Orlando was my 5th read Virginia Woolf book, but I personally think it would be a great option for a first-Woolf given its relatively straight forward narrative structure and wonderful humour. Orlando is a very funny tale of a young rich man who later wakes to find himself a woman. Throughout his and then her quest for love, Orlando's story is regularly laugh out loud funny and I really, really enjoyed the section, when awoken as a she, Orlando thought about all the things she could no longer or do or be perceived able to do - felt still quite relevant! Written as a faux biography (that takes place over almost 400 years thanks to wise words from a Royal!), Orlando is a tribute to Virginia's love Vita Sackville-West, whose legs inspired Orlando's.

Queen Elizabeth I tells Orlando never to grow old. After such a magical experience of meeting this powerful woman, Orlando decides to stay young. He then sails through the ages as a man in love, a lord, a poet and ambassador until, after seven days of solid sleep he awakes to find that he is a woman! The same personality, the same intellect, the same marvellous legs, but a woman! Virginia Woolf's novel is written with wonderful style and a fantastic sense of fantasy. (The cover of this edition has a photo of Tilda Swinton as the great hero/heroine from the film of the same name.)

This was a very dreamy book. Not in the whimsical sense. In the nonsensical sense - but be assured I mean that in the best way. The way Orlando is able to switch genders, travel through time and live so many lives is less fantasy/sci-fi-esque, but feels like an authentic dream you might have after one too many. This is a great classic and so ahead of its time - definitely recommend for anyone looking to get into the classics!

Orlando was written in 1928 but the contorted style of prose makes it feel 18th century. Actually Dracula is better from a prose style point of view. Anyway, I loved the fairytale quality of the story but think it's better to watch the film than read the original book.