The Voyage Out, Virginia Woolf (1915) ***

As in all of Woolf's books (and many other authors, too), there's considerable autobiography in this novel. The story centers on a young woman, Rachel, who has led a rather sheltered, middle class life in London. Now she is sailing to South America in the care of a more enlightened aunt and uncle. Much of the novel is social satire on the mores of social class and gender in the England of this period. But Rachel is also on a voyage of discovery, learning about herself and about her feelings for others, especially several young men she meets in South America. There's lots of witty dialogue and those inner thoughts you'd expect of a naive young woman as she tries to decide which of the two young men she prefers. She does finally choose, but don't expect a 'happily ever after' ending.