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yasujirozu's review against another edition
3.0
The wait is over. David Mitchell is back! Please don’t let me spoil it for you, however — I try to be as vague as I can in all that I do but sometimes it’s just not enough. Consider this a friendly warning from your friendly neighborhood Anchorite.
Let’s start with where I stand. I’ve read Ghostwritten, Cloud Atlas and The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, and while I respect the two earlier works, it is the last mentioned that ticked all the right boxes for me.
My expectations were, naturally, very high. And, now that I’ve listened to and read the whole thing, I can attest that for me it’s a mixed bag. Closer to Ghostwritten and Cloud Atlas than The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, on one hand it’s an exuberant and hyperactive narrative ride, a flamboyant explosion of modern cultural reference, a tapestry of metaphysical mystery and larger-than-life climax; on the other, I feel it never achieves the level of the strong gravitational pull The Thousand Autumns has in terms of characterization and actual, pulsating human drama — all this despite the book being actually two books, a story of Holly Sykes’ life told from different angles, the extraordinary in the ordinary, and a fantasy novel with a metaphysical war raging behind the scenes, the ordinary in the extraordinary.
What the book turns out to be is an incalculable tease for the first 400 pages, where the fantasy plot, which does take precedence in ”An Horologist’s Labyrinth,” is merely referred to and glimpsed at once in every fifty pages or so, just enough to make me remember it’s there in the periphery, and wondering why it is. I assume Mitchell’s goals might be elsewhere this time, but I found The Thousand Autumns to be perfectly woven, deeply identifiable story, an intimate portrait, also full of mystery, whereas The Bone Clocks and its apparent siblings are harder to care for, rather inviting from me detached admiration.
Where I found the first four parts hard to get into, but it’s the aforementioned fifth part that’s such a high-intensity display of literary fireworks that it was addictive, finally shifting gear and pushing for the exposition only vaguely hinted at so far.
I wrote of The Thousand Autumns how ”it’s a joy to see a contemporary writer most certainly not only improving but showcasing such understanding of narrative and language that his work becomes transcendental in how it transports and rewards.” While it will always take time for first impressions to fully sink in, it feels like I’m going to reserve for The Bone Clocks detached admiration: not that it isn’t complex, not that there aren’t remarkably beautifully written passages (The Ásbyrgi episodes are bliss, as well as the Koskov backstory), but I just felt like an outsider gazing in, most of the time. Perhaps you’ll be able to enjoy it more.
24 October,
2014
Let’s start with where I stand. I’ve read Ghostwritten, Cloud Atlas and The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, and while I respect the two earlier works, it is the last mentioned that ticked all the right boxes for me.
My expectations were, naturally, very high. And, now that I’ve listened to and read the whole thing, I can attest that for me it’s a mixed bag. Closer to Ghostwritten and Cloud Atlas than The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, on one hand it’s an exuberant and hyperactive narrative ride, a flamboyant explosion of modern cultural reference, a tapestry of metaphysical mystery and larger-than-life climax; on the other, I feel it never achieves the level of the strong gravitational pull The Thousand Autumns has in terms of characterization and actual, pulsating human drama — all this despite the book being actually two books, a story of Holly Sykes’ life told from different angles, the extraordinary in the ordinary, and a fantasy novel with a metaphysical war raging behind the scenes, the ordinary in the extraordinary.
What the book turns out to be is an incalculable tease for the first 400 pages, where the fantasy plot, which does take precedence in ”An Horologist’s Labyrinth,” is merely referred to and glimpsed at once in every fifty pages or so, just enough to make me remember it’s there in the periphery, and wondering why it is. I assume Mitchell’s goals might be elsewhere this time, but I found The Thousand Autumns to be perfectly woven, deeply identifiable story, an intimate portrait, also full of mystery, whereas The Bone Clocks and its apparent siblings are harder to care for, rather inviting from me detached admiration.
Where I found the first four parts hard to get into, but it’s the aforementioned fifth part that’s such a high-intensity display of literary fireworks that it was addictive, finally shifting gear and pushing for the exposition only vaguely hinted at so far.
I wrote of The Thousand Autumns how ”it’s a joy to see a contemporary writer most certainly not only improving but showcasing such understanding of narrative and language that his work becomes transcendental in how it transports and rewards.” While it will always take time for first impressions to fully sink in, it feels like I’m going to reserve for The Bone Clocks detached admiration: not that it isn’t complex, not that there aren’t remarkably beautifully written passages (The Ásbyrgi episodes are bliss, as well as the Koskov backstory), but I just felt like an outsider gazing in, most of the time. Perhaps you’ll be able to enjoy it more.
24 October,
2014
funktious's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I have so many thoughts about this book - the first of which is that Mitchell would never have been allowed to publish it as is, without a very heavy edit, if he weren't already Booker nominated!
Another is that I really shouldn't have read this in the same year as Cloud Atlas (which I loved) as the structure and some of the characters are just too similar. (Mitchell clearly enjoys writing psychopathic undergraduates and men made cynical by the publishing industry.) A few years gap and it would have been less obvious.
