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Mitchell's character Timothy Cavendish remarks "As if Art is the What, not the How!" Cloud Atlas is all about the How. Fascinating concept, memorable characters, well written (except for the sixth and central story, which was a bit of a slog). Definitely the first historical fiction-future dystopian-contemporary thriller I've ever read.
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Incredible. Very well written, unique, and fun. All six intertwined stories were excellent, and I was pleasantly surprised that two of them had science fiction elements to them. One is a future society of replicant slaves and the other is about a tribe of post-apocalyptic natives trying to survive in the now primitive, brutal world.
The general plot is of six seemingly unrelated stories that are told in chronologically settings of recent history through the near and far future. Each protagonist has a personal tragedy and confronts some type of moral dilemma. There were slight hints of connectivity between characters of the different time periods, some hints less slight than others but nothing really overt.
There seemed to be an attempt to relate a nietzschean philosophy to the travels of the soul through time. I confess to ...more
There seemed to be an attempt to relate a nietzschean philosophy to the travels of the soul through time. I confess to ...more
I can recognize the skill and care that went into crafting six different styles of narrative, but I wasn't drawn in by the stories very much. The Sonmi tale was the most engaging, but it was a bit silly and concluded with something akin to "it was all a dream," which I always find annoying. Don't get me invested in a character and a story, then invalidate the whole story at the end!
The rest of the stories I just couldn't generate much interest in, and the central tale's use of phonetic dialect w ...more
The rest of the stories I just couldn't generate much interest in, and the central tale's use of phonetic dialect w ...more
Ah, it seems that the Wachowski Brothers bought the rights to this. That, plus a recent book review in the Guardian, is probably what's brought it to folks' attention after six years. I prefer to see movie versions before reading the books, when possible, so I think I'll hold off on this.
This reminds me faintly of Pynchon somehow (she says, from the limited experience of having taken a look at Mason & Dixon and then put it down), and it also seems to occupy similar territory to Sexing the Cherry ...more
This reminds me faintly of Pynchon somehow (she says, from the limited experience of having taken a look at Mason & Dixon and then put it down), and it also seems to occupy similar territory to Sexing the Cherry ...more
Well, I tried. The premise was interesting but the execution didn't work for me. I made it to Sonmi's story and just was. not. interested.
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A literary palindrome that is both structurally and narratively inventive. This book's quirky structure reminded me of one of my favorite books, Calvino's If On a Winter's Night a Traveler, where just as you get involved in a narrative, you are plunged into a different one. Luckily each successive story draws you in anew, with intriguing connections between characters and their destinies in all the stories. A truly original book, where the beautiful writing lifts what could have been a gimmicky
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I have mixed feelings about this book; it is a collection of six short stories told in chronological order with he first five split in half. Only the sixth story is complete.All are loosely linked; one problem for me was that when I came back to a story, I had forgotten some of the characters. I didn't particularly like the first two stories
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The unusual form worked, way better than I thought it would. Don't give up if you're having a hard time with one of the narrators - the next one will probably suit you better.
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This is one of those books that require reflection and rereading to further appreciate the depth and breadth of its ingenuity, imagination, and insight.
Nov 24, 2008
H. R.
added it
Jan 05, 2012
mark monday
marked it as on-the-shelf
Sep 25, 2012
Jason
marked it as to-read
Apr 28, 2013
Alen
marked it as to-read
Aug 04, 2013
Lisa
marked it as to-read
