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Summary: Michael Cunningham successfully invades the world of Virgina
Review: inia Wolff and places her dilemma in the context of two contemporary women. One woman, begins her stuggle for identity at the end of World War II. She would rather read the novel Mrs. Dalloway, than participate in family life. Reluctantly she goes the motions of preparing a cake with her small son for her husband's birthday. She cannot bring about the emotional commitment to this kind of living.The second contemporary woman, Clarissa, is nicknamed Mrs. Dalloway, and she relives the opening scene of that novel. She, too , struggles with a meaning to her life and finds it lacking. Her realationships are all frought with her self-imposed fears and disappointments. And then, there is Virginia Wolff herself, struggling with the beginning of the novel "Mrs. Dalloway" All three characters weave in and out of this tale of psychological hell, and the ending is a grand epiphany which brings the characters together. I have a minor criticism. The author writes about a flower shop in June and describes its contents. HOwever, paperwhites are not available at that time of year. They are finished the the first week of May.
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Summary: a stunning book
Review: This book blew me away, the first thirty pages about all I did was inwardly gasp. Cunningham's choice of words, his utterly precise rendering of psychological states was stunning. Certain passages haunted me. This writer is a master. I can see where certain readers might be intimidated, bored, or threatened by his themes and his styles; too bad for them. This work is about as stunning as they come. I almost never buy novels (I take them out of the library), but this is one I need to own, I will be returning to it again and again.
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Summary: A Connected Story
Review: It is too bad Michael Cunninghman does not write more novels. His stories are entertaining and thought provoking. I have read all of Michael Cunningham's books. His first book, A HOME AT THE END OF THE WORLD, told the story of three people creating a family. The book was very well written, and told a wonderful story. His second book, FLESH & BLOOD, told a story of the life of a family. This to me is his best written work, and I consider this book one of the best novels I have read. Now, Michael Cunningham wrote his newest book, THE HOURS. I picked this up after finding out he won the PEN/Faulkner, and the Pultizer. I can see why this won the Pulitzer. This is a book that pays homage to Virginia Woolf (specifically style, themes, and characters). There are three stories in his book that all link together from the beginning to the shocking ending. First, there is Virginia Woolf herself, dealing with her manic-depression, and writing her novel MRS. DALLOWAY, all coming close to her suicide. Then, there is Linda, a housewife in the 1940's who is reading MRS. DALLOWAY, and realizing about what her life is all about. And finally, we have Clarissa, who is like Woolf's character Mrs. Dalloway, she is preparing a party for her friend who just won a major poetry prize. (In the book, Clarissa is known by her friend Richard as Mrs. Dalloway.) There are other connections with these three stories which I won't get into (I'll let you the reader figure that out); however, these connections deal with sickness, suicide, love, sadness, and life. This would be a perfect book for book discussions (there is a lot to talk about after one reads this book), and perfect for literary research papers. It is a quick read, and easy to follow, even though the style of writing looks complicated. This is very different from the other books Mr. Cunningham has written. But this book is dealing with Virginia Woolf. I congratulate Mr. Cunningham for winning the two writing awards, and hope his next novel would be another interesting, well-written story.
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Summary: An unforgettable book - read "Mrs. Dalloway" first
Review: I had read all of the reviews about "The Hours" prior to reading. However, I wanted to read "Mrs. Dalloway" first, as I had never read any Virginia Wolfe book before. I must say that I am very glad I did. I read "The Hours" right after reading "Mrs. Dalloway". I strongly urge others to do likewise. I feel that I enjoyed "The Hours" much more for doing so. If you read "Mrs Dalloway" in high scool or college - read it again. If not, you will miss the many nuances that occur.
