever meant for public consumption or *should* be made available for consumption is a full other discussion that I won't get into here！） but I have to give this five stars for the foreword and editing alone。 It's a beautifully put together collection with a thoughtful introduction that I kept returning to as I read through the letters。It's a very curated collection， and some of the letters have been e It feels odd to give a rating to a collection of personal letters （and whether or not these were ever meant for public consumption or *should* be made available for consumption is a full other discussion that I won't get into here！） but I have to give this five stars for the foreword and editing alone。 It's a beautifully put together collection with a thoughtful introduction that I kept returning to as I read through the letters。It's a very curated collection， and some of the letters have been edited quite a bit， but the result is that it reads as a really smooth and engaging narrative despite the up and down nature of their relationship， and the time period they span。 。。。more
Faith
，
A touching and surprisingly funny collection of letters。 Very humanizing， too; it’s always a comfort to be reminded that famous historical figures could be just as insecure， jealous， and obtuse as the rest of us in modern day。 Very interesting to me to see their letters during the war too; I wish there had been more from those days。 A nice read overall。
neens
，
i'm absolutely floored after finishing this。 this was an emotional rollercoaster to say the least as many letters made me laugh out loud whereas others， especially beyond 1933， reduced me to tears。 i will definitely come back to this to annotate my favourite passages。 despite little prior knowledge about v&v's private entanglements and whereabouts， this book explains the timeline of their correspondence， people， and circumstances very well。 i'm happy the letters were finally re-published in cohe i'm absolutely floored after finishing this。 this was an emotional rollercoaster to say the least as many letters made me laugh out loud whereas others， especially beyond 1933， reduced me to tears。 i will definitely come back to this to annotate my favourite passages。 despite little prior knowledge about v&v's private entanglements and whereabouts， this book explains the timeline of their correspondence， people， and circumstances very well。 i'm happy the letters were finally re-published in cohesive - albeit shortened and selected - way， which has definitely inspired me even more to do further reading。 。。。more
Anna Bhcvngl
，
I also Fell in Love with them
Ярослава
，
Листування Вірджинії Вулф і Віти Севілл-Вест， укладене в максимально цілісну любовну історію （тобто доповнене тематично релевантними щоденниковими записами і листами до інших людей - і з пропущеними частинами листів， які не про стосунки）; з прикольною передмовою Елісон Бекдел， доступною онлайн тут。Прикольно комбінувати читання "Місячного каменя" Сйона （де месідж зокрема такий， що щасливі квір-історії в певні епохи - це falsified self-exculpatory fantasies мейнстриму） з реальними квір-історіями з Листування Вірджинії Вулф і Віти Севілл-Вест， укладене в максимально цілісну любовну історію （тобто доповнене тематично релевантними щоденниковими записами і листами до інших людей - і з пропущеними частинами листів， які не про стосунки）; з прикольною передмовою Елісон Бекдел， доступною онлайн тут。Прикольно комбінувати читання "Місячного каменя" Сйона （де месідж зокрема такий， що щасливі квір-історії в певні епохи - це falsified self-exculpatory fantasies мейнстриму） з реальними квір-історіями з тієї самої епохи - нещасливими не через гендерну комплектацію учасників， а просто тому， що люди в принципі складні мудаки， конституційно не дуже призначені для щастя）））Звичайно， треба наполювати і якесь повніше видання листів， але така тематична підбірка читається як цілком добра проза людей， які вміють складати слова в речення， з сюжетом і драмою， де дуже скептичне перше знайомство （ВВ про ВСВ: "Not much to my severer taste – florid， moustached， parakeet coloured， with all the supple ease of aristocracy， but not the wit of the artist"） швидко переростає в романтизацію іншої。 Вірджинія Вулф， звичайно， краща письменниця з них двох， тому вона сама виглядає складноукомплектованою на всю голову людиною， від якої треба тікати чимшвидше， зате Віта Секвілл-Вест в її розповідях - просто епічна героїня， навколо якої оживає історія。Скажімо， от як ВВ у щоденнику описує візит у маєток ВСВ: "You perambulate miles of galleries; skip endless treasures – chairs that Shakespeare might have sat on – tapestries， pictures， floors made of the halves of oaks [。。。] All these ancestors and centuries， and silver and gold， have bred a perfect body。 She is stag like， or race horse like， save for the face， which pouts， and has no very sharp brain。 