Books
by David Mitchell
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Black Swan Green |
Covert stammerer and secret poet, 13 year old Jason Taylor is growing up in the deadest village in England, anticipating a stultifying year but he hasn't reckoned with smouldering family discord, a junta of bullies, the Falklands War, a Gypsy invasion, an eccentric old lady or the weird behaviour of creatures called girls. Sometimes funny, sometimes painful, this novel brilliantly evokes the bewildering world of adolescence. It surely must be semi-autobiographical.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 41 August 2007) |
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Cloud Atlas |
Fantastic in all senses of the word, this novel presents glimpses into the stories of six vaguely connected characters, each caught in history and struggling to escape something. The stories range from the eighteenth century (suspiciously like English Passengers - see bwl 20) to the distant future (most interesting) and back again, giving a worrying vision of how things could turn out... It's a bit of a show reel of genres and voices. Very skilful, entertaining and rather long!
(Victoria Grey-Edwards - bwl 30 June 2005) |
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The Bone Clocks |
I have a terrible admission. I found this book impossible to read. I should have been warned, metaphysical thrillers are not my thing but I loved Mitchell's The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet (bwl 57) and enjoyed Black Swan Green (bwl 41), however I struggled with the first section of this new novel, began to feel it might be working and then was completely thrown by the second section. All I wanted was a handy window. Has anyone else read it?
(Jenny Baker - bwl 78 Autumn 2015) |
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The Bone Clocks |
The fantasy subplot with its good vs evil may seem like an odd choice by the author. Personally, though, I quite enjoyed its juxtaposition with the far more morally ambiguous conflicts tackled in each episode of the story. In addition, I found these episodes entertaining as individual character studies, leading to an engaging novel overall.
(Theo Hobson - bwl 80 Spring 2016) |
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The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet |
1799, a young Dutch clerk arriving on the island of Dejima, off the coast of Nagasaki, becomes embroiled in a labyrinthian adventure. I struggled at first with the large cast of characters with their Dutch and Japanese names, but then completely succumbed to this complex tale involving greed, skulduggery, love, duplicity, suspicion, treachery, religion and superstition and was roller-coasted to the end only to slowly read it again to savour all the nuances of Mitchell's dazzling writing.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 57 Summer 2010) |
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The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet |
Jacob tries to survive in the cut-throat atmosphere of Dejima, where the Dutch East India Company is trading with the suspicious, closed Japan of 1799. There are power struggles among both the Dutch and the Japanese and of course the love interest, which leads to a heroic mission and a rather messy ending, especially when the English turn up. It's beautifully written, moving, funny and very clever (and there's a cast list at the end!).
(Victoria Grey-Edwards - bwl 79 Winter 2016) |
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Unruly: A History of England's Kings and Queens |
A history of British monarchy up to Elizabeth, filled with humor and not so much majesty. History without pain or boredom. These people were often quite pious but not very nice. They varied widely in their ability to rule but excelled in killing as needed, or even not needed. A wonderful essay on the greatness of Shakespeare caps off the reign of Elizabeth I. An enjoyable excursion.
(Herb Roselle - bwl 112 Spring 2024) |
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