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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
I'll keep it spoiler-free at the risk of being vague.
I recommend going into Cloud Atlas without knowing too much about Cloud Atlas. If you're already familiar with the novel's structure, then Mitchell's repeated, explicit attempts to bash the concept into your skull will be tedious. Nonetheless, there is a beauty to some of the more subtle and nuanced connections between the stories. I don't mean to bash the book with my two-star rating, as I do genuinely believe, in accordance with Goodreads rating guidelines, that "it was ok."
There is a lot to chew on in Cloud Atlas: religion, immortality, oppression, discrimination, capitalism, metaphysics, and more. (Mitchell has some genuinely interesting ideas about some of these topics.) Plato, Nietzsche, Freud, and Solzhenitsyn are all there too, in addition to other thinkers whose influence I am perhaps too ignorant to notice. It's debatable whether the heavy thematic concepts are a good match for the pulpy or comedic tones of certain sections, but that might be a matter of personal preference. (In different ways Mitchell seems to paradoxically take his concept both too seriously and not seriously enough.) In contrast with my desire for greater subtlety in other aspects of the work, I wish that some examples of prejudice within Cloud Atlas had received more explicit challenges. While the characters' racism is generally addressed, some men in the story express a misogynistic sentiment that in my view Mitchell doesn't adequately explore.
A flawed work for sure, but at least a thought-provoking one. If this "genre" of interconnected storytelling had more time to mature, I wager that it could be a vehicle for some genuine masterworks, but the pool of writers capable of writing in such different styles as Mitchell does is probably rather small. Frustrating in some respects, and not a life-changing work of literature (at least not for me). Perhaps my expectations were too high, but it's a book that has stuck in my mind, and that has to count for something.
I recommend going into Cloud Atlas without knowing too much about Cloud Atlas. If you're already familiar with the novel's structure, then Mitchell's repeated, explicit attempts to bash the concept into your skull will be tedious. Nonetheless, there is a beauty to some of the more subtle and nuanced connections between the stories. I don't mean to bash the book with my two-star rating, as I do genuinely believe, in accordance with Goodreads rating guidelines, that "it was ok."
There is a lot to chew on in Cloud Atlas: religion, immortality, oppression, discrimination, capitalism, metaphysics, and more. (Mitchell has some genuinely interesting ideas about some of these topics.) Plato, Nietzsche, Freud, and Solzhenitsyn are all there too, in addition to other thinkers whose influence I am perhaps too ignorant to notice. It's debatable whether the heavy thematic concepts are a good match for the pulpy or comedic tones of certain sections, but that might be a matter of personal preference. (In different ways Mitchell seems to paradoxically take his concept both too seriously and not seriously enough.) In contrast with my desire for greater subtlety in other aspects of the work, I wish that some examples of prejudice within Cloud Atlas had received more explicit challenges. While the characters' racism is generally addressed, some men in the story express a misogynistic sentiment that in my view Mitchell doesn't adequately explore.
A flawed work for sure, but at least a thought-provoking one. If this "genre" of interconnected storytelling had more time to mature, I wager that it could be a vehicle for some genuine masterworks, but the pool of writers capable of writing in such different styles as Mitchell does is probably rather small. Frustrating in some respects, and not a life-changing work of literature (at least not for me). Perhaps my expectations were too high, but it's a book that has stuck in my mind, and that has to count for something.
4 of the 6 nested stories were very compelling, 2 didn't really interest me and unfortunately they were the first and last parts of the book. The middle was stellar though.
I also feel like the book would have been better if I'd read it earlier because I can appreciate that it's a trailblazer book in structure but after having read so many books that were derivative of it I am kind of burnt out on this structure.
I also feel like the book would have been better if I'd read it earlier because I can appreciate that it's a trailblazer book in structure but after having read so many books that were derivative of it I am kind of burnt out on this structure.
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-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
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book was daunting to start. I knew it weaved six different stories together, each building on the last like a genre-blending matryoshka doll. Essentially each story progresses halfway through when it's interrupted by the next story, building to the apex of the book set in a post-apocalyptic Hawaii, at which point the stories are revisited in reverse chronological order.
All I can say is David Mitchell is a genius storyteller. By the end of the book I felt like I had completed a great journey with each character and even though it was satisfying to finish, I almost didn't want the story to end. There were certain stories I enjoyed less than others (mostly Timothy Cavendish's yarn), but I think that was largely due to the narrative style. My hope is that everyone gets to experience this book. It definitely won't win everyone over, but for those who love getting lost in a novel, this is the book for you. The novel takes you from the mid 19th-century Pacific, to pre-war Belgium, to 1970's California, on to present day Britain, off to a dystopian futuristic Korea, and finally landing in Hawaii, after "the Fall."
Not only did each story resonate with me, but the format and structure really stuck with me days after I finished it. Mitchell has won me over as a fan and I'm convinced that he will be able to write any novel he wants to. The final sentence floored me and this book deserves every ounce of praise it receives.
