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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
No matter how many times I re-read this book, it remains as good as it was the first time I picked it up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Medical content, Colonisation
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It had a lot to say about slavery, how horrible colonialism is, and connection through time. Regardless, it lost me multiple times due to how the stories switched so violently in writing style and voice, and though I understood why, it did just get a bit contrived at times which brought me out of it at one point to such an extent that I nearly DNF'd it.
Warning: the slavery, death, suicide, violence, sexual assault and racism can be really intense and graphic so please take care with this book, you cannot really avoid those aspects in this book as it happens in multiple contexts all over and repeatedly so if you're sensitive to that and don't want to/can't read it stay away from this book.
My biggest question wasWas the level of detail of the racism and slavery and rape really necessary to advance the plot or to describe the horrors? Because at a certain point it really began to feel like this White dude writer David was getting a bit Trauma-Porn for the gruesomeness of it, especially in Adam Ewing with the Slavery and Racism, and that part "oiled up his hole..." in Sloosha's Crossin' an' everythin' after. There are so many ways to say things and get points across, you have to ask if this was necessary, and also was the formatting of the stories at all helpful or good in advancing the plot? And was this a sensitive way - especially for a white writer - to address these topics? I guess that's just experimental literature for you though.
I loved House of Leaves and I really hope I would get into this one but to be honest I had to speed read some parts just to get through the monotony of some of it. Orison of Sonni really just threw me as well as Timothy Cavendish I found him to be intolerable to follow.
Also a diversity of characters and perspectives would have been nice, why were they pretty much all white men? I know, it's because they are the oppressors, I get it, but like WE'VE HEARD THE OPPRESSORS VOICES everywhere all the time believe it or not Mr. Mitchell!
To wrap up, I'm just glad I'm done with it, I liked the ending but this book could have been so much better in my opinion.
Warning: the slavery, death, suicide, violence, sexual assault and racism can be really intense and graphic so please take care with this book, you cannot really avoid those aspects in this book as it happens in multiple contexts all over and repeatedly so if you're sensitive to that and don't want to/can't read it stay away from this book.
My biggest question was
I loved House of Leaves and I really hope I would get into this one but to be honest I had to speed read some parts just to get through the monotony of some of it. Orison of Sonni really just threw me as well as Timothy Cavendish I found him to be intolerable to follow.
Also a diversity of characters and perspectives would have been nice, why were they pretty much all white men? I know, it's because they are the oppressors, I get it, but like WE'VE HEARD THE OPPRESSORS VOICES everywhere all the time believe it or not Mr. Mitchell!
To wrap up, I'm just glad I'm done with it, I liked the ending but this book could have been so much better in my opinion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Genocide, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, War, Classism
These themes are everywhere in this book you CANNOT read this book without reading about these. Period. Don't read if these themes in graphic contexts are a no-go for you.
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A marvel of storytelling, whatever genre you prefer. Six stories - a sextet - tied together here and there. Each could stand on its own as a separate novel, which makes David Mitchell seem like a bit of a show-off, not that I'm complaining. A little like his first book, Ghostwritten, in that regard, although I think I liked that one more.
challenging
medium-paced
dazzling. i’ve never read anything as ambitious as this and it certainly requires a significant amount of literary talent just to put together, let alone pull off. weird and chaotic and wonderful, mitchell pieces together a manifesto on the human condition with six stories spanning a vast expanse of genre and setting.
i can tell im going to be thinking about this for a long time, my brain is already churning through what ive read and piecing together parallels that didnt initially jump out. just for the amount of time on the brain alone i want to give a full five stars—non withstanding its utter singularity.
for an idea of just how epic this grand undertaking of a book is, check out this fabulous review and concise breakdown that sums it up pretty perfectly:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/330610214
i can tell im going to be thinking about this for a long time, my brain is already churning through what ive read and piecing together parallels that didnt initially jump out. just for the amount of time on the brain alone i want to give a full five stars—non withstanding its utter singularity.
for an idea of just how epic this grand undertaking of a book is, check out this fabulous review and concise breakdown that sums it up pretty perfectly:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/330610214
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
medium-paced