The Bone Clocks
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Do you agree that each Bone Clocks chapter echoed its corresponding Cloud Atlas chapater?
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you make a good point but i can't help but feel it's pointless, on the authors part i mean. i think mitchell has become so fixated on games that his books are suffering for itBone Clocks links directly to The Thousand Autumns of Jakob De Zoet, and that diminishes Jakobs actions in De Zoet utterly. it's a nice quirk to link them but it takes away from the narrative of the previous book.
Having Lucia Rey appear in Bone Clocks means the narrative of Cloud Atlas is occurring whilst the narrative of Clocks plays out which again dilutes things by the dint of including horology. Cloud was a wonderful look at how people treat and subjugate each other, Clocks a supernatural mind power story. Linking one to the other lessens the better book
I'm about to read Ghostwritten (once I finish this daft Girl with all the Gifts nonsense) and I'm hoping it being Mitchells first it will feel fresh rather than the stale trickery of Clocks
The Bone Clocks is the only one of Mitchell's that I have read, so I can't comment on these books in particular, but I have seen that complaint about other authors. Where I have seen this, I have not seen a "point" to it. Perhaps we should only read one book by an author to enjoy it to its fullest or dislike it to its fullest?
Interesting question. As I read it, my immediate reaction was "nah, surely not", but as I thought about it and read your reasoning, it's hard to fault. Good spot!That's the thing with Mitchell: there's always another angle and another link. It can be annoyingly tricksy, but it's enticing as well.
Richard, I suggest you read Ghostwritten & number9dream, and mentally sever all the Bone Clocks connections. Those two books are excellent.
What exactly the meaning of the title ''The Bone Clocks".Thanks in advance for the answer :)
VenkateshVeera wrote: "What exactly the meaning of the title ''The Bone Clocks".Thanks in advance for the answer :)"
It just means (view spoiler).
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But above and beyond that, I felt like something else was going on, as if each of the six chapters were a bit like their respective chapter in Cloud Atlas, and narrated by a similar character.
So the second chapter in each book focusses on a posh, charming and ammoral Cambridge student (Robert Frobisher and Hugo Lamb).
The third is about a brave investigative reporter (Luisa Ray and Ed Brubeker).
The fourth is about a cynical middle-aged man in the literary world whose best days are behind them (Timothy Cavendish and Crispin Hershey).
The fifth is then a full-blown genre story (sci-fi with Sunmi and fantasy with Marinus), and then the sixth is post-apocalyptic.
As far as opening chapters go, I haven't noticed much to connect Holly's 1980s teenager with Adam Ewing's 19th century seafarer, but other than that, the theory hold up perfectly.
Did anyone else notice/agree with this? And if so, do you think it was just a bit of fun and cleverness, or do you think the author was just trying to make some sort of point?