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explikator's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
A book that is actually made up of nine short stories and an epilogue.
Important events in the lives of nine completely different people are told. As you read on, you start to see connections, even a web of connections which becomes more and more dense, until in the ninth chapter you get the impression that Mitchell had a big plan for a big plot and we have just uncovered it.
But I didn't get that feeling. And the big ending was far too big for me for the not-so-big stories. The construction seemed too forced.
That said, the book was still a reading experience. Mitchell manages to effortlessly let the reader slip into different characters and masterfully adapts his style, vocabulary and narrative rhythm. Every person feels like they are made of flesh and blood and the characters who are not still remain plausible.
I liked the fourth chapter the most, which follows the life of a Chinese woman from childhood in pre-Mao times to the modern day. The most compelling read was certainly the ninth chapter, entirely in dialogue form, even if the revelations didn't live up to their promise.
Margarita and Marco were disappointing, and I struggled through their chapters.
I enjoyed reading the book, but not so much that I had to start all over again or feel urged to binge the next David Mitchell.
Important events in the lives of nine completely different people are told. As you read on, you start to see connections, even a web of connections which becomes more and more dense, until in the ninth chapter you get the impression that Mitchell had a big plan for a big plot and we have just uncovered it.
But I didn't get that feeling. And the big ending was far too big for me for the not-so-big stories. The construction seemed too forced.
That said, the book was still a reading experience. Mitchell manages to effortlessly let the reader slip into different characters and masterfully adapts his style, vocabulary and narrative rhythm. Every person feels like they are made of flesh and blood and the characters who are not still remain plausible.
I liked the fourth chapter the most, which follows the life of a Chinese woman from childhood in pre-Mao times to the modern day. The most compelling read was certainly the ninth chapter, entirely in dialogue form, even if the revelations didn't live up to their promise.
Margarita and Marco were disappointing, and I struggled through their chapters.
I enjoyed reading the book, but not so much that I had to start all over again or feel urged to binge the next David Mitchell.
sarahepierce's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
kellen_can_totally_read's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
alghesny's review against another edition
4.0
I’m a huge fan of Dave’s writing, I think I’ll move on to the rest of his work chronologically from this
moietmoi's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
wander_er's review against another edition
5.0
Brilliant! Nine interconnected stories that are basically happening at the same time. The narrative begins in Okinawa, then treks eastwards, all the way to Ireland. We jump to a different character's mind in each new chapter (much like the disembodied spirit from the Mongolia story), showing how the actions of one person affect the world of the next. Cause and effect. Chance vs fate.
David Mitchell delves headfirst into human nature and leaves you spellbound.
"We're all ghostwriters, my boy. And it's not just our memories. Our actions, too. We all think we're in control of our own lives, but really they're pre-ghostwritten by forces around us."
-- Timothy Cavendish
David Mitchell delves headfirst into human nature and leaves you spellbound.
"We're all ghostwriters, my boy. And it's not just our memories. Our actions, too. We all think we're in control of our own lives, but really they're pre-ghostwritten by forces around us."
-- Timothy Cavendish
josemclr's review against another edition
4.0
ACABO DE TERMINAR MI PRIMER LIBRO DEL AÑO !!! agh, soy tan literato, no me soporto.
Bueno, respecto al libro, lo disfruté más que la primera vez, pero me atasqué horrible en el capítulo de Clear Island, igual estuvo interesante, no sé porqué lo sufrí tanto. Eso sí, le sigo sin entender al final, al rato busco una explicación en Google.
Bueno, respecto al libro, lo disfruté más que la primera vez, pero me atasqué horrible en el capítulo de Clear Island, igual estuvo interesante, no sé porqué lo sufrí tanto. Eso sí, le sigo sin entender al final, al rato busco una explicación en Google.
bethanharcourt's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
I finished this book without fully understanding the purpose of it. I recognise this is an earlier book that the bone clocks and I personally felt that showed as the plot was not as strong. There were still that interconnectedness between stories but less so. It did feel more like I was reading several short stories, and just waiting to see how it all matched up. And honestly I'm still waiting. I liked to the tea shop story and Mo's story, but I wish there had been more of a link between these stories, and more of a final event linking them.
kellemcsweeney's review against another edition
Pretentious, and not compelling writing or characters. I've lived in Japan for 18 years, and visited the other countries he's mentioned, and he's captured it very much as an outsider/gaijin trying to sound cool about exotic locales and cultures. I gave it 200 pages... and that was enough. And I often read 1000 page books. I knew if it wasn't capturing me by then, it was too late. I cut my losses
jess_mango's review against another edition
5.0
A great, unique read in the form of a series of 10 interconnected stories. Each of the stories is told by a different narrator and characters or events from one story make cameo appearances in other stories. In a way it reminded me of another one of my favorite books, Italo Calvino's "If on a Winter's Night a Traveler."
Very creative and well-written!
Very creative and well-written!