Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Habe mich so sehr gefreut das Buch zu lesen und zum Ende war es nur noch Quälerei. Weiß nicht, ob ich es besser gefunden hätte, hätte ich den Film nicht gekannt. Vielleicht hätte ich es auch schon abgebrochen
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-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:
Yes
loved this, one of those novels i got all squirrelly and obsessive about.
slow-paced
So I think I like the author and how he writes better than I actually liked the book, if that makes sense.
This book is set up as a series of short stories. Each short story is split in two, and if I were to number them the halves of the stories would look like this set into the book:
12345654321
The "nesting doll" analogy has been used by many, including the author a bit more than halfway through the book in what I thought was a surprisingly sledgehammer-obvious explanation of his work after subtly leading the reader along.
Each short story is written in a different style: 19th century adventure travelogue, 1930's epistolatory English aristo/musician on the make, 1970's crime thriller, contemporary English satire, dystopian future Korea, and sometime in the far future post-apocalyptic Hawaii.
Wide variety, right? And the author can master any of these styles, as he shows. But- the book does take effort. I'm not always good at following through on episodic/short story styles, and that tendency betrayed me in this book. I put it down about 3/4 of the way through, with 2 short story portions left. And then I didn't pick it up again for weeks. I hadn't been especially fond of those short stories the first time around, despite the author's skill, and couldn't summon up the energy or enthusiasm to finish.
So, while I admired the author's stylistic mastery, I simply didn't like any of the individual stories enough to enjoy the book thoroughly. Themes included the continuity of the soul vs. transience of the world (the last line of the book is "isn't the ocean made up of single drops of water" or the like) and the Cloud Atlas- the attempt to define ineffability. There, that made me sound deeper than I am.
The author drops some very thoughtful bombs into the pieces he writes that made me slow down and think. I enjoyed those bits perhaps more than the general stories in the book.
So, I want to read more of this author, despite the fact that this book didn't thrill me the way "Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet" did.
This book is set up as a series of short stories. Each short story is split in two, and if I were to number them the halves of the stories would look like this set into the book:
12345654321
The "nesting doll" analogy has been used by many, including the author a bit more than halfway through the book in what I thought was a surprisingly sledgehammer-obvious explanation of his work after subtly leading the reader along.
Each short story is written in a different style: 19th century adventure travelogue, 1930's epistolatory English aristo/musician on the make, 1970's crime thriller, contemporary English satire, dystopian future Korea, and sometime in the far future post-apocalyptic Hawaii.
Wide variety, right? And the author can master any of these styles, as he shows. But- the book does take effort. I'm not always good at following through on episodic/short story styles, and that tendency betrayed me in this book. I put it down about 3/4 of the way through, with 2 short story portions left. And then I didn't pick it up again for weeks. I hadn't been especially fond of those short stories the first time around, despite the author's skill, and couldn't summon up the energy or enthusiasm to finish.
So, while I admired the author's stylistic mastery, I simply didn't like any of the individual stories enough to enjoy the book thoroughly. Themes included the continuity of the soul vs. transience of the world (the last line of the book is "isn't the ocean made up of single drops of water" or the like) and the Cloud Atlas- the attempt to define ineffability. There, that made me sound deeper than I am.
The author drops some very thoughtful bombs into the pieces he writes that made me slow down and think. I enjoyed those bits perhaps more than the general stories in the book.
So, I want to read more of this author, despite the fact that this book didn't thrill me the way "Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet" did.
I just couldn't finish it. I think my brain is too busy at the moment for this very creative read, that also happens to jump all over in character, place & time.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
The Cloud Atlas was not easy to get into, but by the third section I realized what was going on and by the time I got to the sections set in the future I was hooked. I ended up impressed and moved and loving the book.
The novel is told through stories that cross time, each written in the language of a different genre. The structure is linear, but then reverses backwards through time as the ending of each story is revealed. As A.S. Bryant advises in her review appearing in The Guardian, you have to "trust the tale." It is worth it!
The issues raised are deep and relevant: how humans perceive the world, what motivates human society and individuals, the way we condone and whitewash evil, the power of money, our denial of the uncomfortable truths. The stories take us to a future that has reverted back to tribal warfare. But ending where he began, in the distant past, we are shown that individuals who choose to do good can, perhaps, alter the course of history.
The novel is told through stories that cross time, each written in the language of a different genre. The structure is linear, but then reverses backwards through time as the ending of each story is revealed. As A.S. Bryant advises in her review appearing in The Guardian, you have to "trust the tale." It is worth it!
The issues raised are deep and relevant: how humans perceive the world, what motivates human society and individuals, the way we condone and whitewash evil, the power of money, our denial of the uncomfortable truths. The stories take us to a future that has reverted back to tribal warfare. But ending where he began, in the distant past, we are shown that individuals who choose to do good can, perhaps, alter the course of history.