I am so glad I got this as an ARC through netgalley! I loved Doerr's previous book All the Light We Cannot See. I was so excited to get into this one. The blurb made it sound a really cool intersection of sci-fi, fantasy, and historical fiction. However for me, this quality was the book's downfall. There was just way too much going on. The book couldn't decide what it wanted to be, and constantly switching between 6 characters (2 with dual timelines) was exhausting. Not to mention that one of these perspectives was a story within the story. If this book was turned into three separate ones (Anna/Oemir, Seymour/Zeno, and Konstance) it would be perfect.

I really liked the pace of Konstance, Zeno, and Seymour's stories, but Oemir and Anna's were so slow. Half of the book was just them waiting for a war. However just like in All the Light, I loved all the characters and Doerr's writing style still has to be my favorite of any author. It's lyrical, expressive, and evokes a special feeling in me.

This book definitely will only be successful for a very specific type of reader- one who doesn't mind a convoluted read or slow, lyrical writing.

A complete triumph. A literary marvel.

I am in awe of what Doerr has accomplished. Weaving together three separate stories of differing timeframe and genre with one impeccable strand of mythology, Doerr creates something that is both seamless and poignant.

There is good writing. And then there is this. This is in a league of its own.

Doerr’s messages in this masterpiece are both timeless and necessary for the time we are in:
🕰 Humanity is, and always has been, connected through time and across generations. While it often seems that we are small pieces in the grand puzzle, each puzzle piece is necessary to the picture as a whole. And the effects of our role can be felt both singularly and in the plural of society.
📚 Great power and solace is harnessed within literature. As society has struggled through the first pandemic of my lifetime, I have found great comfort in literature. I loved seeing our main characters respond in the same vein. The dedication of this book to all librarians is apt and warranted.

At nearly 700 pages, this book is both an experience and a commitment. Doerr adeptly moves between the differing narratives, POV, and timeframes in short vignettes that are well paced and engaging. That kept me immersed in the novel, allowing me to finish the novel much quicker than anticipated (especially given the chaotic nature of my schedule!).

While I consider this a literary masterpiece, there were portions that became a tad bogged down in detail. And there was one storyline that didn’t resonate with me to the degree of the others. However, those minor shortcomings in no way interfered with my overall enjoyment of the book. To me, this is a work best viewed and critiqued as a whole rather than in the minutiae. Just as paintings often have minor flaws that can be seen up close yet the overall work reveals beauty and perfection, so is true of this novel.

As I sit writing this review, the world feels dark and heavy. The world cycles through grim challenges (war, disease, famine and poverty, disinformation, climate change). As Doerr extrapolates through these stories, it has happened all throughout history, continues now, and will into the future. But through this novel, I am reminded that hope and connectedness are also timeless and ultimately more powerful than whatever grim circumstances we may face.

Thank you Anthony Doerr, Scribner, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book.

One of the best written, most enjoyable and thought-provoking novels EVER! Truly genius using an ancient text to tie together timelines from the 1500s, recent times, and an unspecified future. Characters were strong and likable, settings were well described, and the plotting was amazing. Author has a perfect eye for events that connect the past, present, and future. I almost never reread a book but this novel will be the exception! Thank you, Mr. Doerr, for a fantastic reading experience!

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner Publishing for the ARC to read and review.

Thank you Scribner and Netgalley for an ARC of Cloud Cuckoo Land in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is my first Anthony Doerr book. I have heard many wonderful things about All The Light We Cannot see so I was extremely excited to read this. I tried. I tried my hardest to keep track of all of the characters, time, and location. From the past to the present to the far ahead future. I was just so confused.

I will read other Anthony Doerr books. This one just didn’t do it for me.

I don't know what I expected from this book, but it wasn't there.
Having read Anthony Doerr's "All the light we cannot see", I expected more.
In that book, scenes were painted in such detail and intricacy, I felt I was there.
In this book, I felt jerked around in several times/places. Exactly who the characters were and where and when was confusing. As the book jumped from the future to points in the past, to points in the near-current time period, I completely lost the continuity of each story.
Certainly, the codex ties them all together. I don't want to give any more of the story away.
I gave this book 3 stars because although it was well-written, I would not recommend it.
The book left me feeling disappointed.

