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Ghostwritten

The extraordinary first novel from the author of Cloud Atlas

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Ghostwritten

By: David Mitchell
Narrated by: Daniel York Loh, Eugenia Low, Grainne Gillis, Lucy Paterson, Sadeo Ueda, Simon Slater, Thomas Judd, Tina Chiang
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About this listen

 **Pre-order UTOPIA AVENUE, the spectacular new novel from David Mitchell.**


Winner of the Mail on Sunday/John Llewellyn Rhys Prize.

A magnificent achievement and an engrossing experience, David Mitchell's first novel announced the arrival of one of the most exciting writers of the twenty-first century.

An apocalyptic cult member carries out a gas attack on a rush-hour metro, but what links him to a jazz buff in downtown Tokyo? Or to a Mongolian gangster, a woman on a holy mountain who talks to a tree, and a late night New York DJ?

Set at the fugitive edges of Asia and Europe, Ghostwritten weaves together a host of characters, their interconnected destinies determined by the inescapable forces of cause and effect.

(P) 2020 Hodder & Stoughton Ltd©1999 David Mitchell Science Fiction Fiction

Critic Reviews

Demands to be read and re-read . . . an astonishing debut
One of the best first novels I've read in a long time . . . I couldn't put it down (A. S. Byatt)
A remarkable novel by a young writer of remarkable talent
The best first novel I have read in ages . . . it beguiles, informs, shocks and captivates (William Boyd)
Mitchell plays one extraordinary riff after another . . . If you want to know what the distinctive literature of the 21st century will look like, begin here (Boyd Tonkin)
Fabulously atmospheric and wryly perceptive . . . a huge new talent
A remarkable first novel
Engaging and engrossing
The most breathtaking debut I've ever read (Sue Perkins)
Gripping and innovative
An extraordinarily assured novel of global reach and millennial ambition
This first novel displays a cool and intelligent virtuosity and an amazingly copious imagination
A brilliantly constructed novel which you must read for yourself . . . truly a masterpiece (Books of the Year)
Tautly plotted and with the page-turning qualities of a thriller, Ghostwritten is an intoxicating read and is in danger of giving the post-modern novel a good name
Astonishingly accomplished
Full of sly and sometimes beautiful surprises . . . worth a dozen of the morally anorexic first novels that regularly come down the pipe. Ghostwritten may conclude with the end of the world, but I, for one, am hoping for more (Daniel Mendelsohn)
A dazzling piece of work
Elegantly composed, gracefully plotted and full of humour . . . It recalls Tolstoy and Dostoevsky in its emotional scope and its ambitions. Like the great Russians, Mitchell makes us feel that more is at stake than individual lives, although it's by individual lives that pain and loss are measured
Mitchell deftly sketches each character to such a compelling extent that you become totally immersed
All stars
Most relevant
Exceptional storytelling by exceptional story tellers. One of David Mitchell’s finest novel is a collection of short stories touching each other across space and time.

Exceptional storytelling

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An amazing web of stories that make you ponder people, life and story telling. This is the second time I have read this book and it won’t be the last.

Brilliant storytelling

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exacerbating grating twee dialogue - for the Irish set chapters particularly, the Australian/NZ accents are also a bit traumatic. I tried to see it as a feature in the same way as the others of his books were entirely simpatico with some bizarre delivery - but I have probably been spoiled by reading/listening to the latter works first. had to drag myself through to the end.

good origins but accents

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I love this book, the way the stories intertwine, the voyeuristic snippets of lives, simple wisdoms and broad themes. I enjoyed all of the readers until the Irish section and the radio d.j. I really struggled to listen to these sections and they do the novel a disservice overall. Otherwise good.

Great story - mostly good performers

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very intriguing, most unusual I personally found it's quirkiness outstanding although it still left me with many a question. Great Work Mr. Mitchell.

never "read" a book like this

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