You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
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Cloud Atlas
Group Themed Reads: Discussions
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November 2012 - Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
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Shannon wrote: "I loved the structure of this book. I can't describe it but remember that it felt like like the story was folded. If anyone gets what I mean help me describe it."Hi Shannon, I get what you mean by "folded", even though I'm only halfway through. I'm also glad that I'll get to see more of the stories for the characters in the first half of the book.
Hello everyone,I started this book on Saturday, so I'm a little late to the discussion. So far, I'm enjoying the book. Each of the stories/chapters takes me a few pages to get into, but once that happens, I'm hooked by the story and want to read more. I really enjoyed the Frobisher letters, but I love to read books that are written in diary and letter format.
I just finished the Sonmi-451 chapter this morning and will be starting on the middle chapter (I can't remember the title) tonight. I glanced at the middle chapter and I'm a little intimidated by the writing style.
Just go with the flow and you'll pick the few odd words from the context. They are mostly puns/misspellings (mil'yuns for millions) and childish simplifications (I telled). It's quiet poetic, when you get used to it.
I think reading this book on an e-reader would be hard. I know that I opened it and looked at the structure. I read it in a linear fashion but was glad to see that the second parts of the stories were there. That would be so confusing if you couldn't look at it.
I'm at Sloosha's crossing, so at the turn. Start to get the return halves of the books soon.
This was a film? One has to ask how did that work?!
This was a film? One has to ask how did that work?!
I am reading this book on my Nook Classic. There are some frustrating sections in this book - or at least the copy I have - where the text size changes and gets almost unreadable, but the chapter selections and order remain the same. I have to admit that what I miss most when reading on the e-reader is not being able to flip back to previous parts that I have already read easily. It is possible, but not the same as being able to put your finger in a physical book and "flip" back to the front (to look at a map) or re-read a page here or there.
Depending on the book, the built in dictionary is less than helpful - especially the way it is accessed on the Nook Classic. The newer readers are better because the whole screen is touchable.
Forget reading a complex book with lots of foot notes or appendixes too, on the Classic...it gets lost easily.
All that asside, I really DO love my Nook and have purchased the newer Nook readers for several family members.
Not going to get this finished by the end of November, that's for certain.
Still going to finish it though, it's a most intriguing book.
Still going to finish it though, it's a most intriguing book.
You can still comment into December. We won't mind :)
Finally! I finished the book this morning, after a mini marathon reading session Friday night and all day Saturday.I have to say still, that I did not really like the book. I liked some of the stories, but when I finally finished, all I felt was draind and relieved it was over. I know that there was a theme, but my mind refuses to give up anything that I can put into words.
Although I did not specifically like the book, I have to admire the author's creativity and writing ability. The story about the Kona and Valleysmen on Big I was mind boggling reading. The language was so intriguingly done. I hated Timothy C. and the whole story about him!
I cannot decide if I really want to see the movie now, even IF Tom Hanks is in it.
I've finished this as well and I thought it was fabulous. I loved the very idea of the book, the construction, the links between the books and the fact that they appear on several levels. I'm not sure I'd have ever picked this up without the group picking it, so thanks for that - a gem I might so easily have missed.
I have even less idea how you make that into a movie now I've finished. How do you manage the links from one to another in film? When's it out? I may, for once, have to break my rules and go see a film of a book I've read. Actually, where this is very much a told story, I don't have much of an image of the 6 storytellers.
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
I have even less idea how you make that into a movie now I've finished. How do you manage the links from one to another in film? When's it out? I may, for once, have to break my rules and go see a film of a book I've read. Actually, where this is very much a told story, I don't have much of an image of the 6 storytellers.
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Helen wrote: "I've finished this as well and I thought it was fabulous. I loved the very idea of the book, the construction, the links between the books and the fact that they appear on several levels. I'm not s..."The movie is showing now, Helen. It's fabulous! I loved it. The construction was carried into the film in another way - each actor played multiple roles. You not only have the story lines overlapping and being interconnected, you have characters. Stay and watch the credits because it shows all the characters played by each actor. You'll be surprised. :)
Not sure this will work, but this review of Cloud atlas is doing the rounds - I thought it amusing.
http://www.fromnought2sixty.com/final...
http://www.fromnought2sixty.com/final...
Helen wrote: "Not sure this will work, but this review of Cloud atlas is doing the rounds - I thought it amusing.http://www.fromnought2sixty.com/final..."
Oh Helen, thanks for sharing, I loved it!
That was just about right for me!
I haven't read the book, but that made me giggle!
I've finished a reread shortly before Christmas. It's just as good as I remember from 8 years ago, so now my only regret is that I still have to wait another 5 weeks for the film to be released over here. I just hope it does the book justice. Anyway, for anyone who is interested, my revised review is here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Anyway..... I may keep trying for two more days and then I'll put it aside to try to finish later. Glad I'm not the only one. I am glad that some people really liked it. I do look fwd to the movie!