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The Hours by Michael Cunningham

The Hours

by Michael Cunningham
  • Critics' Consensus:
  • Readers' Rating:
  • First Published:
  • Nov 1, 1998, 230 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Jan 2000, 230 pages
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Page 4 of 5
There are currently 38 reader reviews for The Hours
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veronica walsh don

Hour and hours
The Hours. Another instance of a man reinterpreting the lives of women from the outside. It is easy to take the work of such a great writer as Virginia Woolf and by extrapolating make a vehicle, in this case a novel, which seems to speak for the female psyche. I would like the author to take a book such as Moby Dick and try the same application. The individual is indefinable, as Virginia Woolf proves. Her perspective should not be exploited to make a best seller.
Valerie

Still thinking?
I will have to rate this book as average. I wonder if it is a fair review since I have not read Mrs.Dalloway by Virgina Woolf. It was a hard book to get into. I struggled through it some in the beginning, but I believe in finishing a book from beginning to end, no matter what.

I will agree with other reviews in that the depiction of these three women and their struggles with life in general was well portrayed by Mr. Cunningham, but there was still so much not said. I mean this book takes place all within 24 hours time, yet in different time periods. I just think there were things missing that I would have liked to known more about, things left undone almost.

Like I said, it was portrayed well, but I am going to have to read Mrs. Dalloway now to see if it all comes together. Maybe if I know more about Virginia Woolf, less will be unsaid.
Mindy

This book was very well written and quite interesting. It did through me for some loops and had very twisted, perverted story lines. I am a sophomore in highschool and read this book for a research paper and it was a very challenging book that has so much to write about. Although if I can comment on the ladies, they are very "messed up" and need bucket loads of help like prozac or something.
Paul

I had to read this for my AP English 12 class. The book is a flagrant repeat of Mrs. Dalloway, written by Virginia Woolf, also a book we had to read. Through class discussions, we've deemed it impossible to truly grasp what Cunningham is saying without having previously read Mrs. Dalloway. It does have a rather odd twist at the end though.
sneha

a true criticism
A book written with the only an aim of becoming famous. He is not bothered to tell the readers the story in an easier but understandable way. He has no knowledge of the past,present and future of the characters. An utter mixing of meaningless words in the most ugly way I have ever seen. Please quit the job and let the others who are better than you write books.


Awful, awful, awful. Michael Cunningham took three perfectly good stories and ruined them. Let Virginia Woolf write like Virginia Woolf. Not michael Cunningham. This book could have easily been a short story. Not since Charles Dickens was paid by the word has an author put so many letters into such a space to say so little.
Michelle

This book was about three simple women living their lives, but at the same time wanting soemthing more. I believe this novel showed an interesting but degrading approach to women. It discouraging that a woman like Laura Brown is only thought as a simple housewife, who sees in front of her a life she wishes to have. Being a housewife is a noble choice, today many people are failing their obligations to be parents. Being a parent is not just providing, but having the love and understanding that few people express. Cunningham's use of three differnt minds is a use that Woolf thought of. He seems to be gaining the attention from her, even using the same characters names. Crafting a fictional character about Woolf, is an approach to win reviews. No one will understand the mind of Woolf, it is too vast! I believe this book defeats the reason novels are grand. I hope the lesson to learn here is not to copy other's work and move it into a different time era. A book that is written in the past, will always be a book read in time.
mrs. k.

I did not like this book. I had to read it as a reading assignment for school and I must honestly say that I have never read such a boring book before! There is absolutely nothing happening in it and I cannot recommend it!

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