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Summary: Precious Little
Review: This gimmicky paean to the gay and lesbian lifestyle "drags" on for hours. The only section that rose above the whiny, self-indulgent norm involved Virginia Woolf, her niece and nephews, and a dead thrush. The prose is finely chiseled (So precious! So cute!) but it says nothing and takes you nowhere. At one point, "Mrs. D" speculates as to the fate the future will assign the writings of another character. The only fate imaginable for this slight volume is total, permanent oblivion closing in quickly, as the glitterati move on to the next shiny, superficial work which reflects their infinite self-importance and self-pity. It's both laughable and a sad commentary on the state of American letters that this claptrap garnered the Pulitzer Prize. Perhaps next year the judges will free themselves from the service of the so-called cultural elite and reward a book with substance as well as "style".
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Summary: For suicidal gender searchers
Review: Depressing tale(s) of unhappy homosexuals pondering their fates. The author clearly thinks many/most are barely clinging on to their sanity, going through life faking it, and living day to day looking for a way out. No joy of living here. Life is a *****. A Pulitzer? Jeez! Prozac for one and all. Get a life. ENJOY life rather than read about mopers who spend time inching flower pots around on coffee tables to get just the right effect or contemplate what might have been rather than taking what life has dealt you and giving it your best shot. We've all got problems. Why waste 226 pages on hand wringers who can't deal with theirs?
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Summary: Well written and edited
Review: The opening of this book is one of stunning and vivid artistry -- it's a most visually arresting first chapter. Like Moliere, Cunningham has a real talent for choosing the right words. Each word was carefully selected for its contribution to the work.The author obviously labored at this short novel. Cunningham properly gives credit to Jonathan Galassi as a "secular saint" who scores another popular, literary victory after "Charming Billy." But we almost expect work of this literary quality from Farrar, Straus & Giroux and Roger Straus, who in Vanity Fair of May was critical of publishers who "add nothing to literature." Clearly, this work is a literary gem. The close of the book also held a rich surprise, which showed the strength of Cunningham's (Woolf's) technique as a storyteller. The multiple layers and flowing connections of events and symbolism among the lives of the three women proved subtly meaningful and unobtrusive. Of the three characters, Mrs. Woolf was the most intriguing to me -- but she was the muse, after all. Some players outside the leads were not as sharply drawn and were in some cases so pretentious and shallow that we may not have had much empathy for them. It seems to me that not only has Cunningham written a wonderful novel but also he brings a great many readers back to Virginia Woolf, which in itself, is a great service to those who respect his writing.
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Summary: Woolf at the Metaverse
Review: Hats off to Michael Cunningham for not only having the chutpah to tackle "a legend," but to layer stories translucently on top of one another to create another view of life. To say that Cunningham tries to imitate Woolf is absurb. This book never attempts Woolf's stream of consciousness and knows it. If readers bring that assumption to this book, they are in for a major disappointment. If on the other hand they examine the way that characters - Clarissa, Laura, and Virginia -- "create," the thematic ideas will come through. This is not a "light read" with emphasis on heavy story plotting, but a psychological study of three lives that cross paths with one book. Keep your existential minds alert: there is no reality, only perception.
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Summary: Prose that would make Woolf proud.
Review: As an homage, not a sequel, to Virgina Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, this book is a tremendous success. The lightness, yet extreme complexity of these words are remindful of Woolf's work, if not as elaborate. The characters are, at once, likeable and repulsive, as they encounter the hours of their lives. This, however, is a mere reflection of the conflict in all individuals, struggling to distinguish the good from the bad as we proceed through life. Most enjoyable.
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Summary: A Stunning Novel That Offers More Levels Than Meet The Eye
Review: Similar to Tony Kusher's epic play, "Angels in America," Michael Cunningham manages to traverse time and space to give us three inter-connecting character studies that seem independent of one another until the final pages. With bullseye accuracy, Cunningham allows us to share the most trivial joys as well as the deepest despairs of these people, blurring the lines as he goes. None of Cunningham's characters (in any of his works) are cookie-cutter figures that fall on one side or the other. These people are not all that likable at times, but still we have compassion for their plights. Cunningham repeatedly breaks the rules of fiction writing with stunning results. If you are looking for a traditional work, try either "Flesh and Blood" or "A Home at the End of the World," my personal favorite. This is one author with such an impressive body of work, he deserves to be read and re-read time and again.
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