But as a body hers is perfection"。І в іншому щоденниковому записі: "There is her maturity and full breastedness: her being so much in full sail on the high tides， where I am coasting down backwaters; her capacity I mean to take the floor in any company， to represent her country， to visit Chatsworth， to control silver， servants， chow dogs; her motherhood （but she is a little cold and offhand with her boys）， her being in short （what I have never been） a real woman"。І ще в іншому: "her ancestresses had walked so on the snow with their great dogs bounding by them。 All the centuries seemed lit up， the past expressive， articulate; not dumb and forgotten"。 Загалом， видно， як з цього проростає "Орландо"。Але - навіть поза захопленою призмою перспективи ВВ - мені здається， що Віта Севілл-Вест мусила б бути якоюсь лайфстайл-коучкою чи бодай давати майстеркласи з тайм-менеджменту， бо це ж треба вміти так жити: ходити на хайкінг в Італії до того， як це стало модно， і їздити машиною Іраном， і засаджувати сади， і вести господарство у древньому маєтку， і заводити щотижня по новому роману， і при цьому писати книжки， частину з яких перевидають навіть за сто років。 Тут навіть при своєму безподієвому нудному житті не завжди встигаєш вкластися в дедлайни， а люди он як уміли жити！Стереоскопічний ефект від поєднання щоденників， листів між ВВ і ВСВ і їхніх листів іншим людям прямо дуже ефектно підсвітлює всі драми - скажімо， той напряжний ранній етап "любить-не любить" чи， що гірше， "люблю-не люблю"， на якому у своїх щоденниках чи листах до інших людей вони синхронно пишуть: нє-нє， от я не закохана， але "she loves me， which flatters and pleases me" （ВСВ） і "Am I in love with her？ But what is love？ Her being ‘in love’ with me， excites and flatters" （ВВ）。 Ну і всю душу висотує цей контраст між людиною， яка живе у світі， і людиною， яка живе в голові。 ВВ - людина зі складною емоційною палітрою і ментальною географією， сильні почуття їй даються десь так само легко， як стоматологічна операція， вона намацує обриси емоцій， як рану від вирваного зуба - через болючу відсутність: "She is doomed to go to Persia; and I mind the thought so much （thinking to lose sight of her for five years） that I conclude I am genuinely fond of her"。 І тільки це дає якусь визначеність: "I’m settling down to wanting you， doggedly， dismally， faithfully – I hope that pleases you。 It’s damned unpleasant for me"。І ВСВ - яка таки краще вміє жити - зчитує цю специфіку: "she is very very fond of me， and says she was so unhappy when I went to Persia that it startled and terrified her。 I don’t think she is accustomed to emotional storms， she lives too much in the intellect and imagination。 Most human beings take emotional storms as a matter of course"。Цікаво стежити， як це спілкування тягнеться - змінюючись у різні формати - через багато років。 А крім， так би мовити， сюжету， в книжці просто багато прекрасних формулювань - скажімо， ось який милий спосіб висловити захват: "She is a genius and l would carry a thousand hair-shedding dogs to the gates of Hell for her did she wish it！"Загалом， дуже читабельно。 。。。more
sade
，
I can't stop crying I can't stop crying 。。。more
Justine
，
review to come
Klara
，
A joy to read。 It becomes a little repetitive after a while， so I read it in small increments before bed， which was actually so nice。 To （maybe a bit dramatically） quote the book: "I shall keep it by my bed， and when I wake in the night - so shan't use it as a soporific， but as a sedative: a dose of sanity and sheep dog in this scratching， clawing and colding universe" （255） Also， Orlando has definitely moved up in my to-read list after hearing Vita rave about it so much， haha。 A joy to read。 It becomes a little repetitive after a while， so I read it in small increments before bed， which was actually so nice。 To （maybe a bit dramatically） quote the book: "I shall keep it by my bed， and when I wake in the night - so shan't use it as a soporific， but as a sedative: a dose of sanity and sheep dog in this scratching， clawing and colding universe" （255） Also， Orlando has definitely moved up in my to-read list after hearing Vita rave about it so much， haha。 。。。more
Cheri
，
Lovely compilation of letters between Virginia and Vita。
Charlie Beaumont
，
