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Cloud Atlas A Novel

by David Mitchell
Cloud Atlas A Novel

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ISBN13: 9780812994711
ISBN10: 081299471X



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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments

Newly added to the Modern Library, this edition makes Cloud Atlas available in hardcover for the very first time. A postmodern visionary and one of the leading voices in twenty-first-century fiction, David Mitchell combines flat-out adventure, a Nabokovian love of puzzles, a keen eye for character, and a taste for mind-bending, philosophical and scientific speculation in the tradition of Umberto Eco, Haruki Murakami, and Philip K. Dick. The result is brilliantly original fiction as profound as it is playful. In this groundbreaking novel, an influential favorite among a new generation of writers, Mitchell explores with daring artistry fundamental questions of reality and identity.

Cloud Atlas begins in 1850 with Adam Ewing, an American notary voyaging from the Chatham Isles to his home in California. Along the way, Ewing is befriended by a physician, Dr. Goose, who begins to treat him for a rare species of brain parasite.... Abruptly, the action jumps to Belgium in 1931, where Robert Frobisher, a disinherited bisexual composer, contrives his way into the household of an infirm maestro who has a beguiling wife and a nubile daughter.... From there we jump to the West Coast in the 1970s and a troubled reporter named Luisa Rey, who stumbles upon a web of corporate greed and murder that threatens to claim her life.... And onward, with dazzling virtuosity, to an inglorious present-day England; to a Korean superstate of the near future where neocapitalism has run amok; and, finally, to a postapocalyptic Iron Age Hawaii in the last days of history.

But the story doesn’t end even there. The narrative then boomerangs back through centuries and space, returning by the same route, in reverse, to its starting point. Along the way, Mitchell reveals how his disparate characters connect, how their fates intertwine, and how their souls drift across time like clouds across the sky.

As wild as a videogame, as mysterious as a Zen koan, Cloud Atlas is an unforgettable tour de force that, like its incomparable author, has transcended its cult classic status to become a worldwide phenomenon.

Review

“[David] Mitchell is, clearly, a genius. He writes as though at the helm of some perpetual dream machine, can evidently do anything, and his ambition is written in magma across this novel’s every page.” The New York Times Book Review

Review

“Wildly entertaining...a head rush, both action-packed and chillingly ruminative.” People

Review

“One of those how-the-holy-hell-did-he-do-it? modern classics that no doubt is — and should be — read by any student of contemporary literature.” Dave Eggers

Review

“The novel as series of nested dolls or Chinese boxes, a puzzle-book, and yet — not just dazzling, amusing, or clever but heartbreaking and passionate, too. I’ve never read anything quite like it, and I’m grateful to have lived, for a while, in all its many worlds.” Michael Chabon

Review

“Cloud Atlas ought to make [Mitchell] famous on both sides of the Atlantic as a writer whose fearlessness is matched by his talent.” The Washington Post Book World

Review

“Thrilling....One of the biggest joys in Cloud Atlas is watching Mitchell sashay from genre to genre without a hitch in his dance step.” Boston Sunday Globe

Review

“Grand and elaborate...[Mitchell] creates a world and language at once foreign and strange, yet strikingly familiar and intimate.” Los Angeles Times

