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A Life Told from the Cloud
SAN FRANCISCO, the near future: CJ Harper, a young creative writing professor, has been diagnosed with cancer and will undergo surgery in less than two weeks. With the diagnosis looming over him, Harper assigns his class a heartfelt writing project: "Incorporating modern technology, imagine you or the main character has a short amount of time to live. Describe what you want to leave behind-your regrets, your legacy-and how the situation would shape your attitude about your own life." Harper resolves to spend the week before surgery writing his own assignment-a memoir from the cloud. Using his own social media timeline, Harper retells his life story with the help of seven profiles of friends and family who altered the course of his life. As the surgery date nears, the question isn't only whether Harper can finish his memoir, but if any of the seven people will return in his time of need.
296 pages, Paperback
First published October 7, 2013
2 people are currently reading
798 people want to read
About the author
Kyle Rutkin
9 books216 followersAuthor and Creative Ritualist. Follow my newsletter The Creative Ritual on Substack. https://creativeritual.substack.com/
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 11, 2014
I'd say easily more like 4.75 stars.
A Life Told from the Cloud is told in a very unique way...literally from "the cloud" where all of our lives are stored through social media. It's the story of CJ's life from his own point of view. He's looking back through his social history (facebook, linkedin, etc) and discussing the few people he's loved most throughout his life and how his relationship with them changed him and altered his life. It's reminiscent of a coming of age story but also of the coined "quarter life crisis" that so many of us 20-somethings have experienced. A lot his thoughts, feelings, and even relationships hit close to home.
At the end of the book I felt like I had lived an entire, full life alongside of CJ. Kyle Rutkin is incredibly descriptive in setting not just to scene but also the tones and feelings that accompany each scene. My only qualm was that I noticed he (in my humble opinion) overused a couple of adjectives to describe certain people or situations, though perhaps that was intentional as the book was meant to be told by CJ.
I HIGHLY recommend this book. The first couple of chapter read strangely to me because it's not the standard formatting, but it all makes sense very quickly.
A Life Told from the Cloud is told in a very unique way...literally from "the cloud" where all of our lives are stored through social media. It's the story of CJ's life from his own point of view. He's looking back through his social history (facebook, linkedin, etc) and discussing the few people he's loved most throughout his life and how his relationship with them changed him and altered his life. It's reminiscent of a coming of age story but also of the coined "quarter life crisis" that so many of us 20-somethings have experienced. A lot his thoughts, feelings, and even relationships hit close to home.
At the end of the book I felt like I had lived an entire, full life alongside of CJ. Kyle Rutkin is incredibly descriptive in setting not just to scene but also the tones and feelings that accompany each scene. My only qualm was that I noticed he (in my humble opinion) overused a couple of adjectives to describe certain people or situations, though perhaps that was intentional as the book was meant to be told by CJ.
I HIGHLY recommend this book. The first couple of chapter read strangely to me because it's not the standard formatting, but it all makes sense very quickly.
July 12, 2016
I won a copy of this from First Reads. I hardly ever give a book 5 stars - but I absolutely loved it! I love the authors writing style - Such a touching book - Made me tear up multiple times. Love love love!
March 6, 2014
This is definitely one of those books that once you've started, you will not be able to put it down until you’re finished. It really hits you in the heart because it is extremely relatable, especially the way it illustrates Facebook as a type of scrapbook. A great read!
October 30, 2014
I received this book as part of the first reads program. I loved this book. Think the perks of being a wallflower for the twenty something. Imagine your Facebook profile seventy years from now. Allot your past on display for the world to see, for better or worse.
When a college professor discovers that he has a possibly fatal illness, he asks his students to write a story from the perspective of their last days, a memoir so to speak, with additional details from their social media profiles. The novel is told in the form of social media posts from the protagonist and his former and current enemies, friends and future and current lovers. It is a vastly entertaining piece about the effect that social media has and will continue to have on the current generation. Rutkin is a very talented writer, and this kickstarter funded effort is a great look at his prowess.Watch out for this writer, his star is on the rise!!
When a college professor discovers that he has a possibly fatal illness, he asks his students to write a story from the perspective of their last days, a memoir so to speak, with additional details from their social media profiles. The novel is told in the form of social media posts from the protagonist and his former and current enemies, friends and future and current lovers. It is a vastly entertaining piece about the effect that social media has and will continue to have on the current generation. Rutkin is a very talented writer, and this kickstarter funded effort is a great look at his prowess.Watch out for this writer, his star is on the rise!!
December 2, 2013
I love this book! It is very well written and extremely relatable, I can match a person in my life to all characters in the book. I love that this book portrays what it will be like someday to read through our online accounts and see the people that have touched our lives, and lives we have touched ourselves.
Want to read
October 24, 2014I won this book as part of the Goodreads First-Read program.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews