Rating: 
Summary: true to the spirit of Woolf
Review: I must say I'm a bit surprised by the vicious attacks launched at Cunningham, especially by readers who admit they have not read anything by Woolf -- there is the first mistake. Though I haven't read Mrs. Dalloway in quite a while, I have read To the Lighthouse (one of my all time favorite novels) and Cunningham captures her genius perfectly! This book demands a certain amount of concentration on the reader's behalf, but it's worth it. If you have ever read anything by Woolf, you will immediately appreciate the nuance of his language. It's not pompous just because he gets the prosody and rhythm of Woolf right on the nose! Normally I don't like split narratives that jump from chapter to chapter, but Cunningham does it so seamlessly and with such a feel for the 3 main characters that I found myself drawn into all three story lines. I don't want to reveal how they all come together, but let's just say they do, and with a bang. To give an idea of the kind of subtlety Cunningham displays, let me give one example: Lara Brown, the housewife, feels unconnected to her husband and 3 year old child and all she wants to do is finish reading Mrs. Dalloway. But, since it's her husband's birthday, she follows the expected role and tries to make him a fantastic cake. When the cake turns out to be amateurish and imperfect, she becomes almost suicidally depressed and decides to throw it out and start again. The scene continues, but the disappointment with the cake takes on a life of its own. Readers of To the Lighthouse will be reminded of the central dining scene when Mrs. Ramsey prepares a magnificant feast in much the same vein for her family. Cunningham's writing and grasp of Woolf is inspired -- I can see why he got the Pulitzer Prize. For those who criticize, be sure to catch up on your Woolf before nailing Cunningham to the cross. It's really a terrific book.
Rating:
Summary: A work of art
Review: This book was obviously written with great care, "not forced into existence like a chicken that goes from egg to slaughter with its feet never touching the ground," like many of today's best sellers. This is one of the best books I've read this year. Michael Cunningham is a God.
Rating:
Summary: Cursed by the weight of the Pulitzer Prize
Review: Okay, I gave it five stars, now I'm going to blast it. This is a well written book, an enjoyable read. It's a pity it won a Pulitzer though, because it can't live up to that honor.Imagine a Hollywood Producer handing a talented screenwriter a copy of Mrs Dalloway and saying, "Here, write an updated version of this that audiences can relate to," and you've got The Hours. It's not just an homage to Virginia Woolf, it's a rewrite. But a good one.
Rating: 
Summary: Tired
Review: Frankly I am tired of this kind of "seamless masterpiece" which is so seamless that none of the characters were ever developed to the greatest extent possible. I have read Mrs. Dalloway, I know Virginia W., but I was disappointed in this Pulitzer Price winner. I expected more.
Rating:
Summary: Pultizer Prize disappointment
Review: I learned of this book when the Pultizer Prize announcement was made. This small book seemed like a tiny jewel. However, the attractive presentation and hype seemed overdone to the subject matter itself. The writing was world-class yet the work was not inspiring. My high expectations were not met. I am left wondering still about what criteria the Pultizer Committee uses in making its awards.
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece well deserving of critical accolades
Review: The Hours is a true masterpiece, a modern sequel to Virginia Woolf's "Mrs. Dalloway". It's as if Virginia Woolf was reincarnated through Mr. Cunningham. Absolutely spell binding. I didn't want this book to end. If you love Virginia Woolf, then you have to read this book!
Rating:
Summary: He's No Virginia Woolf
Review: An interesting premise but the book doesn't live up to its ambitions. The characters remain opaque, and one is too conscious of the author being clever. Again and again one notes: "oh yes, he's alluding to that bit of the Woolf's Mrs Dalloway" or "ok, another item checked off: having a character repeat language from Woolf's suicide note verbatim." Although his writing is good, the end result is that Cunningham seems pretentious to have attempted to speak for Woolf, catty, and glib.
Rating:
Summary: Not that impressive
Review: I read this book because it said it was a Pulitzer prize winner, so I went in with high expectations. There is much comparison to Virginia Woolf's work, which I have read none of. However, I found this book within a book and overlapping characters nothing special. It's been done. The over analysis of the dissassociation of the characters to their world was interesting, however, also not especially brilliant. I expected more. It was mildly entertaining at best.
Rating:
Summary: A good imitation...
Review: This book is beautifully written and is a very good homage or imitation of Virginia Woolf's language and style. I found the portions about her life to be the most complex and interesting; the prologue was especially moving. However, I couldn't help but notice that Cunningham wasn't as good at writing like Virginia Woolf as Virginia Woolf was. It made me want to just reach for "The Waves" or "To the Lighthouse" instead.
Rating:
Summary: A 'Hamlet' book
Review: I found this work a 'Hamlet' book in terms of thought vs. action (too much of one and not quite enough of the other). Cunningham dives the undercurrents of the most mundane of events to divine the essence and meaning of life as we know it. While very strong stylistically, fluent and well-written, the book seems to dip into the 'tell' as opposed to the 'show' region now and then. The characters tend to lay their thoughts open to us, straight as railroad tracks, utterly sure of what they mean; at such times, they turn into vessels for Cunningham's philosophy rather than realistic characters in their own right. Therefore, I found it a little too contrived and self-aware; but still, a thought-provoking and insightful read.
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