Synopsis

By the New York Times bestselling author of The Bone Clocks- Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize
A postmodern visionary and one of the leading voices in twenty-first-century fiction, David Mitchell combines flat-out adventure, a Nabokovian love of puzzles, a keen eye for character, and a taste for mind-bending, philosophical and scientific speculation in the tradition of Umberto Eco, Haruki Murakami, and Philip K. Dick. The result is brilliantly original fiction as profound as it is playful. In this groundbreaking novel, an influential favorite among a new generation of writers, Mitchell explores with daring artistry fundamental questions of reality and identity.
Cloud Atlas begins in 1850 with Adam Ewing, an American notary voyaging from the Chatham Isles to his home in California. Along the way, Ewing is befriended by a physician, Dr. Goose, who begins to treat him for a rare species of brain parasite. . . . Abruptly, the action jumps to Belgium in 1931, where Robert Frobisher, a disinherited bisexual composer, contrives his way into the household of an infirm maestro who has a beguiling wife and a nubile daughter. . . . From there we jump to the West Coast in the 1970s and a troubled reporter named Luisa Rey, who stumbles upon a web of corporate greed and murder that threatens to claim her life. . . . And onward, with dazzling virtuosity, to an inglorious present-day England; to a Korean superstate of the near future where neocapitalism has run amok; and, finally, to a postapocalyptic Iron Age Hawaii in the last days of history.
But the story doesn t end even there. The narrative then boomerangs back through centuries and space, returning by the same route, in reverse, to its starting point. Along the way, Mitchell reveals how his disparate characters connect, how their fates intertwine, and how their souls drift across time like clouds across the sky.
As wild as a videogame, as mysterious as a Zen koan, Cloud Atlas is an unforgettable tour de force that, like its incomparable author, has transcended its cult classic status to become a worldwide phenomenon.
Praise forCloud Atlas
David] Mitchell is, clearly, a genius. He writes as though at the helm of some perpetual dream machine, can evidently do anything, and his ambition is written in magma across this novel s every page. The New York Times Book Review
One of those how-the-holy-hell-did-he-do-it? modern classics that no doubt is and should be read by any student of contemporary literature. Dave Eggers
Wildly entertaining . . . a head rush, both action-packed and chillingly ruminative. People
The novel as series of nested dolls or Chinese boxes, a puzzle-book, and yet not just dazzling, amusing, or clever but heartbreaking and passionate, too. I ve never read anything quite like it, and I m grateful to have lived, for a while, in all its many worlds. Michael Chabon
Cloud Atlasought to make Mitchell] famous on both sides of the Atlantic as a writer whose fearlessness is matched by his talent. The Washington Post Book World
Thrilling . . . One of the biggest joys inCloud Atlasis watching Mitchell sashay from genre to genre without a hitch in his dance step. Boston Sunday Globe
Grand and elaborate . . . Mitchell] creates a world and language at once foreign and strange, yet strikingly familiar and intimate. Los Angeles Times"

About the Author

David Mitchell is the author of the international bestseller The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, named a best book of the year by Time, The Washington Post, Financial Times, The New Yorker, The Globe and Mail, and The New York Times; Black Swan Green, which was selected as one of the 10 Best Books of the Year by Time; Cloud Atlas, which was a Man Booker Prize finalist; Number9Dream, which was short-listed for the Man Booker as well as the James Tait Black Memorial Prize; and Ghostwritten, awarded the Mail on Sunday/John Llewellyn Rhys Prize for best book by a writer under thirty-five and short-listed for the Guardian First Book Award. Hailed as “the novelist who’s being showing us the future of fiction” by The Washington Post, Mitchell was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time in 2007. He lives in Ireland.

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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating 4.8 (17 comments)

`
LAL , October 22, 2014
I really liked the unique format of this book with nested stories in a pyramid form (1,2,3,4,5,6,5,4,3,2,1). Each of the stories from the character's POV was very different and brought something special to the story. Highly recommend this book.

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techeditor , May 07, 2014 (view all comments by techeditor)
For the last couple of years I've heard so much praise for CLOUD ATLAS that I'm ashamed to admit: it didn't impress me. The writing is superb, but Mitchell's stories didn't hook me. I deserve an A for perserverence. I read every word. One chapter in particular, was a chore. I used Cliff's-Notes-type writeups to help me understand what others find so desirable in this book. OK, so now I get it. But that doesn't make me like it.

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ernsign , January 30, 2013
Difficult reads often yield greater rewards. This is a complex book, it includes six loosely connected stories. Each story takes place in a different era, with different characters, and each is told in a distinct voice and style. Only one story is told without interruption. I considered putting this book down when it seemed to demanding. But having persevered, I am grateful to author David Mitchell for crafting an awe-inspiring, magnificent opus. The characters are incredibly well defined, and the plots are compelling. I will read this book again, and I recommend it to others.

