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The Hours
by Michael Cunningham | Literature & Fiction
Registered by wingekrandawing of Northampton, Northamptonshire United Kingdom on Sunday, March 16, 2008
Average 7 star rating by BookCrossing Members 

status (set by kaisa64): travelling


This book is in a Controlled Release! This book is in a Controlled Release!

10 journalers for this copy...

Journal Entry 1 by wingekrandawing from Northampton, Northamptonshire United Kingdom on Sunday, March 16, 2008

This book has not been rated.

From the list of 1001 books to read before you die.

Amazon.co.uk Review:

The Hours is both a homage to Virginia Woolf and very much its own creature. Even as Michael Cunningham brings his literary idol back to life, he intertwines her story with those of two more contemporary women. One grey suburban London morning in 1923, Woolf awakens from a dream that will soon lead to Mrs.Dalloway. In the present, on a beautiful June day in Greenwich Village, 52-year-old Clarissa Vaughan is planning a party for her oldest love, a poet dying of an AIDS-related illness. And in Los Angeles in 1949, Laura Brown, pregnant and unsettled, does her best to prepare for her husband's birthday, but can't seem to stop reading Woolf. These women's lives are linked both by the 1925 novel and by the few precious moments of possibility each keeps returning to. Clarissa is to eventually realise:
There's just this for consolation: an hour here or there when our lives seem, against all odds and expectations, to burst open and give us everything we've ever imagined ... Still, we cherish the city, the morning; we hope, more than anything, for more.
As Cunningham moves between the three women, his transitions are seamless. One early chapter ends with Woolf picking up her pen and composing her first sentence: "Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself." The next begins with Laura rejoicing over that line and the fictional universe she is about to enter. Clarissa's day, on the other hand, is a mirror of Mrs. Dalloway's--with, however, an appropriate degree of modern bevelling as Cunningham updates and elaborates his source of inspiration. Clarissa knows that her desire to give her friend the perfect party may seem trivial to many. Yet it seems better to her than shutting down in the face of disaster and despair.

Like its literary inspiration, The Hours is a hymn to consciousness and the beauties and losses it perceives. It is also a reminder that, as Cunningham again and again makes us realise, art belongs to far more than just "the world of objects." --Kerry Fried
 

Journal Entry 2 by wingekrandawing from Northampton, Northamptonshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, March 18, 2008

8 out of 10

This book jumps between 3 different women, one being Virginia Woolf, starting with her suicide and working back to the events of her completing the book, Mrs Dalloway. Another character is a pregnant women reading the book and struggling to carry out her role as wife and mother. The third character is that of Clarrisa who is nicknamed Mrs Dalloway by a very sick ex lover who she is hosting a party for. It is a well written piece of work and I enjoyed reading this as much as I did the film.

I have set up an international bookray for this book and currently the following are taking part.

Fushmush, UK (Europe)
Tubereader UK (Int)
brunton11, UK (Europe)
annalux, UK (Int).
themadjock, UK (Europe).
frangelle, UK (Europe).
katrinat, UK (Europe).
MarthaK-H, UK (int).
tagesmann, UK (Int).
kaisa64, Finland
seethroughfaith, Finland (Europe).
libresco67, Belgium, (Europe)
daisyflower123, Germany (Europe/Int)
Camlann, Germany, (Int).
Sysy, Italy, (Europe)
Mizuchy, Romania (Europe).
afraberg, Netherlands (Int).
pyrospiglet, Iraq (Int).
darkpunkangel, Canada (Int).
cobalt-tree, Candad (Int).
GateGypsy, Canada (Int).
iliotropio, Belgium 

Journal Entry 3 by wingekrandawing at to the next participant in sent by post, A Bookray -- Controlled Releases on Thursday, March 20, 2008

This book has not been rated.

Released 3 yrs ago (3/20/2008 UTC) at to the next participant in sent by post, A Bookray -- Controlled Releases

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

 

Journal Entry 4 by wingfushmushwing from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Thursday, March 27, 2008

This book has not been rated.

Received in the mail today. I have one bookray ahead of it. Should get to it soon enough. 

Journal Entry 5 by wingfushmushwing from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Monday, April 14, 2008

8 out of 10

Beautifully written. I did so like the transitions from the past to the present and back to the past.

I will be sending this one on this week.

Updated: 18/04/08 Posted to next in line. 

Journal Entry 6 by Tubereader from Bruxelles / Brussel, Bruxelles / Brussel Belgium on Tuesday, April 22, 2008

This book has not been rated.

Came back from a trip this morning and the book was waiting for me. Thanks fushmush for sending it through and ekranda for sharing it!

I'll start reading it ASAP.

24/04/08 UPDATE: I am half way through the book so have PMed the next in line for the address. 