This was an intriguing and enjoyable read。 The letters （and diary entries） provide tremendous insight into the relationship between Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville West， but also into the period covered which ends with Virginia's suicide during the early years （1941） of the Second World War。 I enjoyed learning about the relationships they had with their husbands， Leonard Woolf and Harold Nicholson， the social circles in which they moved， the petty jealousies between them and the constant need This was an intriguing and enjoyable read。 The letters （and diary entries） provide tremendous insight into the relationship between Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville West， but also into the period covered which ends with Virginia's suicide during the early years （1941） of the Second World War。 I enjoyed learning about the relationships they had with their husbands， Leonard Woolf and Harold Nicholson， the social circles in which they moved， the petty jealousies between them and the constant need for reassurance they require of the love the other has for them。 The commentaries on each other's writing is fascinating， particularly when their commentaries are on VW's "Orlando"， written about Vita， which so pleased the latter。 I have no hesitation in recommending this book to anyone who has an interest in either person， or in the Bloomsbury Group。 。。。more
Claire
，
Loved this， its a wonderful collection of letters and diary entries that outline the relationship between Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West。 There is a wonderful introduction from Alison Bechdel highlighting the cultural importance of this relationship especially for her as a young lesbian。 She talks about the importance of bringing the LGBT community into the light and this book does that wonderfully。 Apparently the print version has lovely pull out covers with photos of both of them。 It i Loved this， its a wonderful collection of letters and diary entries that outline the relationship between Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West。 There is a wonderful introduction from Alison Bechdel highlighting the cultural importance of this relationship especially for her as a young lesbian。 She talks about the importance of bringing the LGBT community into the light and this book does that wonderfully。 Apparently the print version has lovely pull out covers with photos of both of them。 It is great to have everything in the one book but having read Virginia Woolf's letters， I am aware of how much of her wit and personality is being missed in this book。 She was fiercely intellectual and plagued with illness that is true but she was also very funny and occasionally acerbic。 I would recommend this as an introduction and then explore and read further， both women were prolific writers。With thanks to Net galley for an ARC in exchange for a review。 。。。more
Karlijn
，
Ergens had ik verwacht dat ik de brieven mooier/leuker/liefdevoller zou vinden？ Het duurde lang voordat ik in de flow van hun leven kwam omdat het vrije korte fragmenten zijn。 Ook werden vrij veel dingen herhaald - maar ja， het is ook een persoonlijke brievencollectie en geen geredigeerd literair hoogstandje dat bedoeld was voor publicatie。 Toch 4 sterren omdat ik Vita soms hilarisch vond （mbt tot Orlando "the percentage of lesbians is rising in the states， all because of you"） en hun gevoelens Ergens had ik verwacht dat ik de brieven mooier/leuker/liefdevoller zou vinden？ Het duurde lang voordat ik in de flow van hun leven kwam omdat het vrije korte fragmenten zijn。 Ook werden vrij veel dingen herhaald - maar ja， het is ook een persoonlijke brievencollectie en geen geredigeerd literair hoogstandje dat bedoeld was voor publicatie。 Toch 4 sterren omdat ik Vita soms hilarisch vond （mbt tot Orlando "the percentage of lesbians is rising in the states， all because of you"） en hun gevoelens （jaloezie， liefde， etc。） na bijna een eeuw heel herkenbaar en eigentijds voelde。 "I am reduced to a thing that wants Virginia。 I composed a beautiful letter to you in the sleepless nightmare hours of the night， and it has all gone: I just miss you， in a quite simple desperate human way。" - VSW 。。。more
Aricia Alves
，
As much as I enjoyed reading this book， I feel a little bit tricked by the fact that this is supposed to be a compilation of Vita & Virginia's letters and diary entries in order to tell their story， but after I read it I found online many excerpts of other letters and bits of their diaries that were quite important to the subject of this book， but weren't included。 It makes me think that because this compilation was made by Vita's son， perhaps he felt that some things he'd like better to be unkn As much as I enjoyed reading this book， I feel a little bit tricked by the fact that this is supposed to be a compilation of Vita & Virginia's letters and diary entries in order to tell their story， but after I read it I found online many excerpts of other letters and bits of their diaries that were quite important to the subject of this book， but weren't included。 It makes me think that because this compilation was made by Vita's son， perhaps he felt that some things he'd like better to be unknown。 They are possible to find， though， so it was a bit of a disappointment。 Also， the book offers some interpretations here and there about what it presents and the current state of their relationship at some points in time， but I frequently felt that they wouldn't be my own。 Specially after I found some of the aforementioned missing excerpts。 。。。more
