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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
I loved the creativity of this book. That one author can write 5 different storylines that progress through time but in such dramatically different styles and genres was mind blowing.
The uniqueness of the layout and format is what motivated me to read it. I love that the book was inspired by Italo Calvino’s If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler since I had previously read and enjoyed the creativity of that book as well.
The first storyline was the least interesting to me so I actually started it and lost interest but then tried again on audio. Each storyline takes some patience as you are thrust into a story with a different writing style and dialect but that was half the fun.
The uniqueness of the layout and format is what motivated me to read it. I love that the book was inspired by Italo Calvino’s If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler since I had previously read and enjoyed the creativity of that book as well.
The first storyline was the least interesting to me so I actually started it and lost interest but then tried again on audio. Each storyline takes some patience as you are thrust into a story with a different writing style and dialect but that was half the fun.
What are we, some kind of Cloud Atlas?
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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:
Yes
I wasn't engaging with the initial characters and am realizing that I'm not a fan of the postmodern novel structure.
adventurous
challenging
reflective
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:
N/A
David Mitchelle really just has such an expert way of working with multiple stories over spans of time and a plethora of characters without things getting lost in the process. I think this one takes a few portions to really get into, but when you do, it's an amazing and unique read on the folly of power and greed. I read Slade House before this, and this feels like a more elaborate and introspective version of that multi-character format. As an aside, I really like the way he writes women as well. I think the only thing about David Michell sometimes is that he writes the accents phonetically, and the middle portion with the story furthest set in the future is pretty hard to read in general, at least for me; he could have toned it down a bit there tbh. After reading this, I'm really confused as to why they ever attempted to make this into a movie. It's not really a book I would ever try adapting into film, considering the format.
3.5 stars. I have a lot of respect for what the author has accomplished with this book. But at the end of the day I liked the end result, I did not love it.