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asolis's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.0
Little library find. Six stories nested within each other - you pass halfway through each until you reach the center and work your way back through each second half in reverse order. While the stories are clearly linked together, I expected a stronger connection to reveal itself over time.
I admit most of them took a minute to get into and I almost quit the whole book about 5 pages in. But once you get the hang of each story's dialect it draws you in hard.
A lot of racism and I often wondered whether it was for effect, "historical accuracy," or why it was necessary. But ultimately it contributes to the overall track towards anticapitalism and environmentalism, a warning against white supremacy and the havoc it has and will wreak upon our planet and its people.
I was pleased to benefit from my recent reading of Brave New World and 1984, which are especially referenced in the 5th story.
I admit most of them took a minute to get into and I almost quit the whole book about 5 pages in. But once you get the hang of each story's dialect it draws you in hard.
A lot of racism and I often wondered whether it was for effect, "historical accuracy," or why it was necessary. But ultimately it contributes to the overall track towards anticapitalism and environmentalism, a warning against white supremacy and the havoc it has and will wreak upon our planet and its people.
I was pleased to benefit from my recent reading of Brave New World and 1984, which are especially referenced in the 5th story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm, Vomit, Cannibalism, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Genocide, Racial slurs, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Death, and Confinement
bookish_bry's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I have been flipping back and forth between a 4.75 and a 5 star review for a while now because I did not love all of the 6 stories that take place in this book. However, the 6 stories have such distinctly different styles and stories while still reaching out to touch each other. The choice to have the stories nested in one another was great.
At times this book was difficult to read. The first story is from the far past (and it reads like it) and the 6th story is from the far future (and is just as difficult to read except I cannot look up the definitions of the words I don't know since they don't actually exist). Some were a lot easier to read like the 3rd and 4th stories which take place in the 1970s and early 2000s. There is a certain charm to that, but a reader has to try to stick with it. It took me to the third story to get truly intrigued with the narrative (though that perhaps has something to do a big indicator of the connection between these stories being introduced: Sixsmith's participation and the birth-mark ). Once I was invested though, it was much easier to get myself through the parts that were harder to read.
I want to eventually re-read this book (after sitting on it for a while). I am certain I will see more references between stories and secrets upon subsequent re-reads. I especially feel I will enjoy the first two chapters more the next time I read.
I honestly wouldn't be surprised if this is eventually deemed a classic because of the richness of its themes and its structure.
More for myself, I am going to rank the stories on how I viewed them upon my first reading from favorite to least favorite.
1. "Half Lives: The First Luisa Rey Mystery"- This one was just fun (and easier) to read. I love that we got to see Sixsmith in person after having all of the letters written to him in "Letters from Zedelghem." It somehow both reads as a self-contained novela (where some stories felt they didn't stand quite as well on their own) while also being the one that made the connections to the other stories the most obvious. The ending would have been a little bit predictable if it was a stand alone, but within Cloud Atlas, it was a good ending. It didn't blow my mind, but it was solid. Also, it was nice that it ended with a real and true victory for our main character (if not most of the other characters in this part).
2. "The Orison of Sonmi-451"- This was actually my least favorite part for a long time. It's an extremely predictable narrative of future-sci-fi-made-programed-slave-race goes rogue and rebels against the system that we've seen entire novels dedicated to before. I did always like the format of it being an interview with a prisoner before her execution, but the story itself never was really anything special. But then the ending. The ending. It was my favorite ending of all of the stories. It was revealed that not only was The Union a set up by the corporation run government to make everyone hate abolitionists, but it was also revealed that Sonmi was already aware. She wrote her tenants knowing that soon after, the government would arrest her. She knew it was hopeless for her, but did her best to make it so her message was spread far and wide in the hopes it would sow the seeds of freedom for others. In the end she was the only character in the story who was not a slave even if she died at the end.
3. "The Ghastly Ordeal of Timothy Cavendish"- This story was entertaining because the first half and the second half felt very different. In the first half Timothy is down on his luck. Life isn't going his way even when it seems to be going his way. For every good thing that happens, 10 bad things seem to happen. The end of the first part is horrifying as he's forced into an abusive nursing home and his autonomy is stripped from him with no recourse. And then in the second half... it becomes a heist movie. Like, sure, the abuse is still clearly there, but it ends up being hilarious as these old assholes put their skills together to come up with a multi-step plan to escape. It was just a romp by the end especially in the bar. I'm glad Timothy got a new lease on life afterwards and enjoys his freedom.
4. "The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing"- This was a solid story, though I probably wouldn't have liked it on its own too much. It was a bit bland at times and it was clear Adam was being poisoned from the beginning. It think it's end makes a great end for the entire book however as it seems to tie all of the stories together and seems to present the thesis of the book. Basically, we decide how the world is. If we decide it's horrible and there is no recourse, then it is. However, if we choose to believe the world can be good, maybe it can be.
5. "Sloosha's Crossin' An' EV'Rythin' After"- The style of this chapter made it hard to read, I wasn't a big fan of the narrator, and the world was just... bleak. Of course, I guess it fills it's narrative purpose of telling the reader that this is what the world is if you let it be. It wasn't a bad story, but it wasn't my favorite.
6. "Letters from Zedelghem"- I think I need to re-read this part. I didn't quite get how this story fit with the overall theme of the narrative and I feel like I didn't really get the main character. The ending with him committing suicide didn't quite make sense to me in context. Again, maybe I'll change my mind upon a re-read, but this was the one that didn't resonate with me the most.