Frynne
，
What can I say？ Two great literary hearts in love for decades。 Letters that made me laugh and cry。 Virginia I already loved， but Vita's writing is so surprising。 Anything I can say falls short。 What can I say？ Two great literary hearts in love for decades。 Letters that made me laugh and cry。 Virginia I already loved， but Vita's writing is so surprising。 Anything I can say falls short。 。。。more
Siân
，
Possibly because I love Orlando so much， I really enjoyed exploring the relationship of these two fabulous women。
Katy Wheatley
，
This was a genuinely moving and beautiful read。 I've read Woolf's diaries before so I knew about her experiences with Vita before I read the letters， but it is so interesting to see the relationship as it evolved in time and also between them， rather than Virginia's one sided musings。 What was the most lovely thing to see， rather than any titillating details of a love affair， which they are most discreet about anyway， was the gradual building of a genuinely deep friendship， which ebbed and flowe This was a genuinely moving and beautiful read。 I've read Woolf's diaries before so I knew about her experiences with Vita before I read the letters， but it is so interesting to see the relationship as it evolved in time and also between them， rather than Virginia's one sided musings。 What was the most lovely thing to see， rather than any titillating details of a love affair， which they are most discreet about anyway， was the gradual building of a genuinely deep friendship， which ebbed and flowed over the years but which clearly enriched both their lives。 From the diaries it is easy to see that Virginia is not comfortable in much of society and spends much of her time at dis-ease in social settings。 She always comes across as quite a lonely person， despite her glamorous life。 It was lovely to see that with Vita she had someone who， for the most part understood her and vice versa and that they shared jokes and memories that bound them deeper as the years went by。 I am sad it was not longer。 。。。more
patri
，
what survives of the scripted exchange between vita sackville-west and virginia woolf serves as ample evidence of an incredibly affectionate and at times intimately ardent affair between these iconic sapphists， insightful and surprising in the sheer intensity of the sentiments they shared for each other。 playful as much as it is poignant， vita and virginia's partiality for one another is touching in the pure passion of their tethering and its perseverance through their triumphs and tragedies， an what survives of the scripted exchange between vita sackville-west and virginia woolf serves as ample evidence of an incredibly affectionate and at times intimately ardent affair between these iconic sapphists， insightful and surprising in the sheer intensity of the sentiments they shared for each other。 playful as much as it is poignant， vita and virginia's partiality for one another is touching in the pure passion of their tethering and its perseverance through their triumphs and tragedies， and the publication of their pointedly personal penmanship is also an A+ antithetic to the erasure of the wlw elements of our past。 props to alison bechdel's peachy and articulate preparatory pramble！ 。。。more
Heather
，
This could only end sadly， so I chose to read it slowly， to prolong the gorgeousness。 This whole relationship hit me with the emotional equivalent of a bulldozer and was just as painful。 We are lucky to have these letters。
Liam
，
Video ReviewThis is my 4th advanced reader copy （ARC） review。 This means I received this ebook for free， in exchange for this review by Netgalley。 I'm not financially motivated， as I read library books， so I only read ARCs I actually think will be good enough for me to rate and review honestly。 Better and longer than I expected。 Alison Bechdel's foreword was great， and I think it will attract the right kinds of readers to this important archive for romance between women in literature。 This book Video ReviewThis is my 4th advanced reader copy （ARC） review。 This means I received this ebook for free， in exchange for this review by Netgalley。 I'm not financially motivated， as I read library books， so I only read ARCs I actually think will be good enough for me to rate and review honestly。 Better and longer than I expected。 Alison Bechdel's foreword was great， and I think it will attract the right kinds of readers to this important archive for romance between women in literature。 This book is important because it most clearly shows the discourse between Virginia and Vita， and their respective diary entries， and shows how this relationship heavily inspired Virginia Woolf's writing。 The same may be true for the writing of Vita Sackville-West， who I've yet to read。