Cloud Atlas

Cloud Atlas is a book that has been recommended to me by a number of people. I must admit that I started reading it with a little trepidation, was it going to be one of these books that didn't live up to my expectations?

Cloud Atlas follows 6 stories that interlink, spanning a number of centuries and locations. It is hard to write about it without giving away some of the plot, as essentially you are reading six short stories. And that, of course is the ingenuity of the book. As you read these stories you can't help but look out for the links that tie each story together, some more obvious than others. Each character has its own charm, own language and own culture, and each story is as gripping as the previous. You start off in the 18th century, each story progressing in order of time, with the middle of the book (story number 6) being told in full, and then each story is returned to in reverse order. All in all, I really enjoyed this novel and have already passed it one to my mum to read.