Comments: This book is an absolute gem. Part one covers essays where Woolf discusses women and writing as a whole, part two covers essays about particular women authors (inc. George Eliot, Christina Rossetti, Katherine Mansfield and of course Jane Austen and the Brontes). There is also an excellent 39 page introduction. Woolf covers many of the same themes and topics as she does in A Room of One's Own, but from a slightly different angle.

My very favourite essay is "Professions for Women" (which is also published in the collection The Death of the Moth). In it, the narrator brilliantly describes how she had to kill the Angel in the House: "I turned upon her and caught her by the throat ..." This is Woolf at her most vigorous, taking agency in her life. I also really enjoyed her essays on Jane Austen and the Brontes, and also one titled "Royalty." Great stuff!

Recommended for: This is a must-read for fans of A Room of One's Own and anyone interested in the issues that women novelists face, and also anyone interested in women writers in general.

Rating: 4/5 stars. I would have given this a full 5 stars, but there were several essays that I didn't care for, mostly because I had no knowledge of the authors Woolf discussed. That doesn't take away from how fabulous some of the other essays were, however. ( )