Ghostwritten

Not a beach read!

I read this book and enjoyed it very much and then read the reviews here and realized I completely missed the reoccuring symbolism and other 'writerly devices.' I read the book just as an interesting book and enjoyed it very much, especially the section set in China, which functions very well as an unique view of the events that have taken place in China's history. I also enjoyed seeing how the characters all inter-related. My only con was that I felt, to truly understand the book deeply, you would have to read it with a fine tooth comb, which would be very well suited for a modern lit college class, but not for reading for enjoyment. I think this would be a more enjoyable book the second time around, but I was not overly tempted to start the book all over again. My rec is to buy this if you want to work through your read, not sleep through it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Don't Plan To Sleep Your Way Through

I'd love to loan this out to my friends, but fear I wouldn't get it back. Fabulous writing. Plotting so tight you're not aware it's happening. Draws on a range of experiences and a depth of knowledge that should be impossible at his age. Perhaps Mr. Mitchell is the reincarnation of a past great writer.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Beyond pigeonholes, beyond comparison, beyond reproach.

This collection of shortstories defies categorisation. The cover reviews talk about cyberpunk, but I have no idea what that means. To me, this a book in an old-fashioned and tried and trusted tradition of great storytelling. Characters are fantastically rich, and the references to Eastern mythology add greatly to this work. A simply tremendous book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Amazing

When I discovered Don Delillo not too long ago with White Noise, I was pleased to find that this great author was not new by any means, only new to me. This meant that there were many other books of his out there that I could look into. Such is not the case with David Mitchell though, as GhostWritten is his first novel (although you wouldn't know it upon reading it). He seems too polished and talented for this to be his first book. I now wish all the books that I read were written by him. I was amazed at just how good this book was, and like AHWOSG by Eggers, it just got better and better the further you read. I loved it and would recommend it to anyone, regardless of tastes.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Insightful and inventive - an amazing read!

Best book I have read in a long time. It's bound to become a classic. As I read chapter after chapter I kept thinking, where does this guy get this stuff from? Totally amazing. Fresh, different and to the point. Right up to the minute. The perfect start to a new millenium. Now on my second read and its even better...

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Pass on this one

The reviews claim this is "gracefully plotted", a "marvelous puzzle", or a "well-crafted relief map". Truly, more like "plodded", a puzzle that's missing pieces, lots of pieces, and a relief map? More like a map to nowhere, and a relief that the book was done! I really was looking forward to finding out what this special destiny was, or how the puzzle would come together. Time to sweep these pieces in a box and recycle...

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Recommended reading

In 2005, I read Cloud Atlas. I enjoyed this book as much - they are really good stories that I did not want to finish. The inter-relationships of the stories are fascinating. I have become a David Mitchell fan.

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