At times this book was difficult to read. The first story is from the far past (and it reads like it) and the 6th story is from the far future (and is just as difficult to read except I cannot look up the definitions of the words I don't know since they don't actually exist). Some were a lot easier to read like the 3rd and 4th stories which take place in the 1970s and early 2000s. There is a certain charm to that, but a reader has to try to stick with it. It took me to the third story to get truly intrigued with the narrative (though that perhaps has something to do a big indicator of the connection between these stories being introduced:
I want to eventually re-read this book (after sitting on it for a while). I am certain I will see more references between stories and secrets upon subsequent re-reads. I especially feel I will enjoy the first two chapters more the next time I read.
I honestly wouldn't be surprised if this is eventually deemed a classic because of the richness of its themes and its structure.
More for myself, I am going to rank the stories on how I viewed them upon my first reading from favorite to least favorite.
1. "Half Lives: The First Luisa Rey Mystery"- This one was just fun (and easier) to read. I love that we got to see Sixsmith in person after having all of the letters written to him in "Letters from Zedelghem." It somehow both reads as a self-contained novela (where some stories felt they didn't stand quite as well on their own) while also being the one that made the connections to the other stories the most obvious. The ending would have been a little bit predictable if it was a stand alone, but within Cloud Atlas, it was a good ending. It didn't blow my mind, but it was solid. Also, it was nice that it ended with a real and true victory for our main character (if not most of the other characters in this part).
2. "The Orison of Sonmi-451"- This was actually my least favorite part for a long time. It's an extremely predictable narrative of future-sci-fi-made-programed-slave-race goes rogue and rebels against the system that we've seen entire novels dedicated to before. I did always like the format of it being an interview with a prisoner before her execution, but the story itself never was really anything special. But then the ending. The ending. It was my favorite ending of all of the stories. It was revealed that not only was The Union a set up by the corporation run government to make everyone hate abolitionists, but it was also revealed that Sonmi was already aware. She wrote her tenants knowing that soon after, the government would arrest her. She knew it was hopeless for her, but did her best to make it so her message was spread far and wide in the hopes it would sow the seeds of freedom for others. In the end she was the only character in the story who was not a slave even if she died at the end.
3. "The Ghastly Ordeal of Timothy Cavendish"- This story was entertaining because the first half and the second half felt very different. In the first half Timothy is down on his luck. Life isn't going his way even when it seems to be going his way. For every good thing that happens, 10 bad things seem to happen. The end of the first part is horrifying as he's forced into an abusive nursing home and his autonomy is stripped from him with no recourse. And then in the second half... it becomes a heist movie. Like, sure, the abuse is still clearly there, but it ends up being hilarious as these old assholes put their skills together to come up with a multi-step plan to escape. It was just a romp by the end especially in the bar. I'm glad Timothy got a new lease on life afterwards and enjoys his freedom.
4. "The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing"- This was a solid story, though I probably wouldn't have liked it on its own too much. It was a bit bland at times and it was clear Adam was being poisoned from the beginning. It think it's end makes a great end for the entire book however as it seems to tie all of the stories together and seems to present the thesis of the book. Basically, we decide how the world is. If we decide it's horrible and there is no recourse, then it is. However, if we choose to believe the world can be good, maybe it can be.
5. "Sloosha's Crossin' An' EV'Rythin' After"- The style of this chapter made it hard to read, I wasn't a big fan of the narrator, and the world was just... bleak. Of course, I guess it fills it's narrative purpose of telling the reader that this is what the world is if you let it be. It wasn't a bad story, but it wasn't my favorite.
6. "Letters from Zedelghem"- I think I need to re-read this part. I didn't quite get how this story fit with the overall theme of the narrative and I feel like I didn't really get the main character. The ending with him committing suicide didn't quite make sense to me in context. Again, maybe I'll change my mind upon a re-read, but this was the one that didn't resonate with me the most.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death, Violence, Colonisation, Suicide, Classism, Racism, Slavery, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, and Confinement
Moderate: Rape, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Vomit, and Death of parent
Minor: Excrement and Torture
auggiet's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-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
4.0
beautiful !! some parts were slower than others depending on your preference of story telling and genre, but as a whole this book far exceeded my expectations after seeing some not-so-great reviews. the commentary on cyclicality and self-destruction on historical scales and in individual instances feels like something ive been trying to put into words myself for a while now. definitely a book that ill be thinking about for a long time
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Drug use, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Murder, Death, Vomit, Gore, Addiction, Classism, Xenophobia, War, Drug abuse, Racism, Car accident, Cursing, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, and Violence
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Infertility, Medical content, Miscarriage, Dementia, Grief, and Gun violence
robin_reads's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
I had hope that the book would fill in the gaps the movie left but unfortunately I have more questions than answers now.
I will say, that the way the Author can write so many different POVs and story tellning paces is impressive.
I will say, that the way the Author can write so many different POVs and story tellning paces is impressive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Classism, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Gaslighting, Vomit, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Kidnapping, and Misogyny
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
runningdowndelaney's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
It is an accurate assessment to say this is a book of two halves. The first is a bit of a slog. My attitude towards the characters wavered between sympathy and contempt. The device of interrupting the narrative at the moment of a significant event began overstaying its welcome quite quickly. You get the idea it's going somewhere and is building. Then comes the midpoint section. The breaks released then, and the characters all began to whizz past. These second halves contained the various resolutions to issues from the first halves , and it brought the threads together. It is less of a single cohesive narrative, more of a collection of short stories that has imagery from others in the body of work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Suicide and Murder
Minor: Abandonment and Vomit
paperdollskaterboy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Slavery
Moderate: Rape and Violence
Minor: Vomit
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