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A review by dinipandareads
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
4.0
I literally just finished this book and I'm giving this 4.5 stars rounded down for now, but I have a feeling I'll probably end up changing it soon because if my gut is right, this book is going to live rent-free in my head for a while. This usually means I'll round my rating up instead of down but we'll see how I feel after giving my thoughts and feelings time to marinate for a little bit!
I think this is gonna be a tough book to review because I can't really get into it without spoilers as all the stories have a string of fate interconnecting them and it's hard to talk about them separately. Not only that, I feel like there's something about this book that's unexplainable and that you have to read it for yourself to experience and appreciate its brilliance. It's beautifully complex, whimsical and fantastical—what an imagination David Mitchell has and he's done an incredible job executing it! I have to admit that I initially struggled to get through the first chapters but I listened along with the audiobook this time and it really helped me get over that first hurdle. Honestly, I'm so glad that it made me want to keep reading because otherwise, I would've missed out on such a great book! Also, I would definitely recommend the audiobook as the performances by the various actors were done quite well and made everything come even more to life—my personal faves were Frobisher and Cavendish.
Cloud Atlas links the stories of six individuals—Adam Ewing, Robert Frobisher, Luisa Rey, Timothy Cavendish, Sonmi-451 and Zachary, and follows a timeline that spans from the 1800s to a post-apocalyptic future that sees a decimated world where humanity must re-evolve from hunters and gatherers once more. The overall arc is told in such a unique way and it's a bit hard to explain but it's basically like following a pyramid structure as the stories build upward until we hit the peak and then come back down again as each storyline and character arc concludes with stronger ties to one another. I loved the string of interconnectedness that winds through and connects each story in some way, although I thought this aspect was stronger on the other side of the pyramid as the stories concluded. By that point, I had also developed such a connection with certain characters that I found myself in tears by the time their stories ended—it was surprisingly very emotional!
I think the way Cloud Atlas is told really showcases Mitchell's brilliance because of how well he manages to not only give distinct voices to his characters but also manages to create vivid settings and events through the use of multiple formats such as diary entries, letters, interviews, and even stream of consciousness. Not only that but his use of languages was amazing; from the formal overtones of the 1800s to the newly made-up verbiage in the futuristic corpocracy to a de-evolved form of (what I think was) Hawaiian pidgin in the post-apocalypse. The stories also touch on various genres, from historical fiction to thriller/mystery, and science-fiction and all of them were just so well-written, you'd think that the author writes in all those genres all the time! This book was humorous and entertaining but also tackles heavy topics like slavery, exploitation, social injustices, poverty and inequality, consumerism, and the human capacity for greed and power. My mind was truly blown by how much it encompassed and I appreciated the writing so much!
Overall, I'm so glad that I finally ended up reading this book as it's one that I've had sitting on my shelf for the longest time! I'm so glad that I didn't give it away before giving it another shot because I have a feeling this will slowly work its way into my all-time favourites list. I'm also kind of tempted to check out the movie because the trailer looks brilliant and part of me wants to see these characters and stories come to life but I already spotted a few differences and I'm kind of worried that it just won't live up to my expectations!
Has anyone read the book and watched the movie and if you have, was the movie (comparably) good/would you recommend it?
I think this is gonna be a tough book to review because I can't really get into it without spoilers as all the stories have a string of fate interconnecting them and it's hard to talk about them separately. Not only that, I feel like there's something about this book that's unexplainable and that you have to read it for yourself to experience and appreciate its brilliance. It's beautifully complex, whimsical and fantastical—what an imagination David Mitchell has and he's done an incredible job executing it! I have to admit that I initially struggled to get through the first chapters but I listened along with the audiobook this time and it really helped me get over that first hurdle. Honestly, I'm so glad that it made me want to keep reading because otherwise, I would've missed out on such a great book! Also, I would definitely recommend the audiobook as the performances by the various actors were done quite well and made everything come even more to life—my personal faves were Frobisher and Cavendish.
Cloud Atlas links the stories of six individuals—Adam Ewing, Robert Frobisher, Luisa Rey, Timothy Cavendish, Sonmi-451 and Zachary, and follows a timeline that spans from the 1800s to a post-apocalyptic future that sees a decimated world where humanity must re-evolve from hunters and gatherers once more. The overall arc is told in such a unique way and it's a bit hard to explain but it's basically like following a pyramid structure as the stories build upward until we hit the peak and then come back down again as each storyline and character arc concludes with stronger ties to one another. I loved the string of interconnectedness that winds through and connects each story in some way, although I thought this aspect was stronger on the other side of the pyramid as the stories concluded. By that point, I had also developed such a connection with certain characters that I found myself in tears by the time their stories ended—it was surprisingly very emotional!
I think the way Cloud Atlas is told really showcases Mitchell's brilliance because of how well he manages to not only give distinct voices to his characters but also manages to create vivid settings and events through the use of multiple formats such as diary entries, letters, interviews, and even stream of consciousness. Not only that but his use of languages was amazing; from the formal overtones of the 1800s to the newly made-up verbiage in the futuristic corpocracy to a de-evolved form of (what I think was) Hawaiian pidgin in the post-apocalypse. The stories also touch on various genres, from historical fiction to thriller/mystery, and science-fiction and all of them were just so well-written, you'd think that the author writes in all those genres all the time! This book was humorous and entertaining but also tackles heavy topics like slavery, exploitation, social injustices, poverty and inequality, consumerism, and the human capacity for greed and power. My mind was truly blown by how much it encompassed and I appreciated the writing so much!
Overall, I'm so glad that I finally ended up reading this book as it's one that I've had sitting on my shelf for the longest time! I'm so glad that I didn't give it away before giving it another shot because I have a feeling this will slowly work its way into my all-time favourites list. I'm also kind of tempted to check out the movie because the trailer looks brilliant and part of me wants to see these characters and stories come to life but I already spotted a few differences and I'm kind of worried that it just won't live up to my expectations!
Has anyone read the book and watched the movie and if you have, was the movie (comparably) good/would you recommend it?