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The Sunday Salon: The Hours

The Sunday Salon.comLast week I asked people to vote for what book I should read next. Readers chose The Hours by Michael Cunningham, which so far has been awesome!  The book has three narrative strands — author Virginia Woolf writing Mrs. Dalloway, society woman Clarissa Vaughan planning a party, and 1950s housewife Laura Brown struggling with her picture-perfect suburban life.

The stories have already started to overlap and connect with one another, primarily through stories by Virginia Woolf and their characters. I already want to know so much; I feel like I’m missing details and jokes because I’m not as up on Virginia Woolf as I should be. It’s a great book anyway. I think I’ll have it done by the end of the week.

Since so many people have already read this book, instead of a traditional review, I want to solicit some questions from all of you. Leave a comment on this post with a question you want me to answer (preferably about The Hours, but I’ll take others I suppose) and I’ll go through the questions for my review.

Happy Sunday everyone!

Comments on this entry are closed.

  • Nymeth April 5, 2009, 3:58 pm

    It’s been a while since I last read it, but I’ll ask you a question about a scene that stuck with me in particular: What do you think about the conclusion Clarissa Vaughan eventually reaches about happiness?

  • Gavin April 5, 2009, 4:22 pm

    Gavin – It’s been a while for me, too. My question is do the three strands work? Are each of the characters in balance or does one “overpower” the others?

  • Joanne April 5, 2009, 5:54 pm

    Glad to hear you’re enjoying The Hours! I’m about to start this one tonight, I debated over reading Mrs Dalloway first but then decided to give this one a shot first since it’s supposedly set during the time Virginia was writing it.

    Even though I haven’t read it yet, my question is whether or not this book would make you want to read Woolfs works, or maybe search out another book based upon her life?

  • debnance April 5, 2009, 6:36 pm

    You must read Mrs. Dalloway, of course. I wished I’d read it first. I read The Hours and loved it and then read Dalloway and found Hours a bit dirivative.

  • Eva April 5, 2009, 8:21 pm

    Have you seen the movie? Which do you prefer?

    I ask because I saw the movie first, and I liked it more than the book! Of course, I’d also read Mrs. Dalloway first, and I think it’s difficult to follow in Woolf’s footsteps.

  • mlh30504 April 5, 2009, 8:32 pm

    My question is on the same line as some of the others. I’m trying to read all the Pulitzer Prize winning fiction and wondered if I should try to read Mrs. Dalloway first, before I read the PP winning The Hours. What do you think? Love the blog!

  • Care April 7, 2009, 7:26 am

    If you could only pick three words to describe this book, which words would you choose?