David Mitchell Appreciation discussion

Anything about this book: thoughts, discussions, ideas, frustrations.

I've just started a re-read of this.

I haven't read any of Mitchell's work. Should I start with Ghostwritten?

I think so. I've done them in chronological order the whole way as they've been published.

I've compared notes with half a dozen or so fellow fans and Ian is the only one I know who has read them chronologically. It probably does make sense to do it that way if you promise yourself that you'll read the complete set. The only danger is if you start with Ghostwritten and feel like it's just a tad uneven or less mature and drop his later work from your list.

Out of curiosity, does anyone rate Ghostwritten in their top 2? I'm not sure that it matters since there's something to be said for saving tasty courses for later in the meal, but I would hate to see anyone leave the table after a first taste that failed to amuse the bouche.

On the other hand, reading in order of publication has the advantage of meeting repeated characters as Mitchell himself had sorted them.

As you can see, I feel strongly both ways. Really, the main point is just to read them and enjoy them however they're served.

Ghostwritten was my second. After re-reading it though, it has gone down a new notches. For some reason Nnumber9Dream rests at my second. I'm working on a review for Ghostwritten right now though. I hope it can help illuminate some of the themes that Mitchell writes about because many are applicable to his other works.

My recollection is that I found Ghostwritten very Murakami-esque, although early in my re-reading I am wondering about analogies with Peter Carey's early short stories.

It was exciting for me to read someone who seemed to relate to Murakami back then. Up until then, I had nobody to share my passion with and this was a hint that there might be others out there (pre-GR).

I would be concerned that it would be a let-down for anyone who doesn't read it first.

The great thing for me has been seeing him develop his own voices (plural).

Ian wrote: "The great thing for me has been seeing him develop his own voices (plural)."

Great point. I noticed some of the voices in GW were important precursors to his later work.

You mention Peter Carey. I've never heard of him. You should add him to the "if you like David Mitchell..." thread and some recommendations for what material you see as parallel to Mitchell's.

Thanks, Stephen.

Let me dwell on this analogy for a bit longer before I assert it too definitively on the other page.

Peter Carey's short stories include "The Fat Man in History" and "War Crimes".

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

You might recognise the names of some of his novels.

He's won two Man Bookers.

His short stories had a futuristic tone with a bit of a factually convincing but weird sense of humour as well.

I know all sci fi and fantasy has to convince, but in his case I would always find myself grinning as well as believing as well as intellectually satisfied.

I lost touch with his fiction when I felt he didn't explore this tone.

Likewise, there is a sense in which David Mitchell has moved on as well, because he is trying to explore so many genres and topics.

There simply isn't enough of him to go around.

My review of Ghostwritten is here:

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

I decided not to make any comments about analogies with Murakami or any other writers.

Despite resemblances, I think his interests and delivery deserve to be assessed on their own terms.

For music lovers, here is a list of the jazz music referred to by Satoru in part 2:


Miles Davis: “It Never Entered My Mind” (Not “You Never Entered My Mind”)
Kenny Burrell: “Stormy Sunday”
Duke Jordan: “Flight to Denmark”
Miles Davis: “Blue in Green”
Billie Holiday: “Lady in Satin”
Chick Corea: not identified
Billie Holiday: "Some Other Spring"
Mal Waldron: “Left Alone”
Duke Pearson: “After the Rain” (also played by Bat Segundo in part 9)
Charlie Parker: “Relaxin’ at Camarillo”, “How Deep is the Ocean?”, “All the Things You Are”, “Out of Nowhere”, “A Night in Tunisia”
Charles Mingus: not identified
Hank Mobley: “A Caddy for Daddy”
Fats Navarro: not identified
Jim Hall and Bill Evans: “Undercurrent”
Keith Jarrett: not identified
Ella Fitzgerald: not identified
Benny Goodman: not identified
Lester Young: “It’s You or No One” (limited edition box set)
Miles Davis: “In a Silent Way”
Duke Ellington: “Take the ‘A’ Train”
Duke Ellington and John Coltrane: “In a Sentimental Mood”
John Hartman: “I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart”
Chet Baker: “My Funny Valentine”
Louis Armstrong: not identified
Herbie Hancock: “Maiden Voyage”

For music lovers, here is a list of the music referred to by Bat Segundo in part 9:

