Cloud Atlas

A Novel

By: David Mitchell

Narrated by: Scott Brick, Cassandra Campbell, Kim Mai Guest, Kirby Heyborne, John Lee, Richard Matthews

Length: 19 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

By the New York Times best-selling author of The Bone Clocks

Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize

A postmodern visionary and one of the leading voices in 21st-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 neo-capitalism has run amok; and, finally, to a post-apocalyptic 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.

List of readers:

• The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing, read by Scott Brick
• Letters from Zedelghem, read by Richard Matthews
• Half-Lives: The First Luisa Rey Mystery, read by Cassandra Campbell
• The Ghastly Ordeal of Timothy Cavendish, read by John Lee
• An Orison of Sonmi-451, read by Kim Mai Guest
• Sloosha’s Crossin’ an’ Ev’rythin’ After, read by Kirby Heyborne

This audiobook is available exclusively as an audio download!

Note to customers: The complicated format of this novel makes it seem that the audio may be cutting off before the end of a story, accompanied by a change in narrator. However, this is the author's intention, so please continue to listen, and the stories will conclude themselves as intended.

©2004 David Mitchell (P)2004 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

• 2005 Audie Award Nominee, Literary Fiction

"[Mitchell's] exuberant, Nabokovian delight in word play; his provocative grapplings with the great unknowables; and most of all his masterful storytelling: all coalesce to make Cloud Atlas an exciting, almost overwhelming masterpiece." ( Washington Times)

"[ Cloud Atlas] glows with a fizzy, dizzy energy, pregnant with possibility and whispering in your ear: listen closely to a story, any story, and you'll hear another story inside it, eager to meet the world." ( The Village Voice)

"A remarkable book....It knits together science fiction, political thriller, and historical pastiche with musical virtuosity and linguistic exuberance: there won't be a bigger, bolder novel next year." ( The Guardian)

Brilliant

I've contemplated listening to this book for quite some time, but was wary because of some negative reviews. I am so glad I took the risk. This may be one of the most brilliantly written and narrated books I've experienced. Even if one doesn't immediately get all the connections between the stories, each one is noteworthy in inself. I found myself thinking back on it long after it was complete. I definitely need a second listen, and look forward to it.

Great narration

Where does Cloud Atlas rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is an interesting book ... I think you either really like or you don't. This is in the top 1/3rd of what I have listened to.

If you’ve listened to books by David Mitchell before, how does this one compare?

This is the first.

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Loved the narration. It really helped with the different stories ... and I particularly like the last segment on Hawaii. Intriguing.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

I have a tough time seeing how a film of this book would work. And based on the previews on TV, I am not confident that it will turn out well.

Any additional comments?

As others have noted, this is actually a series of short stories ... some are connected better than others.

Not difficult to keep track of the characters

I don't know why some reviewers think this is a difficult listen. Maybe they just have too many other things going on while they listen to audiobooks. Focus people! ; )

It's a very entertaining story and I had no trouble following.

Ok, but not really living up to all the hype

Any additional comments?

Just prior to buying this audiobook I bought the hardcover Cloud Atlas. But it turned out it was a different novel, author Callanan. So I listened to this book (nice) and then read the other, wondering if it was in any way inspired by the more famous one. Answer, no. A completely different story, one about WWII and the little hot air balloon bombs sent aloft to the west coast of America by the Japanese as part of their war effort. It's also about some characters who seem soaked in Catch 22 sensibility, a love story involving a clairvoyant Eskimo and choices we all make about life and death. And I must say, I enjoyed it more. Relevance? If like me you've been caught up in the hype about the Mitchell book, it may prove a little disappointing. It certainly has merit and some sections are very strong, but others much less so. Be tolerant if you come on the ride.

A Rich Read

The linked-story structure of the book made it very interesting. It's the type of book that would generate a rich discussion. I'm anxious to recommend it to friends so we can try to figure out connections - what's the meaning of the shared birthmark, how do the stories touch and influence each other, etc. The actors were absolutely splendid, embellishing and enriching the narrative. Truly professional. I found that I was anxious to find excuses to listen to the end of a section. Good read!!

Hard to get a handle on

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No, not because this was that bad but there are many that are better.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

The narrators were very good, definitely a high point for me. Mitchell's use of language and how the narrators used them was impressive.

Could you see Cloud Atlas being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I listened to this knowing the movie was coming out. Haven't seen the movie yet but I am curious to see how it is.

This was an incredible book!! And a great listen!

David Mitchell can seriously write. It's like 6 mini-novelas with the slightest undercurrent of a theme running through all of them. Each story is so unique from the others presented, and so well done, it's hard to imagine that they're all contained in one book. Other reviewers cautioned against trying to listen haphazardly to this one, I think that's sage advice. But I didn't find it difficult to follow as long as I paid attention. It's funny, poignant, serious and intense, all wrapped into one. This is one I will listen to again.

Fascinating read

A thoroughly enjoyable read for me, although I can certainly see that it wouldn't be for everyone. The fact that it spans six genres is, by itself, an aspect of the novel that probably makes it less accessible. And I'll admit that some story arcs were weaker than others. But there are so many outstanding moments as well, and each character has a distinct and memorable voice. The overarching story, in the end, is even greater than the sum of its parts.

As for the audiobook, I couldn't be happier. Performances range from good to outstanding; my favorite is Richard Matthews'.

A Multi-Genre Wonder

It's almost hard to review this as one book seeing as there are six very different stories in this novel. Of course, they are all woven together in the most expert way to develop a narrative that is compelling, unique, funny, touching, and thoughtful.

The Stories: Each of the six stories was fascinating in its own unique way. It was always interesting not just to see how each story would end up for the protagonist, but also how it would weave together with the other five. I rarely ever felt like the book was getting slow, and I was always waiting not-so-patiently to see what would come next. It's even hard to pick a favorite because at any given moment, the one I was listening to was my favorite.

The Narrators: Each brought such a unique spin to their narrative. I think having the separate narrators really added a lot to the book because it really did make it feel like six stories in one. Each narrator was great, and while some were a bit hard to understand at first (esp. Adam Ewing and Zachry), that was more a product of the novel itself than the narrators. And realistically, after a few minutes and finding the perfect listening speed, there were no issues.

Overall, and excellent book for fans of many genres. It is definitely not a book to passively listen to, though. It takes some focus and thoughtfulness to really get the most out of this book.

Engaging Characters and Compelling Storyline

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Definitely. I already have. These six vaguely-intertwining stories travel through time from a pre-"civilized" world to a world civilization has destroyed and then back again. What the protagonists have in common is that they are each breaking new ground - both on personal and societal levels. They are each using a "cloud atlas" to navigate their lives. I think. The readers were all great. The only downside of listening to the recording as opposed to reading the book, is that in the second half of the book, as the order reverses and characters are re-introduced, I couldn't flip back through the pages to review details I didn't remember. Highly recommended as a recording, but keep a paper or screen version nearby.