Cloud Atlas in Queereaders

Sep 24, 2014 Kate rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction

What an awesome experience! This book has layers upon layers, and everything fits together like pieces of a moving puzzle. This rarely happens but when I finished I wanted to read it again to catch subtleties I know I missed.

Mitchell is a genius. There are so many voices, characters, styles and genres blended into one novel that it seems he could write anything. At times it's hilarious, creepy, touching and mortifying.

A year ago I watched the movie but didn't get into it and hardly remember it. ...more

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Aug 04, 2012 J. rated it really liked it

(warning--spoilers) I was not very happy at how any character who encountered homosexuality, whether it was consetual or not, wound up dead. I also wasn't very happy at how cliche many of the character's endings were. I found some of the connections between stories a bit cliche, too. With that said, though, Mitchell's prose is gorgeous. There were whole passages that I found myself wanting to quote to others. The entire Sonmi-451 section(s) was mindblowingly good. All the lush prose of Chabon, b ...more

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Dec 04, 2021 MT rated it it was amazing

But for an irrational fear that it would jinx him, I'd be tempted to say, "Is there nothing Mitchell can't do?" This sprawling, experimental, genre-defying offering demonstrates that Mitchell almost always succeeds, and even when he doesn't, something worthwhile usually arises just from the attempt.

Set across centuries and lifetimes, this novel is a Russian doll in prose, an exquisite composition, a total tear-jerker. ...more

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