MixedThe Washington PostThe Hours was Woolf's original title for Mrs. Dalloway, and Cunningham's use of it causes the reader to wonder if he is going to achieve his effects merely by mimicking Woolf's voice, plot and point of view. But Cunningham...deftly created something original, a trio of richly interwoven tales that alternate with one another chapter by chapter, each of them entering the thoughts of a character as she moves through the small details of a day ... Though Cunningham enters his characters' minds and reconstitutes their days impressively, The Hours is not without problems ...few throwaway scenes...some unrealized and stereotypical characters...some awkward and unnecessary shifts in point of view ... Cunningham's emulation of such a revered writer as Woolf is courageous, and this is his most mature and masterful work.
