I haven't read any other Doerr book so this book may have tarnished his other books for me. Because this book was convoluted and confusing and a bit irritating. Some of the storylines were very boring and didn't feel like they were necessary to the plot even though I know that Doerr was trying to show the passage of the root story within this book. It was so boring. I liked following Seymour and Konstance's stories best, Seymour's because he had the longest, hardest journey (though a theme between all three storylines was hard lives and being outcasts) and Konstance because it was really jus the most interesting being futuristic and all. But overall, this book was pretty boring and bland and I was disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy. Anthony Doerr’s book, All the Light We Cannot See is one of my favorite books so I was thrilled to read another one of his books. I wanted to love this book but I found it challenging to read. There are several storylines happening at once and it took the majority of the books to understand what was happening. I enjoyed all of the characters and their stories, I just wish it hadn’t been so challenging to follow along.

(Review posted in Goodreads)

Thank you to Scribner and Netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

Cloud Cuckoo Land is one of my most highly anticipated 2021 reads! Anthony Doerr’s last book, Pulitzer prize-winning All the Light We Cannot See, is typically one of the first books I recommend if people ask for a good read. This latest, which releases on September 28, recycles familiar elements of that book and takes them in a more complex and ambitious direction: instead of just two character perspectives, we follow five points of view. Instead of sticking firmly to one time period (WWII), we’re traversing through three: past Constantinople, “present” Idaho, future spaceship.

I wish I could say that I loved this book from beginning to end! Maybe my expectations were just astronomically high. But I found that the middle plodded along too slowly; it took me over a month to make my way through it. Some of the character perspectives were more engrossing than others (Konstance’s was my favorite, since being “at the end” of the timeline, there was an expectation that the rest of the characters’ stories might somehow relate or converge together here mysteriously). Some might find it difficult to follow since Doerr’s transitions from one period to another weren’t always seamless. This is a book that demands patience from its readers, the willingness to wait for the pay-off. And perhaps that is part of the point, mirroring the journeys the characters seem to go through themselves? The commonality between these different perspectives is that they are seemingly linked by an ancient Greek text, an old story about a man who seeks a castle in the sky, a realm of birds who also experiences many missteps and obstacles.

That being said, when the threads do begin to emerge and connections are revealed in the last third, the book reaches the level of poignancy I hoped for. While the execution wasn’t flawless, I can get on board with the book’s exploration of the power of stories to unify us despite our many differences, to comfort and encourage the outsider. I think through the complexity of perspectives woven together over time, the book is able to convey just how astounding it is that these stories even survive through the centuries, echoes from the past that continue long after the original hearers and readers have faded into history. I come back to Doerr for the beautiful sentences he uses to deliver these truths, the lovely miniature portraits he paints through words, and that was no less true in this novel.

I did not enjoy this book at all. I found it way too wordy and very confusing. I stopped reading at 30%.

I struggled with this book. The nonlinear timeline for multiple characters set in the 1400s, modern day, and sci-fi futurism eventually intertwine through a retelling of Aethon, but I struggled with each change of the narrative and never emotionally connected to any of the characters. I'm afraid this one is not a match for me, because the parts are better than the whole. Recommended with reservations due to the nonlinear timeline, multiple storylines, and length of the text (600+ pages).

Advanced copy provided courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I just reviewed Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. #NetGalley

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published September 28, 2021.

For fans of All the Light We Cannot See, consider yourself warned. I should have paid more attention to the book’s summary because looking back, it sounds confusing.

At 640 pages, this was a huge book with so much going on. 5 characters, 3 very different eras and a strange fairy tale that tries to bring it all together.

I definitely enjoyed some characters more than others and it picked up slightly towards the end, but still not enough to give it 3 stars. I’ll be curious to see the reviews when this gets published. I thought it was long and confusing and frequently boring.

