Friday Spines Book Review:
Michael
Cunningham’s The Hours is one of my favorite kinds of books: Not only
is it composed almost entirely of literary references, the first main
character is an authoress, the second is a main character in her book,
and the third is a reader of that very book. The authoress is Virginia
Woolf, and her Mrs. Dalloway is being read by unhappy 1950’s housewife Laura Brown.
We
see Ms. Woolf over a few weeks as she’s making friends with Mrs.
Dalloway, entertaining her sister, and having passive-aggressive power
issues with her household servant. We meet her steadfast editor husband,
Leonard, who tries to help balance the intense terror and pain of his
wife’s frequent headaches. Mrs. Dalloway, as some may know, is being
reunited with young friends grown old, and dealing with age and death in
many different aspects. She is planning a party to honor her friend and
ex-lover Richard, who’s receiving an award for his book. (He’s famous
for his poetry, and no one has read his book, but since he’s an
incredible poet they assume his book must be just as good.) Mrs. Brown
is frosting a cake for her husband’s birthday and struggling with the
unsatisfying busywork and details of suburban life, centered around
family and excluding her own wants completely. She leaves her young son
with a neighbor, drives into the city, and rents a hotel room for the
day. She spends the afternoon reading Mrs. Dalloway. We
see these three characters' lives to near completion, as they encounter
catalysts for dramatic changes in their lives and themselves, and the
ripples these changes cause in their families and communities.
I’d
recommend this book for ages 15 (or more mature early teens) and up;
The Hours is definitely not a children’s book, although it reads like
one. Cunningham’s light, fluid narrative often contrasts with the darker
aspects of the story (of which there are many). The three narratives
are distinct and full of personality, and the stories are just separate
enough to intertwine continually throughout the story. I suspect I’d get
more out of the book if I’d read Mrs. Dalloway, although I’ve heard it can be hard to get through. If anyone has read both books, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Other things I loved about this book:
- Hearing about Virginia Woolf’s life and writing process from a first-person perspective was fascinating and quite enjoyable. It’s lovely to read about other writers, especially if they happen to be famous, and especially from such an intimately written narration.
- Admittedly, I read this book in an afternoon, so it may be that I would have noticed this more had I taken my time with the story. Apart from the obvious connections, as Mrs. Brown reads about Mrs. Dalloway and Ms. Woolf creates her, the overlapping stories and foreshadowings took me completely by surprise. (Always a wonderful feeling.)
- The ending was perfect--charmingly written and well-fitted with the rest of the book, just enough of a shock to be enjoyable while still being realistic.
- Although there were darker, not-meant-to-be-subtle aspects to The Hours, the characters' personalities--especially Ms. Woolf’s wry humor--were a well-balanced antidote to those moments.
I just got a book I believe is titled Romancing Virginia Woolf
(I don’t have it with me or I’d link to the book) on which I’m hoping to
do a short review, tying into this one. If anyone here has read it, let
me know! I’m looking forward to the book.
Happy reading!
M. Gabrielle
