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)

good reading

multiple narrators good editing good direction. well paced love the story I need four more

Hard to finish - probably better in print,

Simply hard to finish. Story is so disjointed that it makes it difficult to listen to. Probably better in print where you can take it in chunks and re-read if needed. Not terrible - but really tough to finish.

A Masterpiece!

If you could sum up Cloud Atlas in three words, what would they be?

Awesome, unique, thought provoking.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked all six of the stories and they way they were arranged, the first half of five stories with the middle story whole, then the other half of the first five in reverse order.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

All six narrators were brilliant!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Robert Frobisher was my favorite character and his story had a sad ending.

Any additional comments?

My favorite Frobisher quote: “Whoever opined, “Money can’t buy happiness,” obviously had too much of the stuff.”

Brillant

I absolutly loved this book. It was a bit confusing at first, but I couldn't stop listening to it. It was captivating, and beautifully written. The narrators really added alot to the story the were great. The language was so elegant and rich, it will be a hard act to follow.

Amazing story

Amazing, intricate, witty story. Narrators make or break an audiobook - and they really made this one. I've been looking for a good fiction like Cloud Atlas for awhile, glad I finally read this story.

Excellent presentation

The narration is well done. Having different narrators for the main characters helped tie some things together.
However, I found the "everything is connected" theme too wispy for me. I did listen to the whole book.

strange

Not sure what I think. Three of the stories are quite interesting. One (the future) is ok. One, I can't even say what it involves. The writing is excellent. The narration as well, But,in one of the stories, the hillbilly-like accent and odd vocabulary sat ill with me. I had to skip over it to the next story.

Smart

Unwound story exceeds expectations. Want to hear the cloud atlas sextette.
Magnificent writing - phrases and original storyline. Fell in love with each character.

Unique Novel that Entertains from Start to Finish

Purchased Cloud Atlas on a whim, having never heard of David Mitchell and having no idea of the upcoming movie, and supremely glad that I did. The novel, or more accurately, the 6 interrelated short stories had me captivated immediately.

The structure of the book is such that each story appears in chronologic order interrupting, usually abruptly, the story preceding it until climaxing with the sixth story in full. Each story is then revisited and resolved in the reverse sequence to which it had originally appeared. This twist on story telling, which by the author's own admission is either "revolutionary or gimmicky", is a pleasant change from your typical story formats.

Each story is singular in place, time period and voice. From an 1850's merchant vessel in the South Pacific to a post-apocalyptic Hawaiian tribe in the distant future. This allows the book to encompass a variety of genres: historical fiction, pulp fiction, mystery, and science fiction. So, whatever your brand of whiskey is, you're more than apt to be satisfied here.

The author impressively adapts his writing style and dialect to the time periods and genre of each individual story. At first this may present the reader (or listener) with some challenges, but I believe you'll find you adapt quickly. It also allows each narrator to shine - and shine they do! The narration of this book is among the best you'll ever hear with each author bringing their unique skill and style to the table. The end result is not unlike a quilt where each unique patch is weaved together into a cohesive whole.

While the narrative itself is not too complex, there is certainly more going on in this story than meets the eye. Cloud Atlas is not short on layers and meanings. One of the first things I did after finishing this book was look up reviews and analysis from other readers to see if they picked up on subtler plot lines that I may have missed. I really appreciate a book that makes me do this.

In closing, I highly recommend this book. Note that, like most books, there is mature subject matter and some disturbing content. That said, I really enjoyed this book. Go read (or listen) to it before the movie comes out!

Superb!

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

One of my favs!

What other book might you compare Cloud Atlas to and why?

I would compare Cloud Atlas to Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 becuase of its sci-fi flair and excellent characterizations.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

No comment

If you could take any character from Cloud Atlas out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I would take Adam Ewing because of his humanity.