Lou Reed: “Satellite of Love”
Satoru Sonada: “Sakura Sakura (Satoru from part 2 of the novel)
Chet Baker: “It Never Entered My Mind”
Gram Parsons: “In My Hour of Darkness”
Tom Waits: “Downtown train”
Neil Young: “Stringman”
Bob Dylan: “Jokerman”
Barbara Streisand: “Superman”
Bob Dylan: “World Gone Wrong”
Thelonious Monk: “Misterioso”
Milton Nascimento: “Anima”
Joao Gilberto: Saudade Fez Um Samba”
Duke Jordan: “After the Rain” (deliberate authorial mistake, should be Duke Pearson)
Paul Simon: “Still Crazy after All These Years”
Freddy Mercury: “Who Wants to Live Forever?”
Queen: “Bohemian Rhapsody”
The Smiths: “Big Mouth Strikes Again”
Jim Morrison: not identified
Beatles: “Julia”
Tammy Wynette: “Jolene” (deliberate authorial mistake, should be Dolly Parton)
Aretha Franklin: “Say a Little Prayer”
Van Morrison: “The Way Young Lovers Do”
Nanci Griffith: “The Speed of the Sound of Loneliness”
The Pogues: “A Fairytale of New York”
John Lee Hooker: “I Cover the Waterfront”
Byrds: “Wild Mountain Thyme”
Led Zeppelin: “Going to California”
Beatles: “Here Comes the Sun”

David Mitchell has seriously good taste in music.

One reviewer (Guardian) commented that the mistake about "Jolene" revealed a flaw in his knowledge. However, I wonder whether the two mistakes (one of which he didn't pick up) were deliberate, particularly as one was correctly identified in Satoru's part.

Ian wrote: "I decided not to make any comments about analogies with Murakami or any other writers.

Despite rese..."

Was there anything specific that struck you as particularly Murakami-esque in GW?

The first two chapters.

The first is about Quasar.

Even though this chapter ended up being about someone who bombed a subway train, there was something ethereal, other worldly and beautiful about the writing.

It made me think of the colour white, it was so perfect.

The second chapter is about Satoru.

It is overtly Murakami-esque in the way the character is a jazz fan, works in a music store, tells you what he's playing, plays saxophone and falls in love with a girl who he longs for until he meets up with her again.

The publisher also offers to give him free copies of Murakami's translation of some F Scott Fitzgerald short stories (as well as Lord of the Flies and some Garcia Marquez), because he had liked M's translation of "The Great Gatsby".

When we discuss these translation issues, we should always remember that M has translated some great English works into Japanese.

Steve wrote: "I've compared notes with half a dozen or so fellow fans and Ian is the only one I know who has read them chronologically. It probably does make sense to do it that way if you promise yourself that..."

I read Mitchell's books in reverse chronological order (except for Black Swan Green) and I could definitely appreciate how much his work has improved. Unfortunately, I didn't find Ghostwritten and Number9dream as enjoyable, having started with Thousand Autumns and Cloud Atlas.

Casey wrote: "I read Mitchell's books in reverse chronological order (except for Black Swan Green) and I could definitely appreciate how much his work has improved. Unfortunately,..."
I am half-way through with Ghostwritten right now, my second undertaking of Mitchell, and I feel like I am glad I read Cloud Atlas first. CA was so good that I will read all of Mitchell even if one is sour to me, and it is nice to have CA as a reference when organizing my thoughts on Ghostwritten. I am really enjoying it, although not quite as much as Ca, however, it is good to look at a first novel being able to forgive some of the lopsidedness by seeing how far he will go as a writer in just a few short years.

I think _Ghostwritten_ is my second on the Mitchell list (after the superlative _Cloud Atlas_). Not a surprise I guess, since it seems very much like an inital essay into what would later become the major narrative elements, technique and themes of _Cloud Atlas_.

I still haven't read Thousand autumns yet though, so that may change my list.

Terry, I also have not read Thousand Autumns. Do a reading together sometime this summer?

s.penkevich wrote: "Terry, I also have not read Thousand Autumns. Do a reading together sometime this summer?"

Sounds good!

Scott wrote: "Man I'd be tempted to join you two if I didn't own so many unread books. Penk - There are epic scenes in Thousand Autumns.... I am looking forward to the rest of this trilogy!"

It's a trilogy?! Wow, I didn't know that.

Steve wrote: "I've compared notes with half a dozen or so fellow fans and Ian is the only one I know who has read them chronologically. ...

Out of curiosity, does anyone rate Ghostwritten in their top 2? ..."

I've read them all chronologically, shortly after publication. However, this year, I have reread Cloud Atlas and then Ghostwritten. And Ghostwritten remains my favourite Mitchell.

On a reread, I was bowled over by the complexity and links and... everything, really. I've completely rewritten my review, including a list of many of the connections (http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...).