The Hours by Michael Cunningham
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Book Reviews of The Hours
Book Review: A new treasure
Summary: 5 Stars
In Michael Cunningham's "The Hours" we are subjected to the marriage of fiction and historical appreciation at its finest. I picked this book up because I wanted to read the story before I saw the movie, but I now know that I never want to tarnish the beauty of this experience by watching Hollywood's theatrical version. Cunningham brilliantly paints a picture of one day in the lives of three different women in three different era's. First is Virginia Woolf, famous and eccentric writer, plagued by her past and a mind she can't control. While under the watchful care of her husband, who removes her from London in the 1920's in the hope of saving her from her "disease", she begins working on her piece, "Mrs. Dalloway". Then there is the present day Clarissa Vaughan, who creeps into the visions created by Virginia's mental weakness and helps shape the famous literary character, Clarissa Dalloway. Clarissa Vaughan has even been nicknamed "Mrs. Dalloway" by her ex-lover and friend, Richard, due to her likeness of the character, which leaves one wondering, "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" Caught up in the middle of this weaving tale is Laura Brown, a 1950's housewife battling her own conflicts and reading Woolf's "Mrs. Dalloway". Her gentle existence, though seemingly not outstanding at first, becomes the force that pulls the tendrils of Cunningham's philosophies into order and existence. All three characters face similar battles; mental and physical illnesses (either of themselves or loved ones), the social barriers and private emotions of homosexuality, the confines of domestic responsibilities and expectations, the preoccupation of death.Cunningham constructs this story so smoothly that it's hard to put down. When I first heard of his book I assumed it would be somewhat awkward to read; shifting back and forth between decades and characters while trying to somehow find their commonality, but his craft is flawless and the story flows beautifully. His style is comforting because it blends together new and abstract ideas with familiar detail and images of everyday objects.
I truly believe that any fiction reader will be amazed by this book. The talent of twisting a relatively preordained pattern of reading into something this fresh and intriguing is so hard to find. I think a lot of readers will find some of their most private struggles and unnamed thoughts in these women. This story challenges what you will admit about yourself and brings you a little bit closer to a truth that you're not quite sure is out there.
Book Review: Ambitious literary pageturner
Summary: 5 Stars
Michael Cunningham has done an ambitious thing with his novel, The Hours. He has taken Virginia Woolf's classic novel, Mrs. Dalloway, sliced it into thirds, painted each third a different color, and reassembled them, presenting them on a tray for our literary pleasure. That's not to say that it's a bad book, in fact the opposite. It is one of the best I've read recently, and certainly one of the most ambitious. (The Pulitzer Prize committee certainly thought enough of it to award it their prize for fiction published in 1998.) Cunningham's prose is the star here, as this narrative is composed almost entirely of inner thoughts. The three main characters--author Virginia Woolf, housewife Laura Brown, and modern "Mrs. Dalloway" Clarissa Vaughan--are somewhat similar in make-up, but that is part of the point.
Cunningham has taken Mrs. Dalloway and extrapolated it to different women in different time periods. The two "fictional" women (not counting the fictionally-presented Ms. Woolf) are bound together by the fact that both are preparing a party for a loved one. That these women are connected in yet another way is stunningly disclosed very near the end.
I really enjoyed The Hours. It is one of the few "literary" fictions that I found to be a real page-turner, and I finished it in a day and a half. That certainly speaks for its mass appeal, and I hope that others--particularly other men, as its main readership appears to be women of the Oprah crowd--will seek it out and perhaps even use it as a doorway to read Mrs. Dalloway.
One thing, however, as the book is mostly composed of inner thoughts, I'm with the author in wondering how they're going to make a movie based on it. I haven't seen the film yet, but there is all sorts of Oscar buzz surrounding director Stephen Daldry and stars Nicole Kidman (Virginia Woolf), Meryl Streep (Clarissa Vaughan), and Julianne Moore (Laura Brown).
But, even so, I think any film adaptation could only pale in comparison to the original source material. After all, we all know that the book is always better than the movie, don't we?
Book Review: Magnificent! But read Mrs. Dalloway first
Summary: 5 Stars
A stunning book, beautifully written, absolutely marvelous. I'd give it more stars if I could. Cunningham, who has written some stellar books ("A Home at the End of the World" especially), makes this one his masterpiece.
Of crucial importance for this book is reading Virginia Woolf's "Mrs. Dalloway," preferably as soon as possible before reading "The Hours." Cunningham's brilliance here is his homage to Woolf's great book, entwining modern characters and situations into his book, all of which have root-- no matter how subtle-- in the Woolf book. These surprises-- this connections of time, continuity, emotional desperation, the siren's song of death, the search for meaning in the smallest actions-- all of it is rooted in "Mrs. Dalloway." How Cunningham transposes it to "The Hours" is sheer bliss, a one-of-a-kind experience like no other book I've ever read.
