'Souls cross ages like clouds cross skies...'

I am always pleased when a book is recommended to me by a friend. Often people think that, because I work in a library, I have mysteriously read every book in the world. Therefore, they expect me to tell them about titles and which authors to read. This time I am happy to indirectly claim all the praise and pass on Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell, to you.

~~~THE PLOT.

This is actually quite difficult to summarize, because Cloud Atlas is a series of six stories. These stories are separate but also linked ~ sounds weird, but it works because the individual tales overlap and interlink. The narrative takes us through the ages and around the world, spanning both the past and the distant future.

Through the years we see a lawyer crossing the Pacific Ocean in 1850, a young British composer in the 1930s who writes the Cloud Atlas sextet (for six overlapping voices) and a Californian journalist, in the 1970s at the time of Ronald Reagan’s tenure. We then move on to a publisher in the London of the 1980s, a genetically modified clone on death row “somewhere” in the future and a young man on a Pacific Island witnessing the end of civilization.

We end in the location we began in, thus ending the story and completing the link between the separate elements. I have probably explained this all very clumsily, but you really need to read it to get the full picture ~ and I don’t want to give too much away. Essentially the book deals with the evil and good that exists in everyone.

~~~WHAT I THOUGHT.

We are led through these separate lives and narratives and witness the ups and downs of their lives through the eyes of each character. The book isn’t constrained by time as we know it ~ they span the centuries and send us spinning from the past to the future. David Mitchell manages to be convincing whatever the gender, occupation or time his character is from. He spans history and adeptly links the essentially different characters together, establishing common ground between them and showing how their lives are interlinked. There are also ripples in the fabric of time that carry us on ~ the story you are presently reading abruptly ends and we are thrown onto the next.

I started the book thinking that I wasn’t going to “get” it! Not being a fan of short stories I couldn’t see how the whole thing was going to pull together and entice me in. I was put off by what I was expecting the book to be like and was considering NOT reading it. I am so glad that I didn’t let my preconceptions keep me away from a real gem of a novel. Mitchell’s strange tales enthralled me and got my interest from the outset ~ a rare feat in this type of book and something I wasn’t expecting.

I found myself eager to find out what the next story was going to be about and itching for the next time I could get back to reading it. A friend of mine (the one who recommended it to me) was reading it at the same time and we found ourselves comparing notes and whittering on about Cloud Atlas ~ much to the dismay of others in the pub! We both didn’t know what was going to happen and where the book would take us next.

It really got us talking and captured our attention ~ surely the sign of a good book? It has also been features as one of the Books in Richard & Judy’s Book Club and seems to have been pretty popular with most of the celebrity and public reviewers. The main reaction amongst the readers seems to be surprise at what the book was like and intrigue; making them keep reading, often despite themselves…this is pretty much my reaction too!

The language used is often a little on, often archaic and sometimes a little on the rude side. It is, however, intriguing and in keeping with the people who the stories are about. The narrative style changes from tale to tale, but rather than feeling disjointed this adds to the uniqueness of the novel and is very clever indeed. With each story the style and language alters…each represents each different era well. Mitchell uses his words effectively ~ they flow and jump about giving us rich, vivid descriptions that drew me in.

There is humour and darkness throughout ~ I found the story of the publisher (Timothy Cavendish) particularly funny. The image of “Prostitute Barbie” makes me smile even now! It is well crafted, well written and has eloquence and a unique style. Cloud Atlas is just that little bit different and begs to be read over to see the bits you missed the first time round. I have read Cloud Atlas twice already and plan to read it again. I have also recommended it to friends at work and to the library reading group via one of the librarians who runs it.

Be prepared to enter the lives of the many characters on offer and get a glimpse through their ages and eyes. It isn’t an easy book to read, but it is a rewarding one if you see it through to the end. I wholeheartedly recommend Cloud Atlas to you too. If you are willing to take on a challenge and read something different, then you WILL like it. If you want something safe and easy then you may not enjoy it…but PLEASE give it a go!

~~~BOOK DETAILS.

• Paperback 544 pages (February 21, 2005)
• Publisher: Sceptre
• ISBN: 0340822783
Currently listed on Amazon for £4.79 ~ A saving of £3.20 on the paperback price of £7.99.


***If you want to read what other people think and find out a bit more about the author and his inspirations go to http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/R/richardandjudy/book_club/book_club_cloud_plus.html ***