Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2697 in Books
• Published on: 2005-02-21
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 544 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
It's hard not to become ensnared by words beginning with the letter B, when attempting to describe Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell's third novel. It's a big book, for start, bold in scope and execution--a bravura literary performance, possibly. (Let's steer clear of breathtaking for now.) Then, of course, Mitchell was among Granta's Best of Young British Novelists and his second novel number9dreamwas shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Characters with birthmarks in the shape of comets are a motif; as are boats. Oh and one of the six narratives strands of the book--where coincidentally Robert Frobisher, a young composer, dreams up "a sextet for overlapping soloists" entitled Cloud Atlas--is set in Belgium, not far from Bruges. (See what I mean?)

Structured rather akin to a Chinese puzzle or a set of Matrioshka dolls, there are dazzling shifts in genre and voice and the stories leak into each other with incidents and people being passed on like batons in a relay race. The 19th-century journals of an American notary in the Pacific that open the novel are subsequently unearthed 80 years later on by Frobisher in the library of the ageing, syphilitic maestro he's trying to fleece. Frobisher's waspish letters to his old Cambridge crony, Rufus Sexsmith, in turn surface when Rufus, (by the 1970s a leading nuclear scientist) is murdered. A novelistic account of the journalist Luisa Rey's investigation into Rufus' death finds its way to Timothy Cavendish, a London vanity publisher with an author who has an ingenious method of silencing a snide reviewer. And in a near-dystopian Blade Runner-esque future, a genetically engineered fast food waitress sees a movie based on Cavendish's unfortunate internment in a Hull retirement home. (Cavendish himself wonders how a director called Lars might wish to tackle his plight). All this is less tricky than it sounds, only the lone "Zachary" chapter, told in Pacific Islander dialect (all "dingos'n'ravens", "brekker" and "f'llowin'"s) is an exercise in style too far. Not all the threads quite connect but nonetheless Mitchell binds them into a quite spellbinding rumination on human nature, power, oppression, race, colonialism and consumerism. --Travis Elborough

Review
'A remarkable book ... there won't be a bigger, bolder novel this year.' -- Guardian 'An impeccable dance of genres ... an elegiac, radiant festival of prescience, meditation and entertainment.' -- The Times 'His wildest ride yet ... a singular achievement, from an author of extraordinary ambition and skill' -- Matt Thorne, Independent on Sunday 'David Mitchell entices his readers onto a rollercoaster, and at first they wonder if they want to get off. Then - at least in my case - they can't bear the journey to end.' -- AS Byatt, Guardian 'Mitchell's storytelling in CLOUD ATLAS is of the best. I was, appropriately, captivated.' -- Lawrence Norfolk, Independent 'The best novel of the year so far ... a thrilling ride of a story' -- Philip Hensher, Summer Reading, Observer 'Impeccably structured novel of ideas in many voices by a talent to watch.' -- Literary Editor's Best Books, Observer

Review
'A remarkable book ... there won't be a bigger, bolder novel this year.' (Guardian )

'An impeccable dance of genres ... an elegiac, radiant festival of prescience, meditation and entertainment.' (The Times )

'His wildest ride yet ... a singular achievement, from an author of extraordinary ambition and skill' (Matt Thorne, Independent on Sunday )

'David Mitchell entices his readers onto a rollercoaster, and at first they wonder if they want to get off. Then - at least in my case - they can't bear the journey to end.' (AS Byatt, Guardian )

'Mitchell's storytelling in CLOUD ATLAS is of the best. I was, appropriately, captivated.' (Lawrence Norfolk, Independent )

'The best novel of the year so far ... a thrilling ride of a story' (Philip Hensher, Summer Reading, Observer )

'Impeccably structured novel of ideas in many voices by a talent to watch.' (Literary Editor's Best Books, Observer )

Customer Reviews

My advice: just read the best bits
First let me say that I enjoyed this book, and I'll read another by David Mitchell. But I wish I hadn't bothered reading all of this one. Perhaps I can save you some time with this advice ...

There are 6 short stories here. In my opinion three are excellent, one is interesting and worth reading, and the other two are very poor. Here's what I wish I'd known at the outset: there's hardly anything to link the stories together. There's no need to read them all, or to read them in order.

I did read the whole thing cover to cover. Here's what I'd recommend others to do:

a) Read one story at a time, in full. In the book, 5 of the stories are split in half - but for no useful purpose. You can easily jump from the first part of each story to the second part, and miss nothing.

b) Read these three first: Adam Ewing, Zedelghem letters, Timothy Cavendish. They are fast-paced, enjoyable, and thought-provoking.

c) Then start the Somni~451 story. It's a bit slower, but if you find it interesting, I think it's worth finishing.

d) Take a look at the other two stories. The writing style is very different and (I found) very grating. The plots are much less interesting. The Sloosha's Crossing story in particular seemed to drag on for ever. If you don't get on with them, give up. You've missed nothing important. If you wonder what they were about, you can glean all you need from the other reviews here.

Overall: it's worth spending a fiver for the three good stories.

The Worst Book I Have Ever Read!
What a load of clap-trap! No story, no believable characters, just a ramshackle mess of different time periods and genres. I really could not get into this book, infact I couldn't even understand the language that one of the chapters was written in - some sort of dialect, but extremely difficult to understand. I have persevered, but will not be returning for a re-read!

just one of the best books ever.
ive read this book both ways..from beginning to end..and both parts of each one of the stories in a pyramid, and i think that it is clearly, one of the best works of fiction written. not only is it everything that you want a book to be..difficult, clever, intuative, connecting, mysterious and funny/sad, it also led me to so many other things. is the middle story based on a book called 'ridley walker', is louisa rey evocative of a book called 'the bridge of san louis rey', are these things intentional? or is that just me? and whatever the case..i suggest read both. this is a brilliant book, and i cant belive you havent read it yet!