I don't know what he reader would take without having read "Mrs. Dalloway" first. I intentionally read the Woolf right before reading the Cunningham, knowing that he wrote "The Hours" as both an homage and a sort of continuity-- not a sequel, or follow-up, but a careful rethinking that leads one great novel into another. I assume the reader would enjoy "The Hours" without having read a lick of Woolf. But don't-- the pleasures of the second derive from its astonishing intimacy with the first.
Granted, Virginia Woolf is no easy read. "Mrs. Dalloway," arguably her finest novel, is an existential, internal character study filled with revelations and epiphanies so subtle, so transcendent, so small (and yet so internally large), the book can be read several times to grasp its complexity. Yet I can't imagine the pleasure I got out of "The Hours" without having read Woolf first.
This is truly Cunningham's finest piece of work to date, and frankly, one of the best modern novels I've read. This is a must for Woolf fans, of course. And Cunningham (obviously influenced by Woolf) firmly establishes himself as of the top authors in the modern literary canon. An absolute gem.
Book Review: A Wonderful Homage to Woolf.
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the first novel in many years that I was motivated to read after viewing its film adaptation. The film of the same name is a work of art, though the novel surpasses the picture in terms of its depth, subtlety and intelligent imitation and homage to Virginia Woolf's novel, Mrs. Dalloway. As this was the author's stated intent, to my mind, he was wholly successful. Particularly the Dalloway chapters, it was if I was reading a 21st century version of Virginia Woolf's masterpiece. This novel is a superb piece of writing. Cunningham evokes the thoughts, impressions and inner feelings of his three main characters and their unique associations, and cleverly connects them by way of prosaic nuance and understated references to Woolf's novel. In fact, there are so many connections between the two novels, it would require several readings to find them all. This is a true literary achievement because Cunningham's execution, on the surface, seems effortless. His prose is liquid, flowing in and out of the minds and circumstances of each character with empathy, intense sensitivity and realism. However, the book's real achievement is the reader does not necessarily need to have an acquaintance with Mrs. Dalloway in order to appreciate Cunningham's incredible novel. That said, having read Woolf's Mrs Dalloway, viewing the film more than once, and now having read Cunningham's novel, my appreciation and understanding of all three has become much richer as a result. Woolf's battle with mental illness and her exploration on the boundaries between 'insanity'and what we've come to believe as 'sanity', and her views on suicide, for example, have become a lot clearer to me after reading The Hours. All three works are major triumphs in themselves, but have managed to end up complimenting each other in insightful ways.
My suggestion would be to read this elegant novel, read Woolf's masterpiece, and see the film again. If time doesn't permit or you're not inclined to do so, at least read this novel, it will be well worth your time.
Book Review: The Finest Hours
Summary: 5 Stars
I had some trepidation about reading this novel. First, it was a Pulitzer Prize winner. And while that is supposed to be a badge of honor, often it only seems to work against a novel by setting up overly high expectations. Second, knowing "The Hours" was a homage to Virginia Woolf's "Mrs. Dalloway" I read that classic work beforehand but found it nearly unbearable. Despite having these two early strikes, Michael Cunningham's novel hits one out of the proverbial literary ballpark. It flawlessly weaves three narratives - Clarissa Vaughn (nicknamed Mrs. Dalloway), a 50-something editor living in present day New York City - Laura Brown, a troubled housewife reading "Mrs. Dalloway" in 1950s Los Angeles - and a fictionalized account of Virgina Woolf herself as she prepares to write "Mrs. Dalloway."One review blurb on the book's cover says this is a "tour de force" and it is certainly a fitting description. The allusions between the fictional character of Mrs. Dalloway and the three women (as well as amongst the three themselves) are truly wonderful. Perhaps, the only complaint is that the book is TOO well-crafted or gimmicky.
Despite not very much liking it, I must reluctantly recommend that one reads (or attempts to read!) "Mrs. Dalloway" before reading this novel as it will make for a much complete and rich reading experience. I can not imagine I would have "got" this novel having not worked my way through Woolf's work (which, by the way, is relatively short). On the heels of this book's transition to the silver screen, there is no better time to read "The Hours." It is certainly a daunting task as much of the book explores the fragile (and often unspoken) emotional state of the three women. But in the hands of its stellar cast (including Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, and Julianne Moore) at least the chances of success appear to be good. By far this was one of my best reads of the year.