Stephen M’s Comments (group member since Dec 27, 2011)

Stephen M’s comments from the David Mitchell Appreciation group.

Sounds good to me. I want to finish Number9dream beforehand.

Right on man. Next week is a little soon for me, but otherwise I'd love to participate. I know Ian has wanted to reread this as well. Same with Jsou, you say?

That may be true. The age of Timothy Cavendish was ambiguous is Ghostwritten, but it could be the same Cavendish in Cloud Atlas.

No, doesn't seem likely. If she is, it's most likely as a much older person or through some relation of hers, mother, father, etc.

I'm not sure if there are many DM characters that appear as exactly the same age or situation from book to book.

Believe it or not, Amnesiac is sitting at the top right now.

Or more just "Life in a Glass House". Simply stunning.

"That being said I just think some of the disparate elements of N9D didn't all gel for me."

That's fair. I think that N9D especially takes on a huge swath of issues. Or maybe since he focuses on one character, yet still attempts to take on the same range of issues that the other ones do, that it renders all of its elements too disparate. We have all the Murakami-esque elements of dreams and sorting through dreams, each individual section which includes Yakuza, video games, corporate intrigue; I'm still puzzling over the Foucault reference at the beginning and Benthem's Panopticon. Then there's all the goatwriter sections. It's pretty scattered. But on my first read, there was a way that I drifted over all those individual themes, and simply reveled in the writing style, the mood and the sheer fun of it. Plus Ai, who is still my favorite female protagonist in a novel. I wonder if a second, more inquisitive read would change my opinion at all.

Great, thanks for the links and the info Gary.

I understand the reservations on this one. But this is probably my favorite right now and I'm not sure exactly why.

Some say this is "Mitchell showing off". But where I am right now as a reader and a person, I can't get enough of the kind of writing going on in this book.

Ian also helped spark my feelings around this one: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Ha, no kidding. I have made it my life's goal to meet him, one day, it'll happen.

Yes. I should look that up. It's a relatively smaller part of history, in terms of what people are writing about. Plus the fact that access to source material of Japan in general is tough because they were such a closed off and guarded society. But if anyone else finds anything I'd love to share artwork, writings from the time. It'd be a fun project to have historical context for the next I read the book.

This is Dejima, Japan which is the setting of this book.

http://maps.google.com/maps?client=sa...

If you keep zooming in, you can see pictures from the street level!

See, there I go. My expectations boil down to specific shots. I am going to be let down no matter how good this movie is.

s.penkevich wrote: "As long as the tooth flies into the beer glass across the room.... I pray they keep that."

Yes! For some reason, I really want to the opening scene to be filmed as written. I really love the image, at least what I get from it, as a camera quickly passing over a beaten path and then lifting up to find Dr. Goose crouched over. We pan in and get a close up as he opens up his palm revealing a handful of teeth.

s.penkevich wrote: "I bet the film version of this section will be intense."

While I totally agree with you, I'm imagining every few seconds of this thing to be so intense. I'd like to make some bets on what is or is not gonna land in the movie. (subject to ponder while I eat dinner)

I had the same feelings. I was genuinely sad when the book was over, because I enjoyed the character and his voice so much.

Ian wrote: "I decided not to make any comments about analogies with Murakami or any other writers.

Despite rese..."

Was there anything specific that struck you as particularly Murakami-esque in GW?

Why did you do that? Why'd I do what? I'm just standing here.
Don't give me that line. Don't tell me that inaction is not a crime.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqh6ft...

All great ideas everyone. Thank you.

I've been thinking about the literary pulp in music. Any thoughts? I think some of the experimental Wilco might count. Country/folk roots and catchy melodies counterbalanced with noise explosions.

I'd also like to nominate one of my favorite bands The Walkmen. An interesting blend of indie rock, 50s-60s surf rock and Orbisonesque melodies and lyrics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwIEA7...

He studied all over the world. I'm sure that was a major influence on his work. This is also, in my opinion the main concern of Thousand Autumns. The whole book seems obsessed with the crossing of all different kinds of boundaries.

I would also add 'time' to that list. See Cloud Atlas, obviously.

Ian wrote: "Ultimately, it comes down to the way you do that thing you do to me. At the level of words and sentences. "

That is pretty much how I feel. I was just trying to invite some D. Mitch criticism ;) So it's not just a bunch of fanatics loving him.

I agree that he has grown enormously. He even seems to be maturing quite a bit and turning from unconventional form.