Winner of the 1999 Pulitzer prize and Pen Faulkner prize The third novel from the author of A Home at the End of the World, The Hours is a daring and deeply affecting novel inspired by the life and work of Virginia Woolf. A passionate, profound and haunting story of love and inheritance, hope and despair . Exiled in Richmond in the 1920s, taken from her beloved Bloomsbury and lovingly watched over by her husband Leonard, Virginia Woolf struggles to tame her rebellious mind and make a start on her new novel. In the brooding ...
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Winner of the 1999 Pulitzer prize and Pen Faulkner prize The third novel from the author of A Home at the End of the World, The Hours is a daring and deeply affecting novel inspired by the life and work of Virginia Woolf. A passionate, profound and haunting story of love and inheritance, hope and despair . Exiled in Richmond in the 1920s, taken from her beloved Bloomsbury and lovingly watched over by her husband Leonard, Virginia Woolf struggles to tame her rebellious mind and make a start on her new novel. In the brooding heat of 1940s Los Angeles, a young wife and mother yearns to escape the claustrophobia of suburban domesticity and read her precious copy of Mrs Dalloway. And in New York in the 1990s, Clarissa Vaughan steps out of her smart Greenwich Village apartment and goes shopping for flowers for the party she is giving in honour of her life-long friend Richard, an award-winning poet whose mind and body are being ravaged by AIDS. These are the characters in Michael Cunningham's exquisite and deeply moving new novel, which takes Woolf's life and work as inspiration for a meditation on artistic behaviour, failure, love and madness. Moving effortlessy across the decades and between England and America, Cunningham's elegant, haunting prose explores the pain and trauma of creativity and the immutable relationship between writer and reader.
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It wasn't poorly written it was just boring. Three interwoven stories come together to make the reader realize they could have read something much better. A woman planning a party for her dying friend. A hausfrau with a shocking secret (oh my!) and sad sack Virgina Woolfe in all her pity before completion of "Mrs. Dalloway". This book much like the movie acted like a sedative for me. Both had the power to put me to sleep.
Since so much was made about Virginia Woolfe at the time of the film release and then greater interest in the book it did inspire me to read "Mrs. Dalloway". Much to my horror in the first few pages I was having deja-veu of "The Hours" all over again. I'm surprised Ms. Woolfe's estate didn't sue for copyright infringement.
bevans605
Jul 11, 2008
A Day Inspired by Woolf
Cunnigham's novel relies heavily on context and events from Woolf's novel, Mrs. Dalloway, which is being written in The Hours. If I had not already read Mrs. Dalloway, I would have missed many references and allusions to the novel made by Cunnigham and perhaps not appreciated or understood the presence of certain plot elements; nevertheless, knowledge of Woolf's work is not requisite to enjoy The Hours. The portraits of the characters, especially Woolf's, are intriguing, and Cunnigham adeptly delves into the minds of his heroines. While some may say that the characters seem too similar, I would suggest that some of the beauty of the work comes from the realisation that these women, despite their many differences, experience the same confusions and emotions. While I did enjoy and would recommend this book to friends, it is not a light or uplifting book. In any case, it's a fast read, so if you don't like it, it won't take up too much of your time. A good choice for fans of Virginia Woolf.
flickburns
Dec 1, 2007
wonderful read
I really loved this book! it is beautifully written, poetic & totally engrossing.
Selina
Sep 16, 2007
Stale
It sounded like a man wrote it. All the characters sounded the same. This is a one time read at best. I doubt anyone could read it for a second time. There was very little to hold the reader's attention.
