Orlando

An Apple Books Classic edition.

With its gorgeously rendered themes of gender fluidity and magical realism, Virginia Woolf’s lush 1928 historical fantasy was nearly a century ahead of its time.

Orlando is a charming young nobleman at the Elizabethan court. He’s adored by the queen, spurned by a princess, and pursued by an overbearing duchess. Then one day, he wakes up having undergone a transformation. Orlando is now a woman.

Orlando certainly notices the sexist oppression she now faces, but as she lives on agelessly through the centuries, she’s able—quite charismatically—to transcend the boundaries placed on both genders. A biting satire, a feminist fantasy, and much more, Orlando speaks to the multitudes we all contain.