Some books I’ll request just because of an author. I don’t even bother reading the description. That was the case when I requested Cloud Cuckoo Land, because of my love of All The Light We Cannot See. So, I was a bit surprised when I started this book and discovered its convoluted premise. It’s got three different story lines, from three different centuries, including the future, and three different places, including an interstellar starship. There are five main characters, two each in the past and present, and one in the future. The synopsis can give you a more complete outline. If you want stories that make sense and move in a linear fashion, this is not for you. This was more like reading multiple short stories that had been cut up and interspersed between each other. Yet… while normally this would have irritated me to no end, I found myself drawn in. I wanted to know what was going to happen to each of them - Anna, Konstance, Zeno, Seymour, Omeir. To be honest, it surprised me to no end. It’s beautifully written with characters that felt real. I could easily envision each scene taking place.
What binds it all together is a weird, historical Greek story called Cloud Cuckoo Land, written by Antonios Diogenes that envisions a shepherd trying to get to a mythical city in the sky. It’s described as “part fairy tale, part fool’s errand, part science-fiction, part utopian satire”. The shepherd is a model of perseverance and the characters of this book, in turn, are the same. Each is faced with hardships but each continues to put one foot in front of the other. It’s a message of hope.
It reminds us of the power of a good story to give meaning to our lives.
You might be put off by the sheer length of the book, 640 pages, but it actually was a quick read.
My thanks to Netgalley and Scribner for an advance copy of this book.

Anthony Doerr does it again, with an elaborate storyline and descriptive narrative that captures the audience. This is the story of three people in three different settings and timelines, seemingly independent of each other but beautifully intertwined in the end.

Cloud Cuckoo Land includes the stories of three people, set in the past, present, and future, and demonstrates how impactful one story can be. Konstance, a fourteen-year-old girl living on an interstellar ship in the future reads this story as an escape and comfort as it was told to her initially by her Father. Zeno, an octogenarian, and Seymour, a teenager, are both living in the present and utilize this story in different ways to pursue their dreams and goals. In the past, Anna and Omier in Constantinople find the manuscript and are set out to protect themselves and the story. Eventually, the connection between the characters and this story is revealed in a way only Anthony Doerr can do.

I gave it four stars because, as with All the Light we Cannot See, I felt it took me a while to get into the story. because I am familiar with Anthony Doerr and his writing, I knew it would be worth it to stick with the reading and I'm so glad I did. However, the initial buildup of characters and stories with constantly changing, short chapters is a style that is challenging for me to build that initial connection with the narrative.

Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC of this book for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for this ARC.

I started Cloud Cuckoo Land with a little concern, not sure of what genre I was diving into. So it was slow for me at first and I had to keep a book log on this one due to the multiple stories and timelines. But having read and loved Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See, I stuck with it and am so glad I did. I enjoyed almost everything about this book. First of all, Doerr is just a brilliant writer. I found myself immersed in the character of the moment and absorbed in their stories. Honestly my least favorite part was Aethon’s story itself.. But overall I found this to be a,solid 4 stars. I truly enjoyed reading this.

Thank you to Netgalley and Scribner for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I adored All the Light We Cannot See, and Doerr hit it way out of the park with this new one, Cloud Cuckoo Land. I adore books that play with structure to tell a story in a new way, and this book is super creative. There are multiple, very different timelines that, from the outset, seem to have absolutely no connection to each other - past, present, and future. We get little snippets from different characters at different times along with a translation of a book of old tales, perhaps the first novel written in Greek. The puzzle is slowly put together - this is a slow burn that goes faster page by page, and the last quarter of the book just flies by. This is a book about storytelling, fate, climate change, love, diversity, and linguistics. I very rarely purchase books for my favorites shelf, but I will be pre-ordering this. 5 stars.

From Pulitzer Prize winning author Anthony Doerr, Cloud Cuckoo Land was everything I imagined it would be - very well written literary fiction that I’d have a hard time getting into. I felt like my head was in Cloud Cuckoo Land for the first bit. This book is hard y’all! But once I got the various characters and settings down in my mind, it got easier to follow.

Doerr is a master at weaving together seemingly unrelated plots that span centuries while developing such vastly different characters.

