In "The Hours" by Michael Cunningham, we're invited into a day in the lives of three women from different eras, each connected by Virginia Woolf's novel "Mrs. Dalloway." First, we have Woolf herself, in 1923, struggling with mental illness while beginning to write her famous book. Across the ocean and decades, in 1949 Los Angeles, we meet Laura Brown, a housewife who finds solace and escape in Woolf's work amidst her suffocating domestic life. Fast forward to 1990s New York, Clarissa Vaughan mirrors Mrs. Dalloway herself, preparing a party for her friend and former lover, a celebrated poet dying of AIDS. These three narratives weave together, exploring themes of love, despair, and the desire for freedom. Cunningham masterfully shows how a single day can hold the weight of a lifetime, and how literature can transcend time, connecting individuals across generations.
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