Journal Entry 7 by Tubereader from Bruxelles / Brussel, Bruxelles / Brussel Belgium on Sunday, April 27, 2008

8 out of 10

I have enjoyed the book. I had not seen the film and have not read anything from Virginia Woolf so did not know what to expect from this one. It is very well written and, although I should probably have realised earlier on, it also had a surprise for me towards the end.

If anything, the book is probably a bit too sad, but that is compensated by the quality of the writing.

Many thanks to ekranda for sharing. I have brunton11's address so will pop this in the post tomorrow. 

Journal Entry 8 by Tubereader at by post in London, International Bookray -- Controlled Releases on Monday, April 28, 2008

This book has not been rated.

Released 3 yrs ago (4/28/2008 UTC) at by post in London, International Bookray -- Controlled Releases

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

Posted the book to brunton11 who is next in the line.

Happy reading!

Thanks again to ekranda for sharing! 

Journal Entry 9 by wingbrunton11wing from Salford, Lancashire United Kingdom on Wednesday, April 30, 2008

This book has not been rated.

Arrived today - Thanks for sharing 

Journal Entry 10 by wingbrunton11wing from Salford, Lancashire United Kingdom on Monday, June 16, 2008

9 out of 10

I really liked this book particularly the style and the links between the characters. I clearly wasn't paying attention when I watched the film as a lot of the detail that you get in the book (such as the bird in the roses and the writing on the cake within the roses) passed me by! Even though I'd seen the film the ending took me by surprise again as well. I'll have to watch it again and pay more attention! It also made me curious about Woolf's work so all in all a big thumbs up from me on this books inclusion on the 1001 books to read before you die :)

Posted to annalux today. 

Journal Entry 11 by annalux from Durham, County Durham United Kingdom on Sunday, July 13, 2008

This book has not been rated.

I received this in the post a few weeks back (thank you!), and I finished it on the plane on the way back from Berlin this afternoon. Really, really enjoyed it - I saw the film when it came out, but I picked up on a lot of things that I missed on the big screen. Will need to track down a copy of Mrs. Dalloway, now - the two rather go hand in hand.
Thank you for sharing!
Will pass it on asap. 

Journal Entry 12 by themadjock from Glasgow, Scotland United Kingdom on Friday, July 18, 2008

This book has not been rated.

Arrived safely in Scotland today - thank you annalux. 

Journal Entry 13 by themadjock from Glasgow, Scotland United Kingdom on Tuesday, July 22, 2008

5 out of 10

I'm actually torn about whether I really enjoyed this book, although I did appreciate that it was very cleverly done - telling the stories of 3 ladies, but without them actually overlapping - and I liked the ending. I did however feel that the detailed writing style just wasn't for me. Sorry, I suspect I'll probably be in the minority with that view, judging by the previous reviews. (But it would be a dull world if we were all the same, eh?)

Thank you very much for including me ekranda.


27/07 I've now got frangelle's address, so I'll put it in the post tomorrow 

Journal Entry 14 by frangelle on Tuesday, July 29, 2008

This book has not been rated.

Received today, thankyou! 

Journal Entry 15 by katrinat from Chelmsford, Essex United Kingdom on Tuesday, September 23, 2008

This book has not been rated.

Arrived today, I have a few bookrings before this, but should only take a couple of weeks tops to get to read this one. 

Journal Entry 16 by katrinat from Chelmsford, Essex United Kingdom on Thursday, October 09, 2008

This book has not been rated.

I really enjoyed this, much more than the film.
Will post as soon as I have the next address

11/10/08 MarthaK-H has asked to be missed, getting next address 

Journal Entry 17 by katrinat at BOOK RING, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- United Kingdom on Saturday, October 18, 2008

This book has not been rated.

Released 3 yrs ago (10/18/2008 UTC) at BOOK RING, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- United Kingdom

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Hope you enjoy 

Journal Entry 18 by tagesmann from Kiveton Park, South Yorkshire United Kingdom on Friday, October 24, 2008

This book has not been rated.

Arrived safely on Thursday. 

Journal Entry 19 by tagesmann from Kiveton Park, South Yorkshire United Kingdom on Monday, November 03, 2008

This book has not been rated.

Sent to kaisa64. 

Journal Entry 20 by kaisa64 from Helsinki, Uusimaa Finland on Sunday, November 09, 2008

This book has not been rated.

Thank you tagesmann, the book arrived last Thursday. 

Journal Entry 21 by kaisa64 at Helsinki, Uusimaa Finland on Wednesday, June 24, 2009

This book has not been rated.

Released 2 yrs ago (6/23/2009 UTC) at Helsinki, Uusimaa Finland

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Sent to Belgium! 



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