I do wonder whether these were intended by the authors as 'love' letters， as suggested by the cover。 Love is not always present here。 It surely emerges， but it's debatable for whom and for how long！ Virginia was afraid to use the word love in her letters， and Vita perhaps was too unafraid to use it。 This one-sidedness creates a great tension in their letters that makes it worthy of being an epistolary novel。 Both women were married to men who they loved， but in their letters it wasn't clear how much their romance was against these mononormative or heteronormative conventions。 It seems like they were very intimate companions， and their love seemed at times sometimes sisterly or motherly， sometimes of the intellectual or social admiration of how one might love a teacher， but at other times very much like romantic intimacy。 I don't think social norms were censoring their expression of love in their letters， they are both very expressive and candid writers which makes them a joy to read。 Not to cast a shadow， but was there not a conflict of interest here in Virginia being Vita's prospective publisher？ Might Vita not be wooing Virginia with some small professional interest， given that， when Vita stops writing poetry she also stops writing letters to Virginia？ That Vita may have ingratiated herself with Hogarth Press by continually flattering Virginia's writing， and fishing for compliments for her own？ I'm not here to make any big accusations， I just find it interesting to see how their relationship morphs with their impression of each other's writing， it seems more than chance。 But this whole written correspondence is so deep and long that there are surely things that could be seen more clearly now about the method of how these authors write now than ever before。 There's definitely many complex dynamics between these writers that each reader will experience and interpret in their own way。That Virginia， like many other classic female authors， was in continually bad health and died before their time is sad。 I think the correspondence adds a new glimpse to that too。 Having not read Virginia Woolf's diaries or letters before， I was surprised at how poor her health was for most of her writing life。 As a straight man something I should clarify， if only to myself for myself， is why I was particularly interested in reading romantic letters between two women from almost 100 years ago。 The notion might be absurd to some people， and my reasons might be relevant justifications for other readers who do not identify as themselves as LGBT。 Simply， Virginia Woolf's writing is marvelously distinct and expressive even today and in comparison to all， and so， seeing how she would write private letters to someone she is passionate about is interesting to me。 I read to get a better understanding of people， and the tender intimacy of love letters between female writers is strangely touching in an era where heteronormative relationship dynamics are so brash and unsociable that quite rarely out of a fairly established relationship do we see a slow and innocent courtship， the 'little steps toward someone'， that these letters resemble。 。。。more
Lauren
，
I have always been fascinated by the romance between Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville- West and am so grateful to have this comprehensive collection of their letters to one another。 Even to a modern reader you can see their wit and humour over everyday things but the way in which their tones brighten after they spend time together or have inspiration for their novels and poetry。 The two women are so strong willed in the way they write and live their lives so unapologetically free in the early 2 I have always been fascinated by the romance between Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville- West and am so grateful to have this comprehensive collection of their letters to one another。 Even to a modern reader you can see their wit and humour over everyday things but the way in which their tones brighten after they spend time together or have inspiration for their novels and poetry。 The two women are so strong willed in the way they write and live their lives so unapologetically free in the early 20th century but their private notes to one another reveal their softer， romantic sides with in-jokes and jealousies of having to attend to social engagements， rather than simply be together undisturbed。 I am sure that there are contextual and social footnotes that I missed but then again these letters and diary extracts were never meant for publication。 I feel lucky to have seen an insight into their beautiful connection to one another and as Woolf is one of my favourite authors， I am appreciative as to a first hand account into her battle with illness， and what we now believe to be bipolar， throughout her life。A truly gorgeous collection。 。。。more
