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wander_er's review against another edition
5.0
Brilliant! Nine interconnected stories that are basically happening at the same time. The narrative begins in Okinawa, then treks eastwards, all the way to Ireland. We jump to a different character's mind in each new chapter (much like the disembodied spirit from the Mongolia story), showing how the actions of one person affect the world of the next. Cause and effect. Chance vs fate.
David Mitchell delves headfirst into human nature and leaves you spellbound.
"We're all ghostwriters, my boy. And it's not just our memories. Our actions, too. We all think we're in control of our own lives, but really they're pre-ghostwritten by forces around us."
-- Timothy Cavendish
David Mitchell delves headfirst into human nature and leaves you spellbound.
"We're all ghostwriters, my boy. And it's not just our memories. Our actions, too. We all think we're in control of our own lives, but really they're pre-ghostwritten by forces around us."
-- Timothy Cavendish
josemclr's review against another edition
4.0
ACABO DE TERMINAR MI PRIMER LIBRO DEL AÑO !!! agh, soy tan literato, no me soporto.
Bueno, respecto al libro, lo disfruté más que la primera vez, pero me atasqué horrible en el capítulo de Clear Island, igual estuvo interesante, no sé porqué lo sufrí tanto. Eso sí, le sigo sin entender al final, al rato busco una explicación en Google.
Bueno, respecto al libro, lo disfruté más que la primera vez, pero me atasqué horrible en el capítulo de Clear Island, igual estuvo interesante, no sé porqué lo sufrí tanto. Eso sí, le sigo sin entender al final, al rato busco una explicación en Google.
bethanharcourt's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
I finished this book without fully understanding the purpose of it. I recognise this is an earlier book that the bone clocks and I personally felt that showed as the plot was not as strong. There were still that interconnectedness between stories but less so. It did feel more like I was reading several short stories, and just waiting to see how it all matched up. And honestly I'm still waiting. I liked to the tea shop story and Mo's story, but I wish there had been more of a link between these stories, and more of a final event linking them.
kellemcsweeney's review against another edition
Pretentious, and not compelling writing or characters. I've lived in Japan for 18 years, and visited the other countries he's mentioned, and he's captured it very much as an outsider/gaijin trying to sound cool about exotic locales and cultures. I gave it 200 pages... and that was enough. And I often read 1000 page books. I knew if it wasn't capturing me by then, it was too late. I cut my losses
jess_mango's review against another edition
5.0
A great, unique read in the form of a series of 10 interconnected stories. Each of the stories is told by a different narrator and characters or events from one story make cameo appearances in other stories. In a way it reminded me of another one of my favorite books, Italo Calvino's "If on a Winter's Night a Traveler."
Very creative and well-written!
Very creative and well-written!
bethgarner's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
jesslolsen's review against another edition
2.0
I am so confused. I have no idea why this book has such a cult following.
I saw the links between each of the characters in each chapter (yes, very clever and very well done) but now that I've finished the book, I still feel like I'm missing something. To be honest, the stories got harder and harder to read and enjoy the further on I got. I nearly stopped at the 75% mark, but I persisted, and now I'm left feeling like I've just wasted my time.
So much potential but it was obviously wasted on me.
I saw the links between each of the characters in each chapter (yes, very clever and very well done) but now that I've finished the book, I still feel like I'm missing something. To be honest, the stories got harder and harder to read and enjoy the further on I got. I nearly stopped at the 75% mark, but I persisted, and now I'm left feeling like I've just wasted my time.
So much potential but it was obviously wasted on me.
timna_wyckoff's review against another edition
5.0
Another great book by David Mitchell. I might have to read more :) I just never tire of his creative story-telling and wildly inventive voices. I especially liked the noncorporeal being (David Levithan must have read this before writing "Every Day", right?), the quantum physicist, and strangely, the shock-jock talk radio DJ. Can't wait for book club!
ronan_palmer's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
categj's review against another edition
5.0
David Mitchell's brilliant debut novel, Ghostwritten, is a mesmerizing journey across space and time — an adventure that spans the globe and is told by nine different characters each in their own voice.
At first, I was overwhelmed with the depth of the story — trying to figure everything out, but when I relaxed and focused on the telling — well, I was hooked!
Mitchell's language is beautiful, his characters compelling and the story is a wild ride. This book, subtitled "A novel in nine parts" is narrated in turn by an Okinawan cult-member turned terrorist, a music aficionado in Tokyo; an unscrupulous lawyer working in Hong Kong; an ancient Chinese woman tea shop owner; a disembodied spirit in Mongolia; a beautiful Russian art thief; a writer from London; a brilliant Irish physicist; and a late-night radio talk show host in New York. The author effortlessly connects these narratives through coincidences and chance encounters much like an accomplished juggler deftly adds odd objects to his collection of moving balls without missing a beat.
Reading Ghostwritten was akin to having a vivid, otherworldly dream — the kind that dissipates into a mist upon awakening leaving only wispy impressions of its meaning. A book that invites you to read it again and yet again, each time discovering some new truth.
I recommend this book to book clubs and anyone who enjoys a convoluted, layered tale whose theme is open to interpretation. There is a lot to talk about in this book.
At first, I was overwhelmed with the depth of the story — trying to figure everything out, but when I relaxed and focused on the telling — well, I was hooked!
Mitchell's language is beautiful, his characters compelling and the story is a wild ride. This book, subtitled "A novel in nine parts" is narrated in turn by an Okinawan cult-member turned terrorist, a music aficionado in Tokyo; an unscrupulous lawyer working in Hong Kong; an ancient Chinese woman tea shop owner; a disembodied spirit in Mongolia; a beautiful Russian art thief; a writer from London; a brilliant Irish physicist; and a late-night radio talk show host in New York. The author effortlessly connects these narratives through coincidences and chance encounters much like an accomplished juggler deftly adds odd objects to his collection of moving balls without missing a beat.
Reading Ghostwritten was akin to having a vivid, otherworldly dream — the kind that dissipates into a mist upon awakening leaving only wispy impressions of its meaning. A book that invites you to read it again and yet again, each time discovering some new truth.
I recommend this book to book clubs and anyone who enjoys a convoluted, layered tale whose theme is open to interpretation. There is a lot to talk about in this book.