I really struggled with this one unfortunately. I loved “All the Light We Cannot See” very much and this was one of the most anticipated books for me this year! I was thrilled to receive an ARC from NetGalley and dove right in. I love multiple storylines,l and POVs. I love non linear books. But this was one did not work for me. I didn’t care about any of the characters. It took me a long time to understand the connection of characters. I almost did not finish this book but was hoping the end would be worth it, but it wasn’t. Sadly, 2 ⭐️s from me- Doerr is a very skilled writer but this fell flat for me

You'll get out of Cloud Cuckoo Land what you put in, so unless you're willing to go all in don't bother. Mr. Doerr's Pulitzer Prize winning novel All The Night We Cannot See was a fictionalized look at the grim reality of Nazi Germany; Cloud Cuckoo Land is a glorious mix of fantasy, idealism, and fate. While Cloud Cuckoo Land has all the hallmarks of a masterpiece-multi dimensional characters, unparalleled writing, and a complex plot (to put it mildly) with gut wrenching tragedy, unrequited love and hard won triumph-there's almost nothing in literary history to compare it to. You might start out thinking Cloud Cuckoo Land is a nonsensical mix of unrelated stories, but how they come together to create a novel that blends the past, present, and future into a spectacular tapestry is simply genius. The English language really doesn't have the words to describe Cloud Cuckoo Land-that what Mr. Doerr has written is ultimately a love letter to books and the people who read them is the most brilliant irony.

I loved All the Light We Cannot See and had a great book discussion of it with friends. Was looking forward to this new book. Indeed, the writing is outstanding. The author has a way with words that is rivaled by no one. However, I found the book confusing in that it is set in the past, present and future. There are a multitude of characters to follow and this led me to lose interest in the book. Jumping from Constantinople to Idaho to the future was just a bit too much. The author has done his research with this novel. It just did not resonate with this reader.

I tried my best while reading this book not to compare it to the other Anthony Doerr book I've read, All the Light We Cannot See, and I think even when I did that, I don't think this book is that great, unfortunately.

The plot is VERY confusing. We switch between two main characters during the fall of Constantinople; two main characters in the present-day (plus their backstories which are told through flashbacks non-linearly); and a character far off in the future. They all end up encountering this story about a man who discovers a world in the sky called Cloud Cuckoo Land. Mind you, all of these stories are told out of order, which, usually I don't mind, but this book just seemed way too overly complicated and unnecessary. I didn't understand why all these stories were crammed into one book and think that the connection with the story about Cloud Cuckoo Land was a weak attempt at linking the stories.

I found myself very perplexed at times while reading and it was difficult to connect to any characters because we were switching between their timelines and the other characters at such a break-neck speed. Even within the stories, there is barely any plot. We kind of just follow these characters for...reasons I can't discern. I can tell you their names and the roles they played, but not much about their actual personalities or who they are as people which is so different from how I felt about ATLWCS.

I do think that the writing was really nice in this book. There's no denying that Anthony Doerr has a way with words, but it just wasn't enough to save the rest of the book.

I know it sounds like I'm bashing on the book, but I gave it three stars because there was a lot of promise with it and there were some sections and pieces that I did genuinely like. I honestly think this book could have been 3 separate companion books; it would have given each story enough time to be really fleshed out, and each one wouldn't feel so fragmented because we'd be able to see the story play out all at once without jumping to the others if that makes any sense. These stories were also so disparate apart from the Cloud Cuckoo Land connection where it would have suited each one better to stand alone in their own book.

So, I didn't hate the book, but I also didn't love it. It's just very middle-of-the-road for me.

I think I'm one of maybe three people in the world who have yet to read Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See. I think the hype just turned me off. I had heard so much about the book that I felt as if I had already read it. After finishing Cloud Cuckoo Land, however, I understand now how wrong I was in thinking that I could possibly understand ATLWCS without having read it because Doerr's writing is what makes his stories. My god, can he write.

Cloud Cuckoo Land is dedicated to "librarians then, now, and in the years to come" and, as a librarian, I can tell you I feel very honored by Doerr's dedication and representation of librarians, both professional and spiritual.

The story follows three different timelines (the "then, now, and in the years to come" mentioned in his dedication). Every setting was so eloquently described that they felt tangible. Every character we follow is so unique and fleshed out and I found myself caring so deeply for them, even the ones who performed despicable actions. Despite their fallacies, I wanted so badly for them to achieve rehabilitation, to become better human beings.

I finished this book like a week ago and have been putting off writing a review in the hopes that time would allow me the opportunity to figure out how to put my thoughts into words. But I find that I still can't coherently describe my feelings towards this book. It has bowled me over that much. Just know that it's incredible and will make you feel all the things and will make you want to run to your local public library immediately.

Thanks to the Publisher and Net Gallery for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
How do I explain this book? First of all the title is awful, in my opinion. It sounds so trite and silly, when the story itself is so big, so vast so full of love and hope, and fear and disappointment. It can’t really be summed up. It about a love of books and a story- a fable really, that that ties so many people together. Its about the past and the future of earth, global warming, and the end of a habitable home. Its about the love of stories and the love of language, and the wonder of bringing a dead language back to life, the words if someone long long gone is reaching out to the readers across the millennium.