Hannah
，
It feels weird to review people’s private letters to each other。 These two women both led such fascinating lives it’s hard to believe it’s not fiction。 There were so many lines in this that made their love for each other clear， despite they’re time away from each other。 This is a key piece of queer history。
Alex Sarll
，
"I began to feel the quality of the evening – how it was spring coming; a silver light; mixing with the early lamps; the cabs all rushing through the streets; I had a tremendous sense of life beginning; and all the doors opening: and this is I believe the moth shaking its wings in me"。 I'd been itching for some more Woolf to read， but had none stockpiled， so this popping up on Netgalley was perfect。 All the more so for being letters where you can get that beautiful， light-filled prose in bite-si "I began to feel the quality of the evening – how it was spring coming; a silver light; mixing with the early lamps; the cabs all rushing through the streets; I had a tremendous sense of life beginning; and all the doors opening: and this is I believe the moth shaking its wings in me"。 I'd been itching for some more Woolf to read， but had none stockpiled， so this popping up on Netgalley was perfect。 All the more so for being letters where you can get that beautiful， light-filled prose in bite-size chunks， without the tendency to float altogether free which sometimes afflicts Woolf。 Or say affects rather than afflicts， because it's not a failing as such， just something which limits the moods in which I can read her。 Here， though， she has also Vita to anchor her， the body to her mind – "If I were she， I would merely stride， with 11 Elk hounds behind me， through my ancestral woods"。 Indeed， at times Virginia on Vita is barely a whisker from the 'she breasted boobily' school of writing: "There is her maturity and full breastedness"！ Though for the sake of the story， it can't quite be love at first sight; at their initial meeting， Virginia finds Vita "inclined to double chin"， while Vita thinks Woolf "dresses quite atrociously" and "she is quite old"。 Still， both are intrigued， and soon enough more， despite denials along the way: "I do love her，but not b。s。ly。"， 'b。s。' being 'back stairs'， which is to say gay – who knew that even the Bloomsburies had their own 'no homo'？ There are frustrations， often to do with Woolf's health; there's comedy， with Virginia's hairpins or indeed hair forever falling in her food。 There's a supporting cast， albeit few of them very well-developed， especially Clive Bell， a thoroughly two-dimensional example of a messy bitch who lives for the drama。 Indeed， the only other player who comes entirely to life is Knole， Vita's ancestral home， which Virginia at first finds faintly ridiculous （"His Lordship lives in the kernel of a vast nut。"） but which， like its mistress， soon seduces her。 As Vita shows Virginia letters from Dryden she has about the place， or locks of hair from 17th century lords， the modern reader can see what's building – that sense of loving England itself through a representative of one of its great families， as Harriet Vane felt with Peter Wimsey， which would germinate， and immortalise the pair， in the form of Orlando。 A book， and a character， which Vita loved， as well she might， even while acknowledging it as a new form of narcissism。 Of course， real life can't be so neat as to end there， and the letters continue， albeit more seldom， as they grow apart， reminding the reader that even when lovers part as friends， or never wholly part， there remains an unavoidable tragedy to the simple， ghastly human fact that we can't have all the things we love， all at once， forever。 And the other tragedy too， of course， as 1941 and the river replace Orlando as the looming telos of whose backwards causality we detect ripples。If other people seldom intrude as much more than phantoms （the husbands， while certainly loved and never belittled， are on roughly the same level as the pets）， there's still a sense of both participants in the round， even while they discuss how nobody else can ever know the whole of you。 We get Vita on Virginia's writing， as when Mrs Dalloway has "made it unnecessary ever to go to London again， for the whole of London in June is in your first score of pages" （maybe this is why I've been craving Woolf， now even those of us who live in London can't go there anymore in any meaningful sense？）。 There's Woolf on Woolf's writing: "Style is a very simple matter， it is all rhythm。 Once you get that， you can't use the wrong words。" There's even a certain amount on Vita's writing， though despite that， and the degree to which she holds her own， I can't see myself seeking out The Edwardians or The Land even once book acquisition resumes。 