Freewheeling Andy Posted August 12, 2005 Share Posted August 12, 2005 I bought this on the basis of the name alone, and the fact that it was half-price and looking prominent as I walked into Waterstones on Gower Street, a few months ago. It was a good thing that I hadn't spotted that it had crept on to the Richard & Judy Book Club thingy, because it would have driven me away, running and screaming. Which would have been the wrong thing to do. The book is an amazing layered onion of stories within stories within stories, moving forward in time, and then backwards again, bookending each other. I found it an ingenious and thoroughly worthwhile mechanism, not just the pretentious nonsense that you usually get with postmodern writing devices. I think it works because each of the stories is, itself, a proper, interesting, well written story, and easy to read. The book starts as the diary of a traveller in the south pacific in 19th century; moves through the letters of a feckless early 20th century dilletante; on to a 1970s eco-thrillier; and into a hilarious tale of a modern publishing executive; on to a semi-dystopian future world run by the Koreans; and finally into a basically post-apocalyptic world in the distant future. It covers a rise-and-fall-of civilisation, and each of the stories links in to the other stories, often with very similar themes. I can imagine that the plot devices would really wind some people up, and be found to be very annoying, but to me, the book works brilliantly, and explored some very big themes about truth and civilisation without being particularly pompous about it. I heartily recommend it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie Posted August 12, 2005 Share Posted August 12, 2005 I totally agree! This is one of the best books I have read this year. It has won a lot of prizes which are all very well deserved! Debbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Stein Posted June 9, 2006 Share Posted June 9, 2006 Yes Cloud Atlas is a modern classic all right. Mitchell's sheer imaginative verve is just amazing (and appalling if you're a frustrated writer yourself) - he literally uses up in one novel, six ideas which could have been entire novels in themselves. The boy has talent to burn. Having said that, I did feel that the whole was not really any more than the sum of the parts. The links between the sections - each character is reading or viewing the text of the story before - and between the characters - they all have this birthmark, so they're all (what?) related or reincarnated? - were not particularly strong, and he would have done better I think to leave those out and just let the six stories sit inside one another, and leave us to work out the linking theme of oppression and abuse of power. My preferred summing up phrase for the book when I read it was 'cumulative nimbleness.' Which is, like, an extremely contrived pun, right... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freewheeling Andy Posted June 9, 2006 Author Share Posted June 9, 2006 Hehehe! Lovely pun. I really liked the very contrived but very tenuous connections between the layers. That was, to me, one of the real delights of the book. The connectedness of the stories gave you a pointer to the connected themes. If they'd stood alone it would just be a colleciton of short stories; if the links had been stronger it would have been clunky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renniemist Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 It took me a long time to read this book, but I am glad that I did. As others have remarked Mitchell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammyRich Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 I loved this book too and will also count is as the best book I have read this year. I agree that the number of different writing styles showed Mitchell to be such a talented writer. He is so imaginative in creating such a variety of worlds and I was especially impressed by his futuristic world and the post apocalyptic world which took a bit of getting your head round due to the colloquial dialogue used to tell the story. I was not expecting the stories to start going backwards again and was so delighted when they did as I had been frustrated when they had cut off in the first half. I will definitely read him again. In fact I keep requesting his latest book Black Swan Green on ReadItSwapIt website. It is set in the 1980s and the character is exactly the age I was at the time. I read an extract in the Guardian and was impressed. I also think it is on the Booker long list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freewheeling Andy Posted September 23, 2006 Author Share Posted September 23, 2006 BlackSwanGreen is great, too. Very different to Cloud Atlas and Ghostwritten, but wonderful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acesare* Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 Ok. You convinced me. Just bought this for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freewheeling Andy Posted September 23, 2006 Author Share Posted September 23, 2006 You do know that I'm on a mission to convince everyone to read this book, Ace. I take no responsibility. It's now beyond my control... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maureen Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 I am more than half way through - and enjoying it - peeped in here to find clues about the birthmark thingy - it keep cropping up and I am thinking I missed something..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NiceguyEddie Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 It's possibly the best book I have ever read. It was a huge shock that it failed to win the Booker. My guess was the fact that Chris Smith headed the panel had an influence on the winning book. Un-PC, but what the hell, Cloud Atlas would have won in any other year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maureen Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 It is a fave with a lot of people. We should have nominated it for the reading circle... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polka Dot Rock Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 It is a fave with a lot of people. We should have nominated it for the reading circle... That's a really good idea! I'd love to read it along with other people... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freewheeling Andy Posted July 23, 2007 Author Share Posted July 23, 2007 I know I'm repeating myself (yet again), but the more I think about it, the more convinced I am that it's the best book of the 21st century so far. Only vaguely challenged by other books by David Mitchell. How it failed to win the booker is beyond me. My only problem with Cloud Atlas is that someone has my copy and I don't know who. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NiceguyEddie Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 I know I'm repeating myself (yet again), but the more I think about it, the more convinced I am that it's the best book of the 21st century so far. I think I would agree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NiceguyEddie Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 It is a fave with a lot of people. We should have nominated it for the reading circle... What's the reading circle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~V~ Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 What's the reading circle? It's a monthly book read on here. People nominate the book they'd like to be read, then everybody votes and that book may be enjoyed by all who then wish to partake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NiceguyEddie Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 It's a monthly book read on here. People nominate the book they'd like to be read, then everybody votes and that book may be enjoyed by all who then wish to partake Ok. Thanks. What's the current one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 We read Lady Chatterley's Lover for July and we're going to be reading Anne of Green Gables for August. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NiceguyEddie Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 Well count me..... er out. I didn't like The Rainbow (studied it for my degree) & I don't fancy the other at all. Maybe August? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maureen Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 Steve ,have a look here, you can see what we read during the past months, and how it goes.... http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=20 Meanwhile, I think I'd nominate Cloud Atlas for Sept - As PDR says, it will be fun to read and discuss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polka Dot Rock Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 I'll second you!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 I'll second you!! Me too! I loved this book! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NiceguyEddie Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 Meanwhile, I think I'd nominate Cloud Atlas for Sept - As PDR says, it will be fun to read and discuss. Oooh... I'll have to read it again. I don't often re-read a novel (there's too many unread books to read), but I'll happily make an exception for this one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maureen Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 Wow that's already 4 votes, and I guess, perhaps, hopefully, if pressed, Andy will be the 5th one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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