JACOB'S ROOM

Virginia Woolf's third novel, first published in 1922, marked a significant departure from the conventional writing style of her contemporaries. The audiobook is given a thoughtful, sensitive narration by Helen Lloyd, who portrays the many characters in Jacob Flanders's life with period correctness and precise diction. While Jacob isn't truly present in his own coming-of-age story, he is thoroughly delineated by the conversations other characters have about him. From the letters to Jacob written by his mother, the memories of the women who cared for him, and the observations of those who knew or thought they knew him, we get shifting impressions of Jacob as he moves through his life. Lloyd's artful performance offers finesse and well-defined characters. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2021]