There are so many individual stories that at first I had a hard time keeping track and found some more interesting than the others. The boy with the cleft palette who villagers believe to be a demon is conscripted to lay siege to Constantinople in the 1400s, and in that fortress is the orphan girl, who steals books to save her sister. In the 1950s we have a young man who finds love in a POW camp, who in the year 2020 will be the savior of children being held hostage in the library by a domestic terrorist. The terrorist happens to be a thoughtful sensitive boy who finds the mistreatment of of our planet intolerable. And finally a young girl a 100 years from now on an Ark to a new home world that she will never reach. All of these stories are connect by the fable ‘Cloud Cuckoo Land” and only though the peeling back the layers the connection to each is revealed.
Word of advice- make sure you have time to read the last 20% in a single sitting-you wont want to put it down.

Thank you NetGalley, Scribner and Author for this readers ebook copy in return for an honest review!

Omg! I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book and I was blown away.
What a magnificent novel. It’s a character driven novel with an amazing g story!
Doerr has such a beautiful detailed writing skill that is phenomenal..
This book from the first page sucked me straight into this amazing story and I didn't want it to end!
To me that deserves five stars itself!
I enjoyed the multiple timelines and characters.
Overall I am so thrilled I was able to get the chance to read this outstanding novel!

Thanks again NetGalley, Publisher and Author for the chance to read and review this amazing book!
I'll post to my Social media platforms closer to pub date!

Hmm...how to record my thoughts on this one? It feels like a masterpiece; the scope and depth of what Doerr accomplished in this book was incredible. Through 650 pages, he was able to demonstrate that we're all connected - past, present, and future. He created a beautiful storyline and he proved to be, once again, a masterful storyteller. But, I was also really bored. I hate saying that because this is such an epic undertaking, but it failed to capture my attention and I realized that I was forcing myself to finish it. I wanted to love this one - I even expected to given my love for his previous book, All the Light We Cannot See - but ultimately and sadly, I just didn't.

This is a book I may go back and forth on rating as I let it sink in. It’s a long book at over 600 pages and yet I kind of flew threw it.
The story is divided into various time periods from the 1400s through the far future.
We also have many narrators, 5 in all.
At first I really liked Seymores story the most. We learn as a young boy that he has sensory processing issues,
Then there’s Zeno who we meet as a young boy and then ages through to getting drafted to Korea.
Anna and Omiers stories take place in Constantinople in the 1400s.
Plus Konstance, a young girl who is sequestered away with her family in the future.
Each story is bound by an old Greek story that Zeno later works to translate.

This book is so complex and while I struggled with some of the early descriptions of war preparations and such, I couldn’t put this book down.

I’ve seen reviews that say this is a masterpiece and others that say it’s boring and too long. I guess I’m somewhere in between but leaning more towards really enjoying it and seeing how it all comes together. This one definitely won’t be for everyone but I think it’ll strike a cord for a lot of folks.

Thanks #netGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Where to begin. It's rare to have a book I both love and hate. This one qualifies.

I love Anthony Doerr's writing. He's descriptive. His writing can be beautiful. He's imaginative.

But . . . . this book is very hard to follow. There are multiple plot lines running concurrently. There must be 100 characters. I was simply unable to read the first quarter of the book with any level of interest. Had it not been a NetGalley assignment, I'd have put it down . . . . and I never don't finish a book.

Yes, the multiple stories eventually unite. The last half of the book is likely four stars. But that first quarter is barely a one.

Sorry, Anthony. I'm sure you poured months of research and thoughts and planning to make Cloud Cuckoo Land a defining project. You overdid it.

I wanted to love Doerr’s new book… I adored All the Light We Cannot See. I thought it was a tour de force that will be read for generations.. a classic. This newest effort was pre-reviewed and the raves were ecstatic. He weaves together separate story lines and it reads like a short story collection, rather than a novel, at the onset. It takes a few chapters to conceptualize the timelines and the characters. His descriptive language is brilliant. When he invokes a scene, you can see it vividly. Whether he is in Constantinople or the wilds of Bulgaria, the reader is transported. This opus is a very long paean to the written word and its evolution through recorded history… and a very long paean it is! Too long! The disparate characters are linked to some degree by the end but Konstance is left out and it feels unfinished that her narrative is aborted. I so wanted to read and savor this novel but I could not. I felt letdown. I almost gave up reading it at times because my interest flagged. Perhaps he was a bit too ambitious in his attempt to link so many eras and personalities into a smooth flowing literary tome. I was delighted to be offered the advance copy nonetheless. I always delight in reading a sequel to the extraordinary effort of All the Light We Cannot See.

