R-E-A-D-A-B-O-O-K discussion

Cloud Atlas just came in the mail! I'm finishing another book I started right after the Giver but then I'm jumping right in. Has anyone started? How are you liking it?

Adam Ewing: At first, I found him almost impossible to read but eventually became engrossed in the story. The history of the Maori vs Moriori was horrifying yet so interesting. [If we ever have Genocide month- this might be my pick!]

Robert Frobisher: Pretty much hated this guy to the end. Perhaps someone more musically oriented would find him poetic but I just found him irritating. Tons of references I didn't understand and way too much French that I was too lazy to translate, honestly.

Luisa Rey: Never thought I would find her story as fascinating as I did but I fear it did become a bit predictable at the end. A typical good guys vs. bad guys situation where everyone dies? I've seen this before...

Timothy Cavendish: Similar to Frobisher, I couldn't stand Mr. Cavendish. He was so pompous and just not fun to read about. His story seemed a bit far fetched but I was totally not expecting it. How it was supposed to be made into a movie on its own though, beyond me. Yawn.

Somni-451: Literally could not put the book down during her two segments. I'm normally all about history and stay as far away from the future as possible but it was so thrilling. I started to get emotional at the end of her tale. Loved every second.

Zachry Bailey: It was quite near impossible to get through this long middle section. The writing gave me such a headache- I wasn't sure what kind of accent I was supposed to be reading it in, if an accent at all and not just an uneducated mop. I did like the made up religion of Sonmi and Old Georgie though, Old Georgie sure freaked me out. Maybe I liked him the least because he was the only one of the six who wasn't a reincarnation of the others? Who knows.

In general.... I loved how everything connected, how all the pieces fell into place towards the end. It was beautiful and I really ended up loving the book.

Ambitious and of a scope that you'd think would have just fallen flat or else come across as contrived, but this one is inventive, fun, effectively capturing the essences of multiple genres of fiction and their many tones while delivering narratives spoken with genuine voices and characters. Brilliant read- engrossing and satisfying.