This book is hard to explain but if you can stick with the 600+ pages, the payoff is worth it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A beautiful, heartbreaking, but also hopeful tale about the power of story to change our lives. Told in the past, the present, and the not-so-distant future, Cloud Cuckoo Land takes a journey to show us how we are more than the sum of our differences.

Fans of Cloud Altas will find themselves similarity transported.

This beautifully written novel gathers together storylines across time and the globe, all connected by a lost book, environmental disaster, war, and the power of a story. Perfect for readers who love David Mitchell.

An intelligent, beautiful book. I know other major reviewers will be writing about this in superlatives; I enjoyed every moment of it and learned things in the process. As always, Doerr's writing is evocative and poetic while still always moving the stories forward.

This book is nothing like I expected. While an interesting read, it takes awhile for everything to come together.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster, and Anthony Doerr for allowing me to read Cloud Cuckoo Land, in an exchange for an honest review.

The story of Aethon, who wishes to fly to a paradise in the sky, effects the past, present, and the future. During the siege of Constantinople, two teens, living on opposite sides of the city wall, read Aethon’s story for entertainment and a means of survival. Five-hundred years later, Zeno’s students are rehearsing Aethon’s story for a play in the library, unaware that Seymour, a challenged person, has hidden a bomb in the stacks. The future finds Konstance alone on a spaceship trying to piece together the story of Aethon, as her father told her. These characters have many adventures which cross each others paths, bringing the story to a satisfying end.

My heart is soaring, as is my imagination after finishing this outstanding book. "Part fairytale, part fools errand, part science fiction, part utopian satire"is the way that Doerr describes the tale within the tale and nothing is closer that that to describe this 600+ page novel. There is literally something for everyone: history, magic, science, nature, literature, classics. This is the type of book that one wishes they could read again and again for the first time.

3.5 stars rounded up - Do not go into this novel thinking it's another ATLWCS. Initially, I was overwhelmed by the length of the book spanning three completely different time periods but as I continued to read it was easy to distinguish each character and the world they live in. The chapters are fairly short so the story unfolds at a good pace. I thought the end was a little bit predictable but it all tied up nicely and made me appreciate the entire book as a whole more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

I've just finished reading Cloud Cuckoo Land and am bursting. Where to begin?! This book follows five seemingly disparate characters - Konstance, Omeir, Anna, Nino, and Seymour - through seemingly disparate time periods and stories. Yes, you may feel disoriented at first, or for a while. No, you should not stop reading. You should sit back, and trust in the magic of Anthony Doerr. This is a book for people who love books, and the power of storytelling. It is about being human, and being flawed. It is about mistakes, love, redemption, regret, and loss. Although that's a lot, it's all perfectly balanced and woven together. You'll finish and want to go back and start again.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the opportunity to review and advanced e-copy of this book. I can't wait to get a physical copy in my hands!

Three stories, past, present and future. Past - in the 15th century, Omeir, a young man torn out of his village with his prize oxen to help in the siege of Constantinople and dreaming of home; and Anna, a girl working in an embroidery workshop within Constantinople and coming to dream of Cloud Cuckoo Land, and mysterious land told of in a damaged Greek manuscript. Present - Zeno, a former Korean war prisoner and amateur translator of the same Greek manuscript of Cloud Cuckoo Land which kept him sane in Korea; and Seymour, apparently an autistic or Asperger's boy who is tormented when his beloved forest and owl are destroyed for a housing development. And future - Konstance is in a spaceship set to colonize another planet. She had been with her family and others, but now is all alone in a vault with the ship's AI, piecing together her father's book as a child, Cloud Cuckoo Land. So each story is about Home and Reaching for the Stars, the constant striving for the safety and goodness of what we have, and the wonder and possibility of what we might have. And in three different times, three different ways of achieving both - together, apart, and within. At least, that's my book report theme, and it took me a long time to work it out, so be grateful.
Not as exquisitely beautiful as All the Light We Cannot See, but still quite rewarding. You will be working on your own interpretation of the meaning for quite some time.
Recommended.