September 2012 Book Club: Cloud Atlas

Discussion in 'TMB Book Club' started by Barry Zuckerkorn, Jul 28, 2012.

  1. TC

    TC Peter, 53, from Toxteth
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    I finished it. Twas awesome. One of my favorite novels I've ever read
     
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  2. Celemo

    Celemo tell 'em Steve-Dave
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    :respek: what was your fave storyline?
     
  3. TC

    TC Peter, 53, from Toxteth
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    1. Frobisher
    2. Zachry
    3. Luisa
    4. Ewing
    5. Sonmi
    6. Cavendish

    After Letters from Zedelghem I really could have gone any order. Loved all stories but Frobisher stood out as my absolute fav. I'm on mobile so it's hard to type anything substantive. I do have a slightly different overall take than others on the "reincarnation" theme. Will post more when on a comp
     
  4. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
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    Looking forward to it.

    My favorite Storyline was Zachary, but Frobisher was my favorite character by far. Hilarious.
     
  5. TC

    TC Peter, 53, from Toxteth
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    Well the main thing I disagree with the consensus on is I didn't read the characters as straight up reincarnations of each other. I think the book presented broad themes of things being tied together across time, and things repeating themselves in every age, but I don't think you have to say specifically "this character was a reincarnation of the soul of this character." Maybe the author meant that and I just changed it to fit my beliefs -- reincarnation per se doesn't exist, but karma sorta does and fate does kinda.

    I was also cool with the storylines not tying together any more tightly than they did. The book was mainly about some broad themes. He actually did a better job than most novels at almost explicity spelling out his message a few times, in parts like where Zachry ruminates on the clouds crossing the sky or Adam Ewing resolves himself to his life's mission.

    Finally, maybe my favorite thing about this book was the language itself. Couldn't imagine listening to it on tape like Gin Buckets. You have to be able to read those words to make the connection in your brain. It was so awesome how he shifted styles completely between the different sections. The Frobisher part was my favorite but the language in Ewing's part was awesome, and then the post modern way he fucked around with spellings, vocabulary and dialect in the Sonmi and Zachry parts made the story very rich.
     
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  6. Celemo

    Celemo tell 'em Steve-Dave
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    Yeah I really dug the vocab in the Sonmi chapters
     
  7. TC

    TC Peter, 53, from Toxteth
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    What about some of those SAT words he used in Adam Ewing? I felt smart as shit when I correctly deduced that dendroglyph meant something drawn on a tree (from knowing that dendrochronology is figuring out how old trees are by counting their rings.)

    Also in the Robert Frobisher part when they had parts that were straight up in French with no translation. Understood about half that shit from what I learned in high school :smug:
     
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  8. The Blackfish

    The Blackfish The Fish in Black
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    Thats how I feel about the non translated spanish in McCarthy novels.
     
  9. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
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  10. TC

    TC Peter, 53, from Toxteth
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    I know that was a little cunty but I really did enjoy the words in the Ewing part. It was one of those puzzles that was just at the level that I could figure it out with some thought. The way Frobisher talked was just hilarious. I have already declared several things to be "rich as unicorn blood". Dropped it in the good beer thread yesterday
     
  11. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
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    :respek: I enjoyed it too. I was just fucking around
     
  12. Celemo

    Celemo tell 'em Steve-Dave
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    moi aussi :respek:
     
  13. Gin Buckets

    Gin Buckets Well-Known Member
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    :crossedarms: Hah. In the tape's defense, they did make an effort in the tape to bring each character to life by bringing in 6 different narrators. All 6 are some of the top ones in the field and they all spoke how you'd expect the person to speak while you were reading it. Except Sonmi, she did sound a little robotic, but didn't have much of a Korean accent thank God.
     
  14. TC

    TC Peter, 53, from Toxteth
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    Any of yall watch Breaking Bad? Bill Smoke was like the exact same character as Mike
     
  15. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
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    Cloud Atlas just hit the torrance. Will be watching it this weekend.
     