All I can say is David Mitchell is a genius storyteller. By the end of the book I felt like I had completed a great journey with each character and even though it was satisfying to finish, I almost didn't want the story to end. There were certain stories I enjoyed less than others (mostly Timothy Cavendish's yarn), but I think that was largely due to the narrative style. My hope is that everyone gets to experience this book. It definitely won't win everyone over, but for those who love getting lost in a novel, this is the book for you. The novel takes you from the mid 19th-century Pacific, to pre-war Belgium, to 1970's California, on to present day Britain, off to a dystopian futuristic Korea, and finally landing in Hawaii, after "the Fall."
Not only did each story resonate with me, but the format and structure really stuck with me days after I finished it. Mitchell has won me over as a fan and I'm convinced that he will be able to write any novel he wants to. The final sentence floored me and this book deserves every ounce of praise it receives.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Finally finished this book š£ life got busy and also the novel wasnāt the most engaging to me so I struggled with getting through it.
Iām not sure how I feel about the structure of the book. On the positive side, it was really cool to see these stories within stories and the common themes that carry through (struggling for freedom and autonomy). However. The structure basically had rising action for one story and then it gets interrupted with the rising action for the next and so on and so on and then the second half is all the like climax and falling action. This meant by the time I got invested in one story, the author ripped me away into the next and the process of shaking off disinterest/confusion started over. I found this super frustrating and discouraging. By the time I got to the second half of each story, it was long enough that I had forgotten the first half. This was really a test of patience and delayed gratification but it turns out if you the delay the gratification too long, you kinda lose some satisfaction.
My other main criticism is that I didnāt love the story written in āvernacular.ā Personally, Iāve never been a fan of it and I think itās difficult for āvernacularā to be written successfully without feeling like racial stereotypes. Percival Everettās āErasureā does a good job of portraying my thoughts on that type of work. I also feel iffy about mega capitalism and uniformity land being South Koreanā¦ Do I think South Korea has rampant consumerism and capitalism? Yes. However I could say the same about the USA (whose imperialism in South Korea is I think a direct cause of these conditions). Itās also an interesting choice to depict these subservient clones as Korean considering stereotypes of Asians. I think it just rubs me the wrong way when white people criticize Korea for things the USA caused. While I get heās maybe going for some like global take, I just didnāt understand why South Korea is dystopia clone land and Europe is cultured music landā¦ (well I do understand and I think it just plays into cheap stereotypes which runs so counter to the themes of the actual book).
I guess there was a lot I disliked about this bookā¦ I think there were good moments and I thought some of the stories were well done. I enjoyed the different forms used throughout (epistolary, journal, interview, etc). The author clearly has a diverse range. I just think the execution of and the reality of the structure falls flat compared to how ambitious and interesting the idea itself is. Anyways really enjoyed the story about Luisa Rey which itself had cool multiple perspectives and the story with Timothy Cavendish which was actually very funny and playful.
Iām not sure how I feel about the structure of the book. On the positive side, it was really cool to see these stories within stories and the common themes that carry through (struggling for freedom and autonomy). However. The structure basically had rising action for one story and then it gets interrupted with the rising action for the next and so on and so on and then the second half is all the like climax and falling action. This meant by the time I got invested in one story, the author ripped me away into the next and the process of shaking off disinterest/confusion started over. I found this super frustrating and discouraging. By the time I got to the second half of each story, it was long enough that I had forgotten the first half. This was really a test of patience and delayed gratification but it turns out if you the delay the gratification too long, you kinda lose some satisfaction.
My other main criticism is that I didnāt love the story written in āvernacular.ā Personally, Iāve never been a fan of it and I think itās difficult for āvernacularā to be written successfully without feeling like racial stereotypes. Percival Everettās āErasureā does a good job of portraying my thoughts on that type of work. I also feel iffy about mega capitalism and uniformity land being South Koreanā¦ Do I think South Korea has rampant consumerism and capitalism? Yes. However I could say the same about the USA (whose imperialism in South Korea is I think a direct cause of these conditions). Itās also an interesting choice to depict these subservient clones as Korean considering stereotypes of Asians. I think it just rubs me the wrong way when white people criticize Korea for things the USA caused. While I get heās maybe going for some like global take, I just didnāt understand why South Korea is dystopia clone land and Europe is cultured music landā¦ (well I do understand and I think it just plays into cheap stereotypes which runs so counter to the themes of the actual book).
I guess there was a lot I disliked about this bookā¦ I think there were good moments and I thought some of the stories were well done. I enjoyed the different forms used throughout (epistolary, journal, interview, etc). The author clearly has a diverse range. I just think the execution of and the reality of the structure falls flat compared to how ambitious and interesting the idea itself is. Anyways really enjoyed the story about Luisa Rey which itself had cool multiple perspectives and the story with Timothy Cavendish which was actually very funny and playful.