I know I say this a lot, but I really mean it this time: I feel as if I am the last person in the Universe (or the blogosphere at least) to get around to reading Cloud Atlas. I have seen it so many times stacked on tables in bookshops with its lovely coloured cover and I’ve wondered what it was all about but never thought to pick it up, even on a 3 for 2 deal when I’ve been scouring the bookshop looking for something to add. I’m still not entirely sure why I bought it for my Kindle app; I suspect it’s been to do with reading about the film adaptation and thinking that looked interesting and my tendency to want to read a book before I see the movie version.
I should also give a shout out to Silvery Dude who, when I mentioned it to him as a possible read, thought that I would enjoy the experience.
I have to say I’m really intrigued about the film, because I cannot for the life of me see how they are going to do it (or have done it as I think it may already be out in the US?). I can’t even adequately explain the novel to myself having read it, let alone visualise how the structure will translate to the big screen.
For the structure of the book is really important; there are six or seven stories all nested within each other, radiating forward into the future and then back into the past. It’s really disconcerting if you don’t know that, because when I got to the break in the first story I thought there was something wrong with the download (I know, what an eejit) but I persevered and realised what was happening. I’m not even going to try to explain the various stories told but they range over time and there are connections between them all, especially in relation to a comet shaped birthmark (as I remember – the curse of (a) waiting this long to write the post and (b) having it as an e-book is it isn’t always easy to refer back (haven’t yet got the hang of bookmarks and highlighting yet))
And apologies for the excessive use of parentheses here but it sort of fits the book somehow.
I thought it was a compelling read with some interesting things to say about identity and human relationships and all that sort of thing and I would recommend it to anyone else out there who has perhaps not read it yet.
Still haven’t got a clue how they’re going to do it justice on the screen but I’ll look forward to finding out.
6 comments
Comments feed for this article
December 7, 2012 at 7:22 am
Margaret @ BooksPlease
You’re not the only person not to have read this – I bought the book years ago and have started it three times and each time I’ve given up! But I haven’t given up on wanting to read it as it’s still sitting on the bookshelves, waiting for the right time for me to read it all the way through. It certainly sounds as though I would like it.
I think maybe seeing the film would help – I’ve just watched a trailer http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/news/a404612/cloud-atlas-gets-new-uk-release-date.html
December 7, 2012 at 9:01 am
brideofthebookgod
I really think you should give it a try, is a rewarding experience
Sent from my iPad
January 19, 2013 at 1:58 pm
lynnsbooks
Enter No.2 – I haven’t read this either. I have a copy and keep promising myself I will read it before the film is released but something keeps putting me off.
Lynn 😀
January 19, 2013 at 2:17 pm
brideofthebookgod
Do give it a go, I wasn’t sure at first but found it rewarding
Sent from my iPad
March 11, 2013 at 7:16 am
Cloud Atlas | Bride of the Screen God
[…] I really enjoyed the book (my thoughts on it are here) […]
January 24, 2015 at 8:18 pm
The Bone Clocks | Bride of the Book God
[…] enjoyed Cloud Atlas once I got into it (you can read my review of that here and the film version here) and I always full intended to read more of Mitchell’s work but […]