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  16. Celemo

    Celemo tell 'em Steve-Dave
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    I wish to fucking god I knew how to Torrance movies... :feelsbadman:
     
  17. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
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    It's really not hard. Read the first page of the torrance thread. Tells you all you need to know.
     
  18. Celemo

    Celemo tell 'em Steve-Dave
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  19. The Blackfish

    The Blackfish The Fish in Black
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  20. Gin Buckets

    Gin Buckets Well-Known Member
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    I get chicks friends to DL them and put movies/shows into a dropbox folder for me. Highly recommended.
     
  21. Gin Buckets

    Gin Buckets Well-Known Member
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    I am watching the movie now... What exactly is Marinem looking for? Why is she getting Zachry to show her the top of the mountain.
     
  22. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
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    Im watching with the fam right now. Im the only one that has read it. We are only 5 minutes in, grandma is already lost. My brother "This movies ADD make me look like a rhodes scholar"

    I may keep a running diary of comments. Could be a interesting ride
     
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  23. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
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    Yeah.... Great book, horrid movie. I was the only one that lasted the entire movie. Honestly, if you didnt read the book, I have no idea how you are supposed to know what the fuck is going on. Most of the time when good books are made into shit movies its because the plot veers too away from the book and turns to shit. Not the case here - they stuck pretty darn close. It was the delivery that was shit, and honestly, I dont think there is a good way to do it on film.

    None of the things that made the book great translated into the movie (character development, different dialects, ect)

    I could write a 900 word post tearing it apart, but I dont think anyone wants to read it. This book had no business being turned into a film.
     
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  24. Arkie Proud

    Arkie Proud The Dungeon Master
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    This book had no business being turned into a book.

    :awesomeface:
     
  25. Gin Buckets

    Gin Buckets Well-Known Member
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    I enjoyed the movie :idk:
     
  26. BayouMafia

    BayouMafia Thought Leader in Posting
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    It's a common theme in Mitchell's books for there to be connections across his novels. In fact, I won't spoil it for anyone but a character in Cloud Atlas has a minor but significant role in Black Swan Green.
     
  27. TC

    TC Peter, 53, from Toxteth
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    This book rules. More people should read it
     
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  28. Gin Buckets

    Gin Buckets Well-Known Member
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    4 pages of discussion on this shitty book. The good old days.

    Anyway, I saw that the movie is on Netflix now. I did not enjoy this book, however, I really enjoyed the movie only because I read the book if that makes sense. Debating on taking it for a rewatch.
     
  29. TC

    TC Peter, 53, from Toxteth
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    Dude...you can fuck right off. This is one of my absolute fav books ever. Hopefully you're not basing all this on listening to the audiobook or some shit
     
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  30. TC

    TC Peter, 53, from Toxteth
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    Nevermind, we already had this argument five years ago haha. Still fuck off, this book is GOAT
     
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  31. RonBurgundy

    RonBurgundy Well-Known Member

    To this day one of my least 5 books I've ever attempted to read
     
  32. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
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    This was definitely a love it or hate it book. I dont think many have a neutral opinion on it
     
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  33. Fargin' Icehole

    Fargin' Icehole 50% soulless
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    Just finished and loved it. Need to think on it a bit though to organize my thoughts. I would love see a movie starting at the point of Sonmi's execution and going forward. Not my favorite character but man that world.... As far as the characters, definitely Team Frosh.

    Is the movie worth watching?
     
  34. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
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    It's not great. It's one of those movies that hits most of the plot points, but loses the emotion and soul of the book on film. Damn, that sounds cheesy AF but it's true.

    Felt the same way about The Book Thief and it's movie.
     
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  35. LuPoor

    LuPoor Cuddle with the homies watching Stand By Me
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    I just finished this and now i want to restart it
     
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  36. RonBurgundy

    RonBurgundy Well-Known Member

    Remains in my bottom 5 books I’ve ever tried to read
     
  37. Fargin' Icehole

    Fargin' Icehole 50% soulless
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    Not sure I could reread it but I loved it.
     
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