Cover of The Hours

The Hours

by Michael Cunningham

1998 · literary fiction · adult

Set in 4 places · 1 primary
Sense of Place
5/5
Description · Open Library (CC0)

A daring, deeply affecting third novel by the author of A Home at the End of the World and Flesh and Blood. In The Hours, Michael Cunningham, widely praised as one of the most gifted writers of his generation, draws inventively on the life and work of Virginia Woolf to tell the story of a group of contemporary characters struggling with the conflicting claims of love and inheritance, hope and despair. The narrative of Woolf's last days before her suicide early in World War II counterpoints the fictional stories of Richard, a famous poet whose life has been shadowed by his talented and troubled mother, and his lifelong friend Clarissa, who strives to forge a balanced and rewarding life in spite of the demands of friends, lovers, and family. Passionate, profound, and deeply moving, this is Cunningham's most remarkable achievement to date.

Set in

  • New York City · United States
    Clarissa Vaughan strand, 1990s
    ★ primary
  • Richmond · United Kingdom
    Virginia Woolf in suburban Richmond
  • Los Angeles · United States
    Laura Brown strand, 1949
  • Richmond, London · United Kingdom
    Virginia Woolf strand, 1923

Also set in New York City

Books set nearby