#42: “The Hours” by Michael Cunningham
I don’t know why, but I wasn’t expecting a whole lot out of this book. I picked it up at a library used book sale and bought it because 1) it had the coveted “Winner of the Pulitzer Prize” imprint and 2) my friend Megan has repeatedly listed it among her favorite books. So I feel like I should have had high expectations going in. Instead, I grabbed it as an afterthought and shoved it in my backpack before boarding a train to New York. I am, as a rule, a light-read traveler. (This is a rule that I often break; last time I flew back to the west coast, I brought along Zadie Smith’s “The Autograph Man.”
I loved this book. As soon as I finished reading it, I passed it along to a friend. As soon as she finished reading it, I gave it to another friend. It’s the kind of novel you can’t keep to yourself. As a former book hoarder, I love owning books like this; these books are never on my shelf, they’re always in the home of another bibliophile.
Michael Cunningham’s grasp of the female voice is spot-on. His ability to weave and connect the stories of these three strong women is entertaining without being light, incredible without being obvious.