Sometimes it's all terribly relatable， as when learning other languages: "Why do grammars only teach one such phrases as 'Simply through the courage of the champion's sword'， when what one wants to say is 'Bring another lamp'？" Suddenly Duolingo's sentences seem positively useful in comparison。 There's the spaniel and the kitten mingling their brood absent-mindedly at Knole， like a parody of what the outraged Right would expect in a household where homosexuality has taken root。 There's even the lovely， almost plaintive line "But then， in all London， you and I alone like being married。"If I have a complaint， it's that I don't entirely understand some of the editorial decisions。 Some of the missives （and those to other people， and diary entries， which are also included as relevant） have been edited， and that's fair enough。 But equally， there's material left in， and sometimes whole notes， which are purely making and then revising social arrangements， say， and which make one wonder – well， if they kept this in， what on Earth must the stuff they cut have been like？ Similarly， the footnoting of Bloomsbury types is constant， though surely not all necessary to the likely reader of a book such as this – but when Vita says the two people talking in the room where she wrote were Bulldog Drummond and Benjamin Constant， nothing， so the casual reader might assume those were simply the names of two neighbours of hers unworthy of further comment。 Then too， those inconsequential notes with arrangements， or complaining about a vomiting dog？ They make rather a mockery of the section in Alison Bechdel's introduction where she rehearses the obligatory grumbles about how nobody writes letters anymore and can you imagine the modern equivalent of this。 Well， yes， I can – I've been in email and even messenger conversations which， if I wouldn't compare our prose to V&V's， were just as substantial， just as often， as this。 Not to mention the incessant wobbles here about not knowing what the other is doing right now， wondering if the other still feels as they did when they wrote in the past， missing the post。。。all upset which would be eliminated if they'd had smartphones。 Never mind the complaints about not having enough photos of each other！ And while Bechdel tries to get vaguely modern by musing on what emojis they would have sent， surely Bosman's potto would have done better as GIFs， and heart-eyes would be more likely than scissors？Still， beneath the apparatus， and before the end， there's the love， and the writing， and the reminder of how full of light life could be when we were allowed to live it。 "For the rest， Charleston， Tilton， To The Lighthouse， Vita， expeditions: the summer dominated by a feeling of washing in boundless warm fresh air – such an August not come my way for years。" Here's hoping， eh？ 。。。more
Julija
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most beautiful thing I have read in my entire life。 I will treasure it in my heart forever。 it has shaken me， inspired me， made me laugh， and just deeply touched me。 I rarely ever reread books but I could pick this up again in an instant and once more be comforted by these wonderful letters。。。。
Harri
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I was really excited to read this book of letters and diary entries by Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf。 Wonderfully sapphic， painfully bittersweet， and just a really lovely read， with an introduction by Alison Bechdel who explains much more succintly than I ever could why this collection is so important。Reading real letters and diary entries is the best way to really get inside someone's head。 They are from a different time， and yet so much of what is expressed is still relatable all of t I was really excited to read this book of letters and diary entries by Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf。 Wonderfully sapphic， painfully bittersweet， and just a really lovely read， with an introduction by Alison Bechdel who explains much more succintly than I ever could why this collection is so important。Reading real letters and diary entries is the best way to really get inside someone's head。 They are from a different time， and yet so much of what is expressed is still relatable all of these years later。 This is an incredibly intimate read， at times even feeling voyeuristic， but always humanising。 Through their letters， Sackville-West and Woolf feel so wonderfully human， rather than just names in the literary canon。 This book shows a picture of their relationship， and all of the flirtation， longing， desire， friendship and jealousy that it contained。 I also found the parts where the two of them discussed their writing very interesting。 I enjoyed getting to see some of the thoughts behind the literature， and I found the background to Woolf's book Orlando particularly interesting to read。 。。。more
Layla
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Beautiful， but obviously bittersweet as you know how it ends。。。