When I heard that Anthony Doerr had a new novel coming out, I was elated. "All The Light We Cannot See" is one of my favorite books. I then read a brief synopsis- three timelines, multiple narrators, historical fiction, sci-fi, greek mytholog, and 650+ pages. It made me pause, but it's Doerr, so I dove in. And reader, it was so worth it. This book does require some patience to become acquainted with the structure and characters.

There are three general time periods in "Cloud Cuckoo Land", and similar to his previous book chapters are short and narrated by different characters. It is a bit more of a learning curve as unlike in his previous book where one had to just keep track of two voices, you have five here. All these characters are connected by a book that details Aethon's journey to become a bird and fly to Cloud Cuckoo Land. We start in the 15th century in Constantinople. Anna, a young woman, lives with her sister in a house of women who embroider clothing for priests. She learns to read and finds and cherishes the book. Omeir is a young man who grows up in the country with his two loyal oxen and he is conscripted to join the sultan's army to invade Constantinople, all while being ostracized and feared due to his cleft lip/palate.

In the present time, we meet Zeno, who is an old man staging a play of Cloud Cuckoo Land at the local library. He was a prisoner of war in Korea, where he fell in love with the Greek language and translates Cloud Cuckoo Land. The dramatic pulse of this timeline is that there is a bomb placed by Seymour, a young troubled man, who wants to make statement about the changing world.

In the last timeline, Konstance lives on a ship that is traveling to another planet and houses all the knowledge in the world, but something does not appear right. She is determined to find out what is happening.

There are a lot of plot points too keep track of, and how all these narratives are connected is not laid out until late, but stick with it. It's worthwhile and emotional. As with any novel with several characters, I found some stories more engaging than others. I especially felt for Zeno and Omeir. I had some reservations with the portrayal of Seymour's mental health and his actions. Doerr's writing is fantastic, as always. His highlighting of the relationship between people and animals was particularly touching. And any book that's main focus is ultimately on the love for books and reading touch my soul. I will be thinking about this one for a while, and cannot wait for what Doerr comes up with next. This was quite the feat!

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner Books for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for honest review.

Whoa Nelly! What a complex, multi-faceted, shoot-for-the-moon novel! I don’t know how Anthony Doerr did it - multiple narratives from multiple time periods - with multiple stories - in a mammoth 650+ page book that, at the last page, left me amazed. I am not (!!!) a magical realism reader and yet I decided, based on Mr Doerr’s previous novel, to hang on and enjoy the ride - and enjoy I did. It’s lovely and poignant and, for me, described the inter-connectivity in all of us - and how beautiful is that? Heartfelt thanks to Scribner for the advanced copy. I’m grateful.

Cloud Cuckoo Land is my new favorite novel. I don't say that lightly.

I loved Doerr's All The Light We Cannot See-adored it in fact. This novel, however, is transcendent.

There are five narrators spanned across centuries and continents: Anna, a young orphan living in Constantinople in 1453 at the time of the siege and sacking of the city; Omeir, a young man from the mountains of Bulgaria in the mid-15th century with a cleft palate who is recruited by the Sultan's armies to conquer Constantinople; Zeno, an elderly, closeted gay man and Korean War veteran in Idaho in 2020 who has never been comfortable in his own skin; Seymour, a poor, young man with a sensory disorder whose heartbreak over the harm done to the environment leads him to do horrible things in 2020; and Konstance, a young woman floating through space to a new world, some year in the future.

One thing ties them together: a long-forgotten novel by an ancient Greek writer about a shepherd who seeks high and low for a fictional paradise in the sky: Cloud Cuckoo Land.

This story is genuinely so beautiful, and it is immaculately written. It's about the threads that tie all of humanity together across time and space, forever burning and searching for life, love, hope, and home. Life is hell, and it's joyous, and it's devastating, and it's hopeful all at the same time. These characters are all so fully-fleshed out that it feels like you have known them forever. Now I'm just sitting here, staring at the screen, thinking about how this novel has just taken up residence in my heart.

Wow! I read this slowly because I wanted to savor a new book by a favorite author, and I'm so glad I did. I got to live in this world for over a month and I'm so sad it's over. Yes, there are a lot of characters and story lines to keep track of, but the way Doerr weaves them is nothing short of brilliant. I was so very moved by this book. Don't let the length or number of story lines deter you, this book is BEAUTIFUL