But that was the only copy of “Cloud Atlas” to be had at the Munich airport.
So I bought that embarrassing-looking book, and I read it on the plane to Dubai, the plane from Dubai, the plane to Turin, and the plane from Turin. And finished it on the plane back to Moscow.
I do see what the fuss is about. Damn right.
Works like David Mitchell’s are doomed to be lambasted for their sincerity in the age of irony, but they are saved by their profound weirdness and the way in which they engage human irrationality.
Also, Mitchell is not a “writer’s writer.” Thank God.
Natalia A. 
Hi,
– Did you feel embarassed because some of your fellow passangers might think of you as someone reading a kid’s fairytale? ) You can’t be serious. So what can be embarassing about a gaudy cover of someone else’s book? )
These book covers are first and foremost an embarrassment for the publishers – even if it’s a major way to cash in on movie publicity and sell more copies. But as someone who loves the printed word and laments its slow erosion, I’m also embarrassed when I have to spend money on an ugly book.
I feel so pedestrian. I always read the latest John Grisham on a plane.