The Hours by Michael Cunningham
Fiction
1998
Finished on May 29, 2024
Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)
Publisher's Blurb:
The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that became a motion picture starring Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, and Nicole Kidman, directed by Stephen Daldry from a screenplay by David Hare.
Passionate, profound, and deeply moving, The Hours is the story of three women: Clarissa Vaughan, who one New York morning goes about planning a party in honor of a beloved friend; Laura Brown, who in a 1950s Los Angeles suburb slowly begins to feel the constraints of a perfect family and home; and Virginia Woolf, recuperating with her husband in a London suburb, and beginning to write Mrs. Dalloway. By the end of the novel, the stories have intertwined, and finally come together in an act of subtle and haunting grace, demonstrating Michael Cunningham's deep empathy for his characters as well as the extraordinary resonance of his prose.
After reading Michael Cunningham's latest novel (Day) this past March, I was inspired to pick up my copy of The Hours (which I read in 2002) and give it a second reading. It was as enjoyable as the first time I read it, and I was just as surprised with the twist at the end of the novel as I was the first time around! I'm now eager to re-read Mrs Dalloway and re-watch the movie adaptation of The Hours, which as I recall was outstanding. I am also, once again, motivated to start reading The Measure of Life: Virginia Woolf's Last Years by Herbert Marder, which has languished on my shelves since 2007!
I haven't read Cunningham yet...another author/book sitting in my Goodreads list to get to! Great review.
ReplyDeleteTina, I would start first with The Hours. I struggled with Cunningham's prose in Day and didn't care for it quite as much as The Hours.
DeleteI never read nor saw the movie, but you've peaked my interest!
ReplyDeleteHelen, have you read Mrs. Dalloway? The Hours will make more sense if you read that one first.
DeleteGlad you enjoyed the reread of The Hours. One never knows how a second reading will turn out. I haven't been called to reread this one, but I didn't enjoy that much in the first place. Maybe I should read a biography, Mrs. Dalloway, and prepare a reading "itinerary" that includes the hours.
ReplyDeleteJenclair, re-reads have been hit-or-miss for me, so I was pleased that this one was a winner. I enjoyed the shorter chapters, and the focus on each of the main characters, reading slowly and savoring the writing. I've read a few of Woolf's novels, and am considering a re-read of Mrs. Dalloway. I really should read the bio that I've had for so many years first, though. Maybe I'll make it a year-long read...
DeleteThis was one of those books and movies I was eager to read/watch and still haven't done so! Good grief. That's great to hear that it stood up to a re-read and was still as good.
ReplyDeleteIliana, they are both definitely worthwhile! And I was happy that Cunningham's novel didn't feel dated.
DeleteYou give me impetus to read this -- as I have only watched the powerful movie back then. Do the book & movie follow each other closely?
ReplyDeleteSusan, it's really a good read! Have you read Mrs. Dalloway? If not, you might want to read that one first. As far as the movie goes, I think it follows the book fairly accurately, but I honestly don't remember.
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