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The Bone Clocks

Written by: David Mitchell
Narrated by: Jessica Ball, Leon Williams, Colin Mace, Steven Crossley, Laurel Lefkow, Anna Bentinck
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Publisher's Summary

David Mitchell is an eloquent conjurer of interconnected tales, a genre-bending daredevil, and a master prose stylist. His hypnotic new novel, The Bone Clocks, crackles with invention and wit - it is fiction at its most spellbinding and memorable.

Following a scalding row with her mother, 15-year-old Holly Sykes slams the door on her old life. But Holly is no typical teenage runaway: A sensitive child once contacted by voices she knew only as "the radio people", Holly is a lightning rod for psychic phenomena. Now, as she wanders deeper into the English countryside, visions and coincidences reorder her reality until they assume the aura of a nightmare brought to life. For Holly has caught the attention of a cabal of dangerous mystics - and their enemies. But her lost weekend is merely the prelude to a shocking disappearance that leaves her family irrevocably scarred. This unsolved mystery will echo through every decade of Holly's life, affecting all the people Holly loves - even the ones who are not yet born. A Cambridge scholarship boy grooming himself for wealth and influence, a conflicted father who feels alive only while reporting from occupied Iraq, a middle-aged writer mourning his exile from the bestseller list - all have a part to play in this surreal, invisible war on the margins of our world.

From the medieval Swiss Alps to the 19th-century Australian bush, from a hotel in Shanghai to a Manhattan townhouse in the near future, their stories come together in moments of everyday grace and extraordinary wonder. Rich with character and realms of possibility, The Bone Clocks is a kaleidoscopic novel that begs to be taken apart and put back together.

©2014 David Mitchell (P)2014 W.F. Howes
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What listeners say about The Bone Clocks

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Odd

An odd book. Not plot driven, though there’s a connecting line between all the parts. An accurate past to a believable future, though the author gives a lot of unnecessary detail about times and places. Feels a bit indulgent. The first narrator is way too fast, hard to follow.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Coming soon to an apocalypse near you

Let me begin by saying that most of the protagonists are jerks.

This is actually six stories, bound together by a few characters: Two narcissists, an adrenaline junkie, a healer, and a woman.

The author raises our expectations in one part of the novel, only to dash them in the next. Characters depart the scene for no apparent reason except to de-clutter the stage.

Even the climax seems all for naught.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

starts well, but goes downhill fast!

The story is written in 3 major sections, the first part is largely historic and character introduction is excellent, I was impressed by the writing style and character depth, the narration was also excellent. The middle section deals with the plot 'battle', this is poorly thought out and juvenile in the extreme, it went off my recommendation list at this stage point. The final section is miserable, apart from the odd ageing character, it bares no relation to the test of the story and is a dreary pessimistic view on a post apocalyptic world.
i was all set to read more from the author at the start of the book, now I will avoid.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Memorable

I am writing this review about 18 months after reading the book. It's a very good story with great performances from the cast of readers.
My only complaint is the "denouement". Why did Mitchell consider it necessary to add the sad dystopian story at the end of the book.? Up until the climax, the book was great. Would have given it 4.5 out of 5 stars but for the nonsensical conclusion to this very good book. It's worth 4 stars.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Almost perfect.

As far as content goes, my only gripe was the depiction of the Cathars as Satan worshippers which was a shame, given that history describes them as living pretty pure lives Narration accents were inconsistent with the main protagonist, Holly Sykes, going from lower class to upper class and back again, depending on who was narrating. Other than that, I loved the stories within the story and the smart dialogue. So nice to listen to a well written book for a change.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A fantastical narrative of time, love and rebirth.

A wonderful read... where to even begin? Great characters, incredible voice acting, beautiful reflections on love, time and the complex lives we lead.

Each character is so incredibly unique and complex, with such wonderful thoughts and prose.

Loved every single word ;)

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Started Strong

Firstly, the audio volumes of this book are frustrating. The narrators will have a great loud voice for emphasis, but will absolutely drop into a barely audible whisper on the next line, which means I'm either blowing my ears out because it's too loud, or struggling to make out what they're saying because it's too quiet. There is really no in between.
I was engrossed in the story in the first few chapters, but as the story become more convoluted, I found myself completely disconnected with the characters. I thought everything up to and including Crispin's chapter was fantastic. That's when it lost steam. I found myself struggling to pay attention to the Horologist story line, I just didn't care anymore. by the final chapter, I only continued to listen so that I could finish it (I rarely abandon books). I appreciated the regression from advancement in society substory, but it was lost in the weird disjointed fantasy. This book felt like an unfulfilling labyrinth in and of itself.

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1 person found this helpful