The Hours

By: Michael Cunningham

Narrated by: Michael Cunningham

Winner of the Pulitzer prize, the Pen/Faulkner Award for Fiction, and nominated for 9 Academy Awards, The Hours is now available in audio.

Passionate, profound, and deeply moving, The Hours tells the story of three women: Clarissa Vaughan, who one New York morning goes about planning a party in honor of a beloved friend; Laura Brown, who in a 1950s Los Angeles suburb slowly begins to feel the constraints of a perfect family and home; and Virginia Woolf, recuperating with her husband in a London suburb and beginning to write Mrs. Dalloway. By the end of the novel, the stories have intertwined, and finally come together in an act of subtle and haunting grace, demonstrating Michael Cunningham's deep empathy for his characters as well as the extraordinary resonance of his language.

©1998 Michael Cunningham (P)2003 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC

Critic reviews

Book Sense Book of the Year Award Finalist, Adult Fiction, 2001

"An exquisitely written, kaleidoscopic work that anchors a floating postmodern world on pre-modern caissons of love, grief and transcendent longing. (Los Angeles Times Book Review)
"A delicate, triumphant glance...A place of late-century danger but also of treasurable hours." (The New York Times Book Review )

3.5 The Hours Stars

Not really sure how to review this book.
It’s not something I would have picked up on my own if it was for a group.
But I can’t say that I am sad that I listened to it. It was a good book. Just not my genre if I am being honest.

*You don't have to like my review but its 100% my opinion, and I am allowed to have it.*

Watch the Movie Instead

Writer’s voice narrating was awful. I had neither read the book nor watched the movie and found the audio book hard to follow- especially with his awful voice.

Not as good as the movie

I turned to the novel thinking it would add some depth and breadth to the phenomenal movie version. It didn't add much. If anything, it highlighted Cunningham's weaknesses as a writer. His characters aren't so much individual creations as they are aspects of a single character. His situations are all too often lacking in dramatic punch. His world has a kind of bland sameness about it that suggests he doesn't get out much. New Yorkers would probably be surprised to hear that their corner of the world is really sort of a tiny slice of all there is. His strengths are his ability to synthesize multiple storylines to tell something of greater significance. In that respect, this is still an impressive book. What the movie added in creating more forceful characters and more dramatic situations is a testament to the very talented people who saw the potential here. One charming little surprise is that Meryl Streep is (possibly) in the book, but this episode was quite appropriately cut from the film.

need a professional narrator

A good writer is not always a good narrator. This beautiful story could have been better told by a professional voice actor, not Cunningham.

Very literary, intentionally slight plot

Compared to many best-sellers, this book actually displays literary prowess by its author. Although he veers into over-writing at times (not unusual for a newer, over-enthusiastic novelist), author Michael Cunningham clearly has a way with the English language. Even better, he is very skilled at created fully realized characters (a *very* refreshing change from most best-selling fiction). All this said, The Hours is still somewhat difficult to recommend. Most audiobook listeners prefer a strong plot or at least some sort of clear linear thread to pull them through long hours of commuting. If you are such a listener, then this book is definitely not for you. The plot is the least important element of this book and as such, is very slight. Instead, what you get is mostly the inner thoughts of three very fascinating women in very different circumstances. Expect to hear extended interior contemplations of things as mundane as buying flowers and baking a cake. This doesn't exactly make for the most "exciting" listening. But if you enjoy skillfully constructed prose and don't mind a book where very little happens (at least in plot terms), then you'll be in for a treat. Incidentally, if you've seen the film adaptation of this novel, don't expect the huge emotional outbursts that the filmmakers felt so compelled to insert. Most of this book is about internal thought processes, not external displays of raw emotion. Additionally, familiarity with Virginia Woolf's "Mrs. Dalloway" is helpful (though not required) for enjoying some of the nuances of this novel. Finally, please note that the author serves as the reader of this audiobook. He's not the typical professional voice-over artist that we usually expect to hear from audiobooks. As such, his voice is a little unusual, but not necessarily unpleasant. I recommend clicking on the "Hear Sample" link to be sure you won't mind spending over six hours with his voice.

fun to listen to especially if you saw the movie f

I saw the movie first and love the movie and the movie actually did a better job of weaving 3 time frames together in and out of the hours but it was fun to listen to the book and bring back the images from the movie

Good book

I had trouble getting into it, too much flowery description. I didn't like the narrator, even though it was the author. He was too wooden. I feel it should have been narrated by a woman. I loved the end, it made the book, I can't believe I didn't see the relationship between all the women.

Difficult to rate because reader made me crazy

My apologies Michael Cunningham; you are a talented writer but should not read your own books for Audible, at least not this one. I tried - valiantly - and feel I can neither judge nor appreciate the book fairly because you're making me want to scream! I could not finish. As someone who has a great appreciation for Virginia Woolf, I must read this on my own. Those who contemplate ordering should listen to a sample first.

nice book

This book is like a deep and delicate dive at another persons mind, including the increased dimensions of small and aparently insignificant events inside depressive minds. I feel more comprehensive about others perceptions after reading that

One of my favourite books, written and read by Author

Bravo! A perfect performance of a beautiful book. Thank you Mr. Cunningham for your narration.
The Hours is one of my all time favourite books and I have read & listened more times than I can count!!