Emily Davies （libraryofcalliope）
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“𝘠𝘦𝘴， 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘝𝘪𝘵𝘢: 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶: 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶: 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴， 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺， 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶。”——Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West， both writers， both public figures， both married， corresponded for nearly 20 years， until Woolf’s death。 Their relationship was a complicated thing， starting with admiration blossoming into passion and intensity before cooling into a warm friendship that fizzled into a mere acquaintance before being cultivated again into a bond that meant a “𝘠𝘦𝘴， 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘝𝘪𝘵𝘢: 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶: 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶: 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴， 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺， 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶。”——Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West， both writers， both public figures， both married， corresponded for nearly 20 years， until Woolf’s death。 Their relationship was a complicated thing， starting with admiration blossoming into passion and intensity before cooling into a warm friendship that fizzled into a mere acquaintance before being cultivated again into a bond that meant a great deal to each of them。 It is hard to review letters as you would a story but it was incredibly interesting to read how these women wrote to one another， how they would count the seconds till they saw each other next， how they would guilt the other， or hold jealous grudges。 The letters reveal two human beings and their connection to each other。 I really enjoyed reading them and found them fascinating。 I especially loved their correspondence regarding Orlando， the book Woolf wrote for and inspired by Sackville-West。 This book is so worth checking out， not only is it visually stunning but the inclusion of diary entries， Vita’s letters to her husband， and the footnotes helps to give you a good and thorough understanding as the years pass。 I highly recommend this book。 。。。more
El
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Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC！"The percentage of Lesbians is rising in the States， all because of you。"I really enjoyed reading these letters， they were a nice mix of the mundanity of everyday life and a blossoming and then （relatively） steady romance and friendship between two great writers。 I've always loved Virginia Woolf's wit that comes across in her non-fiction especially， and there are some very entertaining passages in here， as well as some cute inside jokes。 I found Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC！"The percentage of Lesbians is rising in the States， all because of you。"I really enjoyed reading these letters， they were a nice mix of the mundanity of everyday life and a blossoming and then （relatively） steady romance and friendship between two great writers。 I've always loved Virginia Woolf's wit that comes across in her non-fiction especially， and there are some very entertaining passages in here， as well as some cute inside jokes。 I found particularly interesting how they navigated their relationship in regards to their continuing relationships with their husbands and other women， I think historical non-monogamy especially in the context of queerness is super interesting to learn more about。 I would have liked some more context from a historian or something around the rest of their relationship in terms of visits and more diary snippets， but I'd still recommend reading this。 。。。more
Jenny Benson
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My forever OTP。 My forever obsession。 My heart hurts reading their last letters。
Trevor Harvey
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I'm always wary of reading love letters as they contain so much that is personal both in language and content to the recipients that it feels like an invasion of privacy。Reading these letters does not add to our understanding of Sackville-West and Woolf as writers or women。One for die hard fans rather than the general reader。 I'm always wary of reading love letters as they contain so much that is personal both in language and content to the recipients that it feels like an invasion of privacy。Reading these letters does not add to our understanding of Sackville-West and Woolf as writers or women。One for die hard fans rather than the general reader。 。。。more
CC
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