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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
arduous but alluring. Each chapter is its own short story, stopped halfway through and interrupted by the next. At chapter six you get the full story and then resolution for the rest of them in reverse order (Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1). Hard to get through the first half, but much smoother on the way out. Satisfying to have completed, but it took a long time to do so.
Truly a masterpiece. I don't know of any book like it.
slow-paced
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Loved the narrative format. Some novels try to make their purpose or message confusing on purpose, Cloud Atlas was confusing but interesting. It wasn't trying to keep the reader in the dark, it was letting us in each page and each story. Overall I think it was a message on the progress that we might think is impossible within our lifetimes, but what is possible through a few generations. We can make the world better even if we are not benefactors of that. Expertly done, kinda reminded me of Hyperion in narrative setup. Each story was connected by a birthmark and one or two other strands, but in my reading they were connected more by the world each character existed in and how they were built on one another. Good stuff. Loved the prose as well.
"Faith, the least exclusive club on Earth, has the craftiest doorman." p. 75
"The workings of the actual past + the virtual past may be illustrated by an event well known to collective history, such as the inking of the Titanic. The disaster as it actually occurred descends into obscurity... Yet a virtual sinking of the Titanic, created from re-worked memories, papers, hearsay, fiction - in short, belief - grows ever 'truer'. The actual past is brittle, ever-dimming + ever more problematic to access + reconstruct: in contrast, the virtual past is malleable, ever-brightening + ever more difficult to circumvent/expose as fraudulent. The present presses the virtual past into its own service, to lend credence to its mythologies..." p. 392
This one is kinda a take on simulacra by Baudrillard but has an important twist. I thought it described the book well - things become history and can be bent to whatever story that serves present dominant thought.
"Faith, the least exclusive club on Earth, has the craftiest doorman." p. 75
"The workings of the actual past + the virtual past may be illustrated by an event well known to collective history, such as the inking of the Titanic. The disaster as it actually occurred descends into obscurity... Yet a virtual sinking of the Titanic, created from re-worked memories, papers, hearsay, fiction - in short, belief - grows ever 'truer'. The actual past is brittle, ever-dimming + ever more problematic to access + reconstruct: in contrast, the virtual past is malleable, ever-brightening + ever more difficult to circumvent/expose as fraudulent. The present presses the virtual past into its own service, to lend credence to its mythologies..." p. 392
This one is kinda a take on simulacra by Baudrillard but has an important twist. I thought it described the book well - things become history and can be bent to whatever story that serves present dominant thought.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
It was better than I expected. Hopefully I can watch the movie soon!
MAGICAL READING!
A book of ideas and spirit.
A journey through time, the psyche, and the course of humanity. (so, epic, in other words!)
A look at man's constant struggle for power both corrupt and in it's most basic form, as power over ourselves and our futures.
This is why I love reading and books, this book is why the written word matters.
I will probably be back to write more on this novel (I have about 100 sticky flags sticking out of this book, so there is plenty to discuss).
David Mitchell is a GENIUS!
A book of ideas and spirit.
A journey through time, the psyche, and the course of humanity. (so, epic, in other words!)
A look at man's constant struggle for power both corrupt and in it's most basic form, as power over ourselves and our futures.
This is why I love reading and books, this book is why the written word matters.
I will probably be back to write more on this novel (I have about 100 sticky flags sticking out of this book, so there is plenty to discuss).
David Mitchell is a GENIUS!
David Mitchell is truly a master of prose. His exemplification of a wide range of diction is strongly reminiscent of Faulkner, though less cryptic. Though I came for the beautiful execution of the English language, I stayed for the themes of power and circularity of time. I fell in love with the character of Peter Frobisher in particular - it was as though, during this point in the book, Mitchell transformed fluidly into Wilde.