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benedicts4bfast , January 30, 2013 (view all comments by benedicts4bfast)
Cloud Atlas is an inventive delight to read. With it's nesting doll layering of stories it could seem a bit gimmicky to some but it doesn't detract from the marvelous read itself. The variety of writing styles within one book is really impressive and all are executed beautifully - clearly David Mitshell is talented enough to write any genre he desires.

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2susmiller , January 02, 2013 (view all comments by 2susmiller)
David Mitchell is my new favorite author!! His ethical stance, ingenious plot devices and unforgettable characters make CLOUD ATLAS superb.

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LuluReads , January 02, 2013 (view all comments by LuluReads)
I can't believe it took me so long to read this book, after hearing recommendations for years. I was spurred to read it before the movie came out earlier this year. Beautiful writing that only gets better as the book goes along leads into a story that is bigger than the sum of its parts. I was immediately lost in the novel whenever I picked the book back up; it took me no time at all to join the story again. Escapist literature in the best possible way!

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TBird1952 , January 01, 2013 (view all comments by TBird1952)
Epic undertaking! Interweaving stories/lives kept me on my toes and made the reading experience very rich. I haven't seen the film - I'm afraid it cannot do justice to the book. I highly recommend this dream sequence - it's a fabulous book!

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Brian Howley , January 01, 2013
Mitchell's book was thoroughly enjoyable and inventive. I have recommended this book to several people.

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sturcotte123 , January 01, 2013
Unique and engaging read. Highly recommended! It will entertain, but also make you think.

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kimberly8 , January 01, 2013 (view all comments by kimberly8)
Layers within layers. Stories not only within stories, but they are inexorably linked by the most gossamer of threads of beauty, drama and, yes, love.

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bookhooked , January 01, 2013 (view all comments by bookhooked)
Best book I read in 2012! The way Mitchell plays around with genre and captures so many stories in such a tangled web is genius. A definite page turner. Ignore whatever people say about the movie, this novel is a must read.

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smlziegler , January 01, 2013
Unlike any book I've ever read. In a good way.

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Linda Blackaby , January 01, 2013
So much creativity - different worlds, characters, languages, such fun to read.

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Nora Jewett , January 01, 2013
Deliciously complex. Sumptuously vernacular. Astonishingly prescient.

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Carole L Hardy , January 01, 2013
One of the best books I ever read. I am about to pick it up and read it again. The writing is amazing as is the complex story line.

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Katsuya , December 27, 2012 (view all comments by Katsuya)
The greatest compliment that I can give this book is that I would gladly read it again. I also now desire to read more of the brilliant combination of storytelling and writing that David Mitchell. I admit that many readers may find this challenging to grasp as a novel but once you push past the first areas of the novel it is incredibly fulfilling. Five well-earned stars for this novel and a definite feature on the 1001 books to read list.

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WongKaiWen , December 24, 2012 (view all comments by WongKaiWen)
This book is one of the most incredible books that I have had the pleasure of reading. David Mitchell not only managed to write 6 unique and fantastic stories that I would love to read on there own, but he managed to connected them almost seamlessly making one mind-blowing story. Like I said I would love to read each story as an individual for each one is so dynamic in itself. It is almost hard to believe that the same author wrote each story since each has its own unique writing style. You go from a sailing journal, to comedy, to mystery, to science fiction, and even a post apocalyptic world. He threw in all of my favorite genres and the best elements of each. I totally recommend this book.

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Product Details

ISBN:
9780812994711
Binding:
Hardcover
Publication date:
11/20/2012
Publisher:
PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE
Series info:
Modern Library (Hardcover)
Pages:
509
Height:
1.50IN
Width:
5.60IN
Thickness:
1.25
Author:
David Mitchell
Subject:
Literature-A to Z

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