Cloud Chamber: A Novel (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: cloud chamber, sole surviving son, Aunt Edna, Aunt Ida, Mary Agnes (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In this broad and ambitious novel, Michael Dorris demonstrates his gift for crafting the distinct voices of characters in varied settings. His story traces the family history of figures from his stunning first novel, A Yellow Raft in Blue Water, which was itself an intergenerational narrative woven from the stories of three Native American women--daughter, mother, and grandmother. Cloud Chamber begins in Ireland, crosses the Atlantic, and heads west from Kentucky to Montana to Washington State, following the generations. Intermarriage creates a diverse mix of family stories and individual identities. The myths about and courageous actions of ancestors emerge as the shaping forces of family legacy. Dorris is daring in the range of his narrative and successful in casting his characters' deep humanity. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Broadening his canvas and his historical sweep in this memorable and quietly moving novel, Dorris braids the voices and histories of selected members of five generations descended from a raven-haired hellion named Rose Mannion, who flees Ireland for Kentucky. Among her descendants is her great-great-granddaughter Rayona, a half-black and half-Indian girl readers will remember from A Yellow Raft in Blue Water. Dorris's evocative prose gathers strength and clarity as he moves to the second generation and into the rich vein of his multifaceted exploration of what it is to be part of a family. He captures the fierce Irish bitterness of two controlling women: Rose and her daughter-in-law, Bridie, who marries Rose's son Robert even though she's in love with Rose's favorite, Andy. Robert and Bridie's two daughters, Edna and Marcella, who witness their father's financial and physical ruination and must battle TB, which they contract from him, are lifelong safe havens for each other. Marcella falls in love with a black man, but she loses him after they marry, and her son, Elgin, is raised among the white community. A grown Elgin keeps his white family separated from his Indian wife and daughter (Rayona) until after the wife's death. Dorris brings the strands of his narrative together in a deft conclusion?a naming ceremony, in which Rayona takes Rose's name, and in which we see the youngest member tenderly managing three disparate generations and loving them all in her own intrepid way. Thus Dorris provides a moving and persuasive image of a reconciliation for which America still yearns.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Scribner (January 29, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684835355
• ISBN-13: 978-0684835358
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #736,783 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Some questions answered, some forever left..., August 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: CLOUD CHAMBER: A Novel (Hardcover)

When I read "Yellow Raft on Blue Water," I was riveted. I was amazed that a man could capture the spirit of a 16 year old, mixed race girl so seemingly effortlessly, and also so well. Coming away from the novel, my only questions were centered around Rayona's father, Elgin. It seemed to me that if there were reasons for Christine's bizarre behavior, there ought to be some for Elgin's as well. My favorite part of reading "Cloud Chamber" and discovering the roots of Elgin's insecurities. I could feel myself relaxing in my anger for his neglect of his daughter as I read of his own neglect and pain. Elgin remains a mystery to me, but at least some questions were answered. The other characters in the novel ranged from amusing and frustrating, Marcella, to downright infuriating, Rose. However, my all- around favorite remains Rayona, the brave young heroine who inspired me as a neglected misfit in "Yellow Raft." I was struck by the sub! tle change wrought in Rayona's relationship with her maternal grandmother, which seems somewhat less adverserial in "Cloud Chamber." Overall, I find Dorris' sequel somewhat less satisfying than the first installment, but still well worth the read. I mourn for the loss of a talented writer, one I have emulated since first reading about his Rayona.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Family Tapestry, April 26, 2000

By	jeanne-scott (Asan, Guam) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: CLOUD CHAMBER: A Novel (Hardcover)

This novel begins in the late 19th century and follows an Irish "family" from Ireland to the United States. It involves five generations and and the people are very real. Some you can't help but extremely dislike but they are all such an integral part of the development of this family's history. The story progresses in turn by the memories of a single character in each chapter. It is like an old tapestry. At the beginning of it's creation you may not see much that you enjoy, but your need to see the final product pushes you to continue to watch it evolve. The life experiences of this family include betrayal, murder, forbidden love, rejection, forgiveness, faith, and finally an open acceptance of what makes a family a family. At the beginning of this story I felt it was very dark and sad but the writing was so eloquent that it wouldn't let me go. By the end of the book I was so moved, the story was so beautiful,so full of heart and soul, that I realized this was a wonderful novel and could not wait to share it with family and friends. I look forward to reading Yellow Raft in Blue Water. If you do enjoy this book you will also enjoy Plainsong by Kent Haruf!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic. A pastiche family., March 15, 2005

By	Fitzgerald Fan (Royal Oak, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews

This book is truly incredible. Dorris was a brilliant writer and I am only disappointed that I didn't find my way to this book sooner.
In many ways this book reminds me of Ann Marie MacDonald's "Fall On Your Knees" in that it is a family saga that spans over generations. In this case however, the family is a hodgepodge of different origins. Dorris makes the mismatched pieces fit like a glove.
In my opinion, this novel is a very realistic display of family and he in turns displays the tragic ugly side of humanity along with its utter hilariousness.
I've heard that this book serves as both a prequel and sequel to "Blue Raft on Yellow Water." Though I have not had the pleasure of reading that book yet, I can assuredly say that "Cloud Chamber" stands strongly on its own and it is a true joy to experience. I laughed out loud a countless number of times, and was fuming mad an equal number of times. I had much trouble putting it down. The book simply begs to be finished.
Clearly, the point is that we don't get to choose our family, and therefore must simply make the best of it in whatever ways we can. As Dorris shows, sometimes it takes a vivid imagination.
I challenge anyone to read this and not find familiar quirks within their own family structure. As paraphrased by a character in the novel, "Thank God we are not all normal!"