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MJ Nicholls's Reviews > Cloud Atlas
Cloud Atlas
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Well. Now. My-oh-my, Mr. Mitchell.
Where to begin? With the obvious, I s'pose. Cloud Atlas is NOT a novel. It is six novellas arranged in a forwards/backwards sequence. This is not a complaint, dear cynic. Nay nay nay. Mitchell's conceit is either a structural quantum leap or a very smart hook to keep the reader reading. I suspect both. Here are the specifics:
The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing: This opens and closes the book. It is a swashbuckling riff on the intrepid postcolonial adventure novel, very reminiscent of John Barth's The Sot-Weed Factor. Only nowhere near as masterful.
Letters From Zedelghem: An epistolary tale about a gifted amanuensis struggling with his wandering libido in the mansion of a German composer. Very good riff on melodramatic Victorian novels.
Half-Lives: The First Luisa Rey Mystery: A Davidette-vs-Goliath thriller. It heroically wields every cliché in the toolbox, though is a well-written exercise in action/suspense/intrigue.
The Ghastly Ordeal of Timothy Cavendish: Reads like third-rate Will Self until it morphs into One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest set in an old-folks home. Peculiar.
An Orison of Somni~451: A very inventive and immersive sci-fi yarn set in a corporate dystopia. The most original and dazzling section, in my opinion.
Sloosha's Crossin' an' Ev'rythin' After: Oh dear. Quite quite terrible. This novella, the centrepiece of Cloud Atlas, is written in a sloppy and uncompelling Hawaiian idiolect. It reads like a fourth-rate Riddley Walker and becomes utterly tedious to wade through.
How to read Cloud Atlas? I would recommend selective reading. Choose the novellas most likely to interest you. Although the stories are tenuously interlinked, you aren't missing part of a broader panorama by skipping the snoozier moments.
Verdict? Ambitious beyond belief but flabbily outstanding. Not a modern classic, but one heck of an attempt.
Where to begin? With the obvious, I s'pose. Cloud Atlas is NOT a novel. It is six novellas arranged in a forwards/backwards sequence. This is not a complaint, dear cynic. Nay nay nay. Mitchell's conceit is either a structural quantum leap or a very smart hook to keep the reader reading. I suspect both. Here are the specifics:
The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing: This opens and closes the book. It is a swashbuckling riff on the intrepid postcolonial adventure novel, very reminiscent of John Barth's The Sot-Weed Factor. Only nowhere near as masterful.
Letters From Zedelghem: An epistolary tale about a gifted amanuensis struggling with his wandering libido in the mansion of a German composer. Very good riff on melodramatic Victorian novels.
Half-Lives: The First Luisa Rey Mystery: A Davidette-vs-Goliath thriller. It heroically wields every cliché in the toolbox, though is a well-written exercise in action/suspense/intrigue.
The Ghastly Ordeal of Timothy Cavendish: Reads like third-rate Will Self until it morphs into One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest set in an old-folks home. Peculiar.
An Orison of Somni~451: A very inventive and immersive sci-fi yarn set in a corporate dystopia. The most original and dazzling section, in my opinion.
Sloosha's Crossin' an' Ev'rythin' After: Oh dear. Quite quite terrible. This novella, the centrepiece of Cloud Atlas, is written in a sloppy and uncompelling Hawaiian idiolect. It reads like a fourth-rate Riddley Walker and becomes utterly tedious to wade through.
How to read Cloud Atlas? I would recommend selective reading. Choose the novellas most likely to interest you. Although the stories are tenuously interlinked, you aren't missing part of a broader panorama by skipping the snoozier moments.
Verdict? Ambitious beyond belief but flabbily outstanding. Not a modern classic, but one heck of an attempt.
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Reading Progress
April 17, 2010
–
Started Reading
April 17, 2010
– Shelved
April 22, 2010
–
Finished Reading
October 30, 2010
– Shelved as:
novels
July 30, 2011
– Shelved as:
sassysassenachs
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MJ
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rated it 4 stars
Jan 20, 2012 04:29PM
You're right, I forgot to say I enjoyed it immensely. The Sloosha's Crossin' sections were the only parts I actively disliked.
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You are one of my favorite reviewers, MJ...but I disagree a bit. I think this is a novel, actually. There's lots of cohesion here which makes it more than just the sum of its parts.Also, I think the Sloosha's Crossin' chapter is outstanding. It is a bit difficult to read, but the payoff is there. I especially love how Zachry's connection to the spirit world is contrasted with Meronym's logical realism. I think it is my favourite chapter.
Lastly, I think this has "modern classic" potential, definitely. Time will tell.
I disagree with my past self too, clearly it is a bodaciously structured novel. I understand the Sloosha sections being at the centre of the book, the pinnacle of difficulty, but I found it all a little strained and ultimately quite dreary. But the rest of the novel is, um, ace.
