Vanessa and Her Sister: A Novel Paperback – October 13, 2015

I loved this book. I can often say i like a book, but rarely say I love one. This one I did. I don't know how she managed it, but Parmar somehow brought the entire Bloomsbury group back from the dead. I had to keep reminding myself that all those letters and postcards were her creation and not historical documents. If this were a story about a fictitious group of characters, it would have been a great read, but in this book she created a sort of an alternate universe, populated by utterly convincing people who uncannily resembled and yet were not the famous figures she tells about. I can’t imagine the discipline it must have taken to pull this off.I would guess most readers of the book are somewhat familiar with Virginia Woolf, are vaguely aware that she may have had siblings, and are less aware of the rest of the cast of characters. Parmar’s uncanny re-imagining of these people makes this irrelevant to the pleasure that reading the book gives. It makes clear, from the vantage point of Virginia’s sister Vanessa, that while many in their circle were brilliant and very influential in their fields, they had a much bigger impact as a group, one which reverberates through all of our lives today.Beginning just at the end of the Victorian era, the so-called Bloomsbury group turned social and sexual mores upside down and kicked these ideals so far out the door that they never found their way back in. It’s astonishing to see how thoroughly and unhesitatingly they did so. In an era when heterosexual monogamy was the only acceptable way of life, this group happily embraced every alternative without so much as a raised eyebrow. Half—no not half, the majority of them—were gay or bisexual. Polyamory, though not called by that name, was cheerfully tolerated.The only one troubled by any of this was Vanessa, and it is this which makes Parmar’s choice of her as protagonist so interesting. Vanessa was a true romantic and wanted nothing more than to fall in love with one person of the opposite sex and live happily ever after. No one in her group seemed to share this aspiration, least of all her sister, who trampled it. It might not have been the author’s intention, but I think it wouldn't be wrong to see Vanessa’s heartbreak and confusion as an allegory for the faltering search for a new and happier kind of morality by entire subsequent generations, up to and including our own.The book neither makes nor even hints at any facile lessons or conclusions from all this. It makes us as readers feel that we have acquired the ability to read Vanessa’s thoughts. From this intimate perspective, we get to experience this amazing collection of individuals and the way they loved, hurt, and entertained one another.What also makes Vanessa a great central character is that she is deeply aware—sometimes painfully so—of her own feelings, and tells us about them with unflinching truthfulness. If she is initially in denial about her betrayal by both her sister and her husband, she knows this is so and tells us about it. When she accepts it, she tells them both plainly what she feels without excuse.I’d like to balance all this praise by finding something to criticize about Parmar’s book, but I can’t seem to think of anything. It’s a beautifully structured, highly polished, and brilliantly crafted work of art. I haven't enjoyed anything else I’ve read this much in a long time.Get this book and read it, or you’ll be missing out on something rare and remarkable.

First off I have to admit I'm not a fan of Virginia's writing. I went into this book really more interested in Vanessa and knowing next to nothing about the group of intellects that she and her family were part of in the early 1900's. I was worried this book would be a difficult read but actually it's a quick read and despite the fact that parts are rather mundane (Vanessa puts everything in this diary) I found it rather compelling.There are almost too many character to keep track of or care about and some are just in letter's that you don't even meet until the end but if you get Vanessa, Virginia, Clive (Vanessa's husband) and the main Stephen's family and family friend Lytton then you'll be okay. Roger comes in nearer the end but at least he makes an impression.Also it's hard to explain this without sounding perhaps awful because Virginia of course is mentally ill but she's also a manipulative witch. I didn't like her at all. She had such a need to be the center of things, especially with her sister, that it's actually painful to watch her worm her way into and destroy her sister's marriage. And Clive is such an idiot...It was a strangely compelling read for me.

This book is told through Vanessa's voice and a series of letters, telegrams and notes from others and speaks to the lifestyles of the Stephen's family Virginia(Woolf)and Vanessa (Bell) and their two brothers. They lived in the post impressionist period and were greatly influenced by and mingled with a large cadre of friends who were deeply involved in the arts, they were surprisingly progressive and open minded in their thoughts on love, marriage and health and were prolific corresponders. The book slowly, but thoughtfully, unfolded to reveal complex personality dynamics and protective maneuvers often found necessary when tending to someone with a serious medical condition. Virginia's history of emotional breakdowns were juxtaposed with her beauty, quick mind and genius as a writer leading the enlightened reader to to understand the energy needed to sustain peace in a fractious household. Vanessa is portrayed as the calm and loving presence in the home who can put things to right while at the same time organizing the stimulating environment needed for an artist to thrive, Vanessa's own love of painting is enhanced by their lives together as a family ... so what then causes nerves to fray to the breaking point, brings marriages to the brink and results in broken dreams? You must read, and slip into their world to find out. Enjoy.

This book was selected by my Book Club and I was very eager to read it. I like history and the fact that it told the story from Virginia Woolf's sister's point of view was intriguing. I read the book on my iPad and it would be a better choice to read the hard copy . The list of characters is long and each individual has one or more nicknames, some of which were tough to follow because I could not easily flip back to the character list in the front of the book. I enjoyed the story but didn't love it. The book dragged from time to time and I forced myself to finish it. Having said that, the author draws a fascinating picture of Virginia through the eyes of her sister and I learned new facts about her. This is a key factor in what I read.