Currently I can't decide if I loved it with several major critiques, or if I hated it while finding it unputdownable. I reserve the right to come back and decide one way or the other! Either way, I think it would have benefitted from that heavy edit and possibly restructuring to avoid the exposition heavy fifth section - I appreciate "serious" authors venturing into genre but this is how you put people off genre!
Definitely a compulsive read, which is hugely impressive for 600+ pages, and a very vivid one.
Finally; huge warning for the final section if you have a bad case of climate anxiety, it won't make you feel any better.
Another is that I really shouldn't have read this in the same year as Cloud Atlas (which I loved) as the structure and some of the characters are just too similar. (Mitchell clearly enjoys writing psychopathic undergraduates and men made cynical by the publishing industry.) A few years gap and it would have been less obvious.
Currently I can't decide if I loved it with several major critiques, or if I hated it while finding it unputdownable. I reserve the right to come back and decide one way or the other! Either way, I think it would have benefitted from that heavy edit and possibly restructuring to avoid the exposition heavy fifth section - I appreciate "serious" authors venturing into genre but this is how you put people off genre!
Definitely a compulsive read, which is hugely impressive for 600+ pages, and a very vivid one.
Finally; huge warning for the final section if you have a bad case of climate anxiety, it won't make you feel any better.
m_klevenberg's review against another edition
4.0
This book was one heck of an adventure. It was so different than any book I read and I look forward to reading more books by David Mitchell. I'd definitely recommend it.
18thcornet's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Long.
This book is long.
Too long.
Author could take 200-250 pages out of this and no one would care.
Whole story arcs mean nothing and are completely irrelevant.
It’s well written but, frankly, Mitchell likes the sound of his own voice way too much. Way too much.
Editor not strong enough to bin the fluff and filler.
A good premise wrecked by bloat.
This book is long.
Too long.
Author could take 200-250 pages out of this and no one would care.
Whole story arcs mean nothing and are completely irrelevant.
It’s well written but, frankly, Mitchell likes the sound of his own voice way too much. Way too much.
Editor not strong enough to bin the fluff and filler.
A good premise wrecked by bloat.
etherial_aurora's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
ebt137's review against another edition
3.0
Coming off the end of this book I want to give it all the stars. I found the ending incredibly moving. However, the story just doesn't hold up for me. The metaphysical stuff brought up throughout the narrative was intriguing and I was looking forward to its explanation, but when it came, it was completely implausible, dense, boring, and very difficult to care about. It tried to seem grand and important, but it just seemed very trivial. I enjoyed sections of this book greatly, and Ed's section was like a brilliant short story in particular, but it's too threadbare a story to promote.
squishsquish's review against another edition
challenging
dark
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? No
4.0
_tomeraider's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Oooh this was GOOD! I've been debating whether to dive into this or Cloud Atlas for my first David Mitchell read, and I'm really glad that this one won out.
For a good chunk of the book I didn't know what was going on, and in the beginning I tried really hard to understand it. But once I just stopped and leaned into the story instead of trying to understand every little detail, this book swept me away.
Mitchell's writing is captivating. I could not put this book down and it did not feel like 600+ pages. I devoured this, and can see why a lot of people like David Mitchell's writing.
I loved getting different character POVs and seeing how they all intertwined in Holly's life.
This book was so so good, and I highly recommend it.
For a good chunk of the book I didn't know what was going on, and in the beginning I tried really hard to understand it. But once I just stopped and leaned into the story instead of trying to understand every little detail, this book swept me away.
Mitchell's writing is captivating. I could not put this book down and it did not feel like 600+ pages. I devoured this, and can see why a lot of people like David Mitchell's writing.
I loved getting different character POVs and seeing how they all intertwined in Holly's life.
This book was so so good, and I highly recommend it.
sianw1992's review
4.0
David Mitchell is one of the greatest writers of this generation. He manages to create complex scenes and heartfelt characters. The Bone Clocks is no exception.
Our main protagonist is Holly and we follow her and her family and friends through their lives and different eras of time. As with Cloud Atlas, there are certain sections that will resonate more than others. I particularly enjoyed Ed's section, as we followed him in Iraq and the futuristic section with Holly and her grand children.
It was a great read, although some of it was hard to get your head round. I could have done with some more explanation. I also felt it lost pace around three quarters of the way though. But managed to regain it by the end. And although it was a big book I relished reading it, delving into every word. I can't wait to read more of David Mitchell.
Our main protagonist is Holly and we follow her and her family and friends through their lives and different eras of time. As with Cloud Atlas, there are certain sections that will resonate more than others. I particularly enjoyed Ed's section, as we followed him in Iraq and the futuristic section with Holly and her grand children.
It was a great read, although some of it was hard to get your head round. I could have done with some more explanation. I also felt it lost pace around three quarters of the way though. But managed to regain it by the end. And although it was a big book I relished reading it, delving into every word. I can't wait to read more of David Mitchell.