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A review by emilyinherhead
The Hours / Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, Michael Cunningham
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Both of these novels were re-reads for me, though I can’t remember when I first encountered them, and whether it was separately or as a pair. What I do know is: they belong together.
Virginia Woolf’s stream-of-consciousness writing style usually works for me, since my brain naturally meanders in similar ways, but I do sometimes have to pause and go back a few sentences to remind myself whose head we’re in now, or what has happened that someone has begun mulling over or used as a jumping-off point for a new thought or memory. Michael Cunningham’s riff on her story is truly the perfect companion (I read Mrs. Dalloway first, and then The Hours)—it has a similar tone and style, but it’s slightly easier to get into and it does a wonderful job of highlighting and expanding on the themes of the original. I loved identifying little details that Cunningham spread out over multiple characters in his triptych version, discovering how all three of his women main characters could embody the idea of Mrs. Dalloway in slightly different and complementary ways.
I watched the film adaptation of The Hours after reading both novels and can happily report that it continues to be sad and beautiful and outstanding. Just an A+ experience overall. Highly recommended for the introspective girlies who like to ponder death.
Virginia Woolf’s stream-of-consciousness writing style usually works for me, since my brain naturally meanders in similar ways, but I do sometimes have to pause and go back a few sentences to remind myself whose head we’re in now, or what has happened that someone has begun mulling over or used as a jumping-off point for a new thought or memory. Michael Cunningham’s riff on her story is truly the perfect companion (I read Mrs. Dalloway first, and then The Hours)—it has a similar tone and style, but it’s slightly easier to get into and it does a wonderful job of highlighting and expanding on the themes of the original. I loved identifying little details that Cunningham spread out over multiple characters in his triptych version, discovering how all three of his women main characters could embody the idea of Mrs. Dalloway in slightly different and complementary ways.
I watched the film adaptation of The Hours after reading both novels and can happily report that it continues to be sad and beautiful and outstanding. Just an A+ experience overall. Highly recommended for the introspective girlies who like to ponder death.