Tab Article

ratings: (4.3/5)
Genre: Classic Literature, Biography, Animal Fiction, Modernist Literature

Book Review:
'Flush' is one of Virginia Woolf's most charming and accessible works. It is a biography, but of a most unusual subject: a cocker spaniel. Woolf takes the life of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's beloved dog and transforms it into a playful, witty, and surprisingly profound meditation on love, class, and the nature of consciousness. Written from Flush's perspective, the novel imagines the world as a dog might experience it: a world of smells and sounds, of masters and mistresses, of longings and loyalties. We follow Flush from his carefree puppyhood in the country to his life with the invalid poet in her dark London room, where he becomes her devoted companion. We share his jealousy when Robert Browning enters the scene, and his adventures when the couple elopes to Italy. Woolf's prose is, as always, exquisite, and she brings Flush's world to life with warmth and humor. But the book is more than just a charming animal story. It is also a subtle exploration of human relationships, a gentle satire of Victorian society, and a meditation on the boundaries between humans and animals. This Penguin Little Black Classics edition is a perfect introduction to Woolf for new readers, and a delightful treat for her longtime admirers. It is a book that will make you smile, and maybe even see the world a little differently.