Cloud Atlas (Book Review)

For the review of this book I decided to make a quick mini review of each story, instead of reviewing the book as a whole.

 The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing

I will be honest. This story was one of the main reasons it took me forever to finish the book. I tried to read the book one time, but I was unable to get into it because I just was not enjoying it; I decided to watch the movie and I liked it so much it helped me try the book again.

While I do not believe this story is weaker in any way than the others, I found it much harder to relate to any of the characters.

And while I appreciate its accuracy, I still was very uncomfortable with the way the islanders were treated.

If I would rate only this story, I would give it a 1 out of 5 stars.

 Letters from Zedelghem

After the torture that was the previous story for me, Frobisher's was a relieve. I loved his wit and dramatics. He almost reminded me of myself.

His story was one of my favourites, and his over the top reactions to things was so amusing.

I enjoyed the characters, the setting, the conclusion.

If I were to rate it just by itself, I would give it 5 out of 5 stars and add it to my Favourite Books shelf.

 Half-Lives - The First Luisa Rey Mystery

This was one of the stories that was just there for me. I feel like the first part was better than the second one.

I didn't mind Luisa, but sometimes I just felt like what was happening was so much bigger than her. I couldn't understand why she was willing to get herself killed, it just was not smart what she did.

I would have given this 3 out of 5 stars I believe.

 The Ghastly Ordeal of Timothy Cavendish

Thanks to Ewing' story being a wall, I had to re-read some parts of this story to remember what exactly happened on this one.

Cavendish's was surely an adventure, his theatrics and his overall ordeal were pure gold. And even if its conclusion did not completely satisfy me, I still liked the story.

It would get 4 out of 5 stars for me.

 An Orison of Sonmi-451

This was the only other story I absolutely loved. It was intriguing, and I did not expect that plot twist, but it made so much sense. I felt betrayed but it only made the story so much better for me.

Sonmi is one of the few characters that I do not only like but I admire. Her will for something better, her determination, and her wisdom were so inspiring. I could have read a complete series only about her.

And this one would get the other 5 out of 5 from me.

 Sloosha's Crossin' an' Ev'rythin' After

The other disappointment for me. It was hard for me to get into the story, specially because of the language and how it was written. I understand Mr. Mitchell was showcasing how languages evolves with time, but for me it was distracting and most of the time gave me a headache trying to decipher what they were saying.

I couldn't have cared less what happened to the characters, but the story was just as solid as the others.

I would give it a 2 out of 5 stars.

In Conclusion:

I get why people love this book. I get why it was shortlisted for The Man Booker Prize. But it was not the book for me. Maybe if the stories had been more interconnected, one having relevancy on the other. But as it is, I feel like Mr. Mitchell had 6 solid stories which he just put together in one book.

Yes, I understand the recurring theme of how the society undermines a group of individuals for the benefit of others. How it only evolved from bad to worse. And while I enjoyed the message, I did not enjoy how it was delivered.