henry_edwards1's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
As always, Mitchell' nested stories are brilliantly crafted, woven through the book in a fascinating and frankly genius way. The individual parts are unique, and to my mind they stand on their own merit, as well as working in unison to provide a magnificent wider story, evolving and growing more complex as it goes on. I recommend this book to anyone who likes complex, introspective, multifaceted stories. Further, cloud atlas does a similar thing but more soundly and expediently, so give that a look too. Overall, this is a great read, albeit a long one, which I would wholeheartedly commend to fans of the genre.
spiderfelt's review against another edition
5.0
Reading Mitchell's work in reverse sequential order, I'm astounded by his brilliance right out of the gate. I loved seeing the origin of characters he developed in Cloud Atlas as well as wandering into mystical and existential realms also developed there. This is a book that would improve with successive readings and probably with age as I move from these caregiving years into a more reflective stage of life.
beatsbybeard's review against another edition
3.0
I remember enjoying the hell out of Cloud Atlas when I read it, and this book (Mitchell's first) carries some of the same elements – interconnected individuals, chance occurrences with Butterfly Effect ramifications, and locales from around the world. It's not until the last couple chapters that the scaffolding comes into view, and up to that point the book reads like a collection of character studies. It was enjoyable enough, but I wish there were a little more meat on the bone in terms of tying the whole story together. Then again, so much of the book is spent in thought and ruminating on small things that I suppose it works just as well that way.
It's a weird thing I have with certain authors where I can't point to all that much that specifically draws me to their work, but there's a part of my brain that fires positive when I think of them. David Mitchell is one of those.
It's a weird thing I have with certain authors where I can't point to all that much that specifically draws me to their work, but there's a part of my brain that fires positive when I think of them. David Mitchell is one of those.
mixter86's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
tarttist's review against another edition
4.0
Esta es una de esas novelas que muestra que la novela puede ser cualquier cosa que quieras, sólo si tenés suficiente oficio para sacarlo adelante. Cada capítulo se lee como una nouvelle separada, aunque en el fondo hay un entramado fantasma, un dark pattern que te lleva de las narices.
La forma en que resuelve es un poco jactanciosa y pirotécnica, típica de un geniecito consciente de su talento. Fue mi primer libro de Mitchell. Estoy seguro de que leeré otros.
La forma en que resuelve es un poco jactanciosa y pirotécnica, típica de un geniecito consciente de su talento. Fue mi primer libro de Mitchell. Estoy seguro de que leeré otros.
jeffthink's review against another edition
4.0
"The human world is made of stories, not people. The people the stories use to tell themselves are not to be blamed."
This book is extremely well written, and each story told within is captivating. While not as transcendent as The Cloud Atlas, it has a a similar style whereby a series of stories are interwoven together in unexpected ways. The only reason for 4 stars vs. 5 is that I finished reading feeling somewhat wanting for some closure. That's probably to be expected, but didn't sit quite right. That said, highly recommended, nonetheless.
This book is extremely well written, and each story told within is captivating. While not as transcendent as The Cloud Atlas, it has a a similar style whereby a series of stories are interwoven together in unexpected ways. The only reason for 4 stars vs. 5 is that I finished reading feeling somewhat wanting for some closure. That's probably to be expected, but didn't sit quite right. That said, highly recommended, nonetheless.
books_and_beers's review against another edition
5.0
Ghostwritten is a beautiful novel about human beings, their experiences and how we all effect each other. The novel is split up into different stories which each take up a different genre and a different tone and story. The first story of the novel is about a terrorist involved in a strange cult that's goal is to "cleanse" the world. This story sets the scene of the novel and ends up being extremely important as the novel goes on. After reading this one I was wondering where this novel would go and I knew I was in for an amazing joy ride of a book. Which it was. The ending was astonishing and blew me away if I wasn't already going to give it a 5 star rating the last 70 or so pages definitely convinced me to.
Another one of the stories that stood out to me was the story about the tea lady and the story of her life. That story really showed the extent of human suffering. Regimes change and are overthrown and new ones take their place. When people rise up to destroy the current people in power it is usually because they are tired of the hardships and the suffering that they had to undergo. Yet as soon as those people gain power they again make those below them suffer until those rise up and replace them. “Always, it is the poor people who pay. And always, it is the poor people's women who pay the most.” It is a vicious cycle that every nation has and is undergoing.
This book reminds me very much of the show LOST how everyone is important in their own ways and how everything that happens can lead to bigger events. It also reminds the science geek in me of the transfer theory used in forensic science of how things can rub off on another person and have lasting impressions. A simple thing such as a handshake or saying hello to someone, or answering the phone call of a complete stranger can affect the course of people's lives and cause a rippling effect that can be felt around the globe. We all create these ripples which randomly bounce of each other causing bigger ripples the effects even more people until a simple thing can lead to a chain reaction that in some way affects the entire world. Think about that the next time you cut someone off in traffic or really do anything. Could this be the first incident that leads humanity to the end of the world?
Again this makes you think of what actually is the probability of things occurring in your life. Take for example a car crash. What was the chance that the other car was at that spot at that exact moment. What was the chance of YOU being at that exact spot. Was it because you were speeding and running late because of something that happened at home? Probably if you looked at the exact numbers of the probability of the event occurring at that time when taking in all the elements the chance would be pretty small. But that's what it all really is… chance. Everything that we do and everything that happens in our lives boils all down to chance encounters and chance events.
I really love thinking about life like that, as a series of chance. Chance is what brings you to what you are today. Life isn't planned out for us all because anyone/anything that somehow diverges from that plan causes the ripples which effect us all. It is amazing really. Life is made up of these chances that can really be described almost as miracles because the chance of things happening is so small it is basically a miracle that it happened at all.
