Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.
1998
Fiction
Finished on April 17, 2002
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.
In The Hours, Michael Cunningham, widely praised as one of the most gifted writers of his generation, draws inventively on the life and work of Virginia Woolf to tell the story of a group of contemporary characters struggling with the conflicting claims of love and inheritance, hope and despair. The narrative of Woolf's last days before her suicide early in World War II counterpoints the fictional stories of Samuel, a famous poet whose life has been shadowed by his talented and troubled mother, and his lifelong friend Clarissa, who strives to forge a balanced and rewarding life in spite of the demands of friends, lovers, and family.
Passionate, profound, and deeply moving, this is Cunningham's most remarkable achievement to date.
My Original Thoughts (2002):
Very imaginative and enjoyable. Much easier to read than Mrs. Dalloway, but I'm glad I read that or I would have missed too much in The Hours. A surprise ending, although I should have known! "...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." "Seamless transitions. Clarissa's day mirrors Mrs. Dalloway's... with, however, an appropriate degree of modern beveling..." Did you know that The Hours was Virginia Woolf's working title for Mrs. Dalloway?
My Current Thoughts:
I feel as if I've written about The Hours and Mrs. Dalloway more than once on this blog. I'd completely forgotten that I'd re-read The Hours just last year! (Reviewed here.) I doubt I'll read Mrs. Dalloway again, but I am looking forward to making time to watch the film version of The Hours.
I thought I had read The Hours, but I can't find that I have. I've certainly seen it and shelved it at the library many times. Les, I always like this 'looking back' feature that you do. Nice memories or sometimes books to think about reading. Have a good weekend!
ReplyDeleteKay, thank you for your feedback about this weekly feature. It's going to take me a long time to "catch up" with all of my pre-blogging reviews. I'm in the 2002s and have four more years to go! :)
DeleteI remember when The Hours came out, but I didn't read it. Come to think of it, I don't think I ever saw the movie either.
ReplyDeleteHelen, the movie is outstanding. It has such a great cast, and I plan to watch it again soon.
DeleteI thought The Hours was brilliant when I first read it. Somehow I'd missed that the book was based on Mrs. Dalloway, and, later when I read Mrs. Dalloway, I still thought The Hours was brilliant, but that Mrs. Dalloway was even more so.
ReplyDeleteDeb, I wonder if I'd enjoy reading Mrs. Dalloway again. Both books are worthwhile, that's for certain!
Delete