Cloud Atlas Review

So I am *still* working my way through the big pile of half-finished books as my New Year's Resolution. The latest was Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, which I finished last week.

All of these half-reads I have struggled to get into, and got bored of them. This was no different, and I actually didn't finish the first character's story (the book is divided into characters and their stories intermingle). Now, I studied English at university, and read classic literature, but sometimes I do find the classics a bit heavy going. I wasn't expecting to open the book and start reading an 19th century diary, which is why I got a bit fed up in the first place (I am also one well known for not trying hard with books and giving up before giving them a proper go). 

So eventually, I picked Cloud Atlas up again and made myself finish Adam Ewing's story. Except it didn't finish - it ended halfway through and there another began. NOW it became a page turner. There are seven characters/stories altogether, and trying to work out why and how they are linked is fascinating. 

There are many twists and turns which leave you yearning to know what's happening, and it really keeps you hooked. 

I also love a book with a good moral, and one that questions the way in which you lead your life. There are many questions about abuse of power and exploitation, and whether one person can make a difference, and it really made me think. With the recent Kony2012 campaign, it is a question that many of us have been asking ourselves; whether we alone can make a difference - and this book explores that. 

I would highly recommend reading this book, and I would highly recommend sticking with it all the way through, as I continued to struggle in places where I couldn't see where any of it was going, but it all unfolded in the end to a page-turning denouement.  

I now want to read more David Mitchell, but I must continue with my half-reads; hopefully it will turn out some more gems. 

Let me know if you have read it, and what you thought of it, or if you have read any other David Mitchell novels that you would recommend. 

xx