Fun Fact: Probability of your being born: one in 102,685,000
Chance that is what it all boils down to. “If you’re in your life, chance. Viewed from the outside, like a book you’re reading, it’s fate all the way.”
Sorry I have pretty much diverged from the plot of the book but all that is what this book made me think of even long after I finished.
What I really what I loved most about the story, Mitchell's attention to detail and the subtle ways he connects the stories together bringing an "OMG thats the character from the other story!" moment. I love how Mitchell can craft such unique stories and stitch them together in amazing ways. My favorite stories was the musician and the noncorpum. I loved the musician stories for the way it got me thinking about chance and really showed the whole theme of the novel. The noncorpum was also amazing because of how it showed it going from multiple characters and looking for meaning. At first I couldn't see how this story related to the others but then realized it was all about chance again. I'm mad that I left this book at home cause there was a quote about accidents that I loved that really helped me understand this story. The noncorpum in the story I believe was an accident made by the Irish physicist [spoilers removed]. Also a note on the Irish, they know how to party and stall CIA agents!
This is overall an extremely powerful novel with a mind-blowing ending. I enjoyed Cloud Atlas better but this book was amazing for a first novel better than most author's first novels. Having read Cloud Atlas before this one it made me wonder if Mitchell had all his books planned out because of how he has his characters appear in multiple books and especially the comet-shaped tattoo. This is why I gave it all 5 stars because of how powerful and moving it was and I love when a book keeps me thinking long after I finish it.
My hermano also wrote a review for this book as well which I think is amazing and a lot better than mine :)
Another one of the stories that stood out to me was the story about the tea lady and the story of her life. That story really showed the extent of human suffering. Regimes change and are overthrown and new ones take their place. When people rise up to destroy the current people in power it is usually because they are tired of the hardships and the suffering that they had to undergo. Yet as soon as those people gain power they again make those below them suffer until those rise up and replace them. “Always, it is the poor people who pay. And always, it is the poor people's women who pay the most.” It is a vicious cycle that every nation has and is undergoing.
This book reminds me very much of the show LOST how everyone is important in their own ways and how everything that happens can lead to bigger events. It also reminds the science geek in me of the transfer theory used in forensic science of how things can rub off on another person and have lasting impressions. A simple thing such as a handshake or saying hello to someone, or answering the phone call of a complete stranger can affect the course of people's lives and cause a rippling effect that can be felt around the globe. We all create these ripples which randomly bounce of each other causing bigger ripples the effects even more people until a simple thing can lead to a chain reaction that in some way affects the entire world. Think about that the next time you cut someone off in traffic or really do anything. Could this be the first incident that leads humanity to the end of the world?
Again this makes you think of what actually is the probability of things occurring in your life. Take for example a car crash. What was the chance that the other car was at that spot at that exact moment. What was the chance of YOU being at that exact spot. Was it because you were speeding and running late because of something that happened at home? Probably if you looked at the exact numbers of the probability of the event occurring at that time when taking in all the elements the chance would be pretty small. But that's what it all really is… chance. Everything that we do and everything that happens in our lives boils all down to chance encounters and chance events.
I really love thinking about life like that, as a series of chance. Chance is what brings you to what you are today. Life isn't planned out for us all because anyone/anything that somehow diverges from that plan causes the ripples which effect us all. It is amazing really. Life is made up of these chances that can really be described almost as miracles because the chance of things happening is so small it is basically a miracle that it happened at all.
Fun Fact: Probability of your being born: one in 102,685,000
Chance that is what it all boils down to. “If you’re in your life, chance. Viewed from the outside, like a book you’re reading, it’s fate all the way.”
Sorry I have pretty much diverged from the plot of the book but all that is what this book made me think of even long after I finished.
What I really what I loved most about the story, Mitchell's attention to detail and the subtle ways he connects the stories together bringing an "OMG thats the character from the other story!" moment. I love how Mitchell can craft such unique stories and stitch them together in amazing ways. My favorite stories was the musician and the noncorpum. I loved the musician stories for the way it got me thinking about chance and really showed the whole theme of the novel. The noncorpum was also amazing because of how it showed it going from multiple characters and looking for meaning. At first I couldn't see how this story related to the others but then realized it was all about chance again. I'm mad that I left this book at home cause there was a quote about accidents that I loved that really helped me understand this story. The noncorpum in the story I believe was an accident made by the Irish physicist [spoilers removed]. Also a note on the Irish, they know how to party and stall CIA agents!
This is overall an extremely powerful novel with a mind-blowing ending. I enjoyed Cloud Atlas better but this book was amazing for a first novel better than most author's first novels. Having read Cloud Atlas before this one it made me wonder if Mitchell had all his books planned out because of how he has his characters appear in multiple books and especially the comet-shaped tattoo. This is why I gave it all 5 stars because of how powerful and moving it was and I love when a book keeps me thinking long after I finish it.
My hermano also wrote a review for this book as well which I think is amazing and a lot better than mine :)
nooksreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
christiek's review against another edition
3.0
I needed this to come together just a little bit better. A great book leaves you feeling like you want to turn to the front and read it all over again now that you know how it all fits together. A disappointing book leaves you feeling like maybe you're not smart enough to get it, and perhaps you'll understand it if you start over and read it again. Too many other books to read to go that route.
katdid's review against another edition
4.0
This is like a series of interlocking stories, which is one of my favourite devices and Mitchell is bloody good at it -- this wasn't just interlocking stories, it's like an interlocking of his whole back-catalogue. Unexpectedly I think my favourite one was Holy Mountain and (not unexpectedly) my least favourite was Night Train.