Ashley answers “How should Mitchell's books be read? In...”

Morgan asked this question about Ghostwritten:

How should Mitchell's books be read? In publishing order?

Ashley My reading order was Cloud Atlas > Bone Clocks > Thousand Autumns > Black Swan Green > Ghostwritten

If I had it to do over again, I would still start w…moreMy reading order was Cloud Atlas > Bone Clocks > Thousand Autumns > Black Swan Green > Ghostwritten

If I had it to do over again, I would still start with Cloud Atlas. I've never gotten over the magic of that one, and my breathless awe at the end is what made me want to read all his novels.

Although I agree Bone Clocks is the easiest to read, I think there's a little something lacking in the plot (compared to other books) that is made up for with the allusions to the other books--allusions which won't make any sense without reading other stuff first. So if you read it first, I think you may be missing out on the best part of the book. (less)

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