Member Reviews
This book is a very interesting concept. It wasn’t quite for me this time around but I will pick it back up and try again another time as I loved his last book.
For a while I thought this book was headed towards one or two stars for me. There were so many characters and it was hard to follow. It did get interesting for me but only about 70 percent into the book. Overall a decent read, but I think quite a bit could have been cut.
I wanted to like this book so much more than I did as I loved All the Light We Cannot See, but I think it was such a chunkster that I got tired of having to fit all the pieces together. I am usually fine with a sci-fi edge, but I found myself thinking, "Wait! What?" as I was reading and attempting to "connect all the dots." My patience was tested and I ended up skimming a lot near the middle and end of the book. I may return to it later, but the very different timelines were difficult for me to keep interest long enough to become immeshed in the novel. I'll continue to read Doerr's novels as he's an awesome writer; maybe the timing just wasn't right for me!
Cloud Cuckoo Land shifts between five characters. These five characters, connect over hundreds of years through their relationship to a single book.
Konstance, 14, on an interstellar, generational ship. She is laying out on the floor of a large room the scraps of pages that comprise the book.
Anna is an orphan in the 15th century Constantinople we follow her from age 7 to early adolescence. She and her older sister, Maria, work as seamstresses.
Omeir was born in 1439, like Anna, but with a cleft lip and palate.
Seymour does not fit in. He lives with his mother, who struggles to get by on low-wage jobs.
Zeno is a child. He realizes he is gay at an early age. But it is the 1940s in Idaho, and this is simply not allowed.
Anna lived inside a convent, embroidered robes for priests during the day. Having been taught to read, she finds a collection of old books in an abandoned priory, among them the transcript of Cloud Cuckoo Land, which she takes with her when she takes flight from the monastery.
This book was definitely interesting. I wanted to know what was going to happen to each of the characters. It’s beautifully written with characters that felt real. It is an ambitious, imaginative story that drew me in.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Wow. What an amazing book. It reminds me of Cloud Atlas (a coincidence with the "Cloud" titles? I don't know) in that he tells three very different stories set across the centuries and the world/universe, going back and forth between them.
They are well-written and interesting and I find myself wrapped up in the story of a girl in 1400s Constantinople, and then I turn the page and we're back to a library in current day Idaho where some major stuff is going down, and then we're reading about a teenage girl stuck alone in a small compartment on a spaceship in the future. Each story is interesting on its own, and when they started coming together I couldn’t put the book down.
I just finished it and now I am going to read it through immediately a second time. Now that I know the big picture, the whole story, what a joy to read it again and revisit all the small details and see just how he did that. This is a doozy of a book in the best possible way and I recommend it highly.
I am certainly in the minority of readers in that I attempted "Cloud Cuckoo Land" without having first tackled Doerr's "All the Light We Cannot See."
Ultimately, I got 20% into this title before deciding to indefinitely DNF. There were elements of each of the 3 separate worlds and timelines that would capture my interest, but I found the world-building and plot establishment in each of them so slow that I was struggling to retain any of the story as I read on.
This is an absolute doorstop of a book, and so it's quite possible I just needed to push through a bit further to start to really appreciate the story. It's also quite possible I'll revisit this title, but not right now. To readers who are ready and willing to tackle this, I would say be prepared to feel lost for quite awhile. I expected to feel so for about the first 10%, but got too frustrated at 20% to read any further.
*Many thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for providing my advanced review copy of this title*
Once started, I couldn't put this down. When I finally read the last paragraphs, my emergence into the 'real world' felt a shock.
This book was breathtakingly beautiful. Three storylines that were woven together by the thread of a book. I loved each and every one of the characters (although Zeno is who really had my whole heart). I almost set this book down 3 different times. However I trusted Anthony Doerr, and I knew that if I was patient I would see his genius, and I definitely did. This is a slower paced, very character driven novel. There is plot, absolutely. But this book is ALL about the characters. My only complaint was I actually wish it were longer. I wanted more of each storyline. I didn’t get nearly enough time with these phenomenal characters.
Book: Cloud Cuckoo Land
Author: Anthony Doerr
Review:
Overall, I felt this book was okay. It had a lot going on. The writing was beautiful. The pace in the middle of the book was rather slow, but things did pick up in the end.
Although slow going as we are introduced to the multiple characters and timelines, I found myself eventually so entranced with the story. I know I put off reading due to how intimidated I felt at it’s length, but don’t let that deter you as you’re in for a treat!
Thanks so much to Scribner publishing my copy to review!
The beginning was a little slow moving for me, but as I got into the story and had the pleasure of meeting additional characters, I just couldn’t stop reading. This may have been one of the best books I’ve read this year. I would highly recommend it to anyone!
I loved this author’s previous book so I was so excited to read this one! I enjoyed the 3 timelines and the way they intersected, but the book overall fell a little flat for me. It wasn’t quite as epic and emotional as I hoped for but I still enjoyed it. I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
I read "All the LIght We Cannot See" and expected to be blown away. While I liked the book, I found Cloud Cuckoo Land to be more compelling. The various time lines gave a sense of reading a book that covers 3 different genres, historical fiction, literary fiction and fantasy/science fiction. The resolution of the times lines and their connection was satisfying and didn't feel forced, as often happens with these types of linked narratives. And in these times when it can be difficult to focus on long narratives, being able to dip in and read a chapter and not feel you were losing track was comfortable. I will recommend this to any and all readers as it does really offer something to a variety of reading interests.
I had such high hopes for this book and now even after finishing Cloud Cuckoo Land I still have high hopes for it. This novel is one that doesnt come around very often but when it does it leaves you with a sense of questions and deep thoughts. A book for lack of a better term truly changes lives. Thus is the case here. The soul of this book has not left me and will not for a very long time.
As this title has been reviewed by all major journals and thousands of readers, I will simply add that it is a complex and lovingly crafted work of metafiction for fans of Cloud Atlas and the more recently released How High We Go in the Dark. The epic narrative travels from ancient Greece to the future boundaries of the galaxy and interweaves a thread of wonder, adventure, and optimism that connects a fascinating cast of characters and a mysterious and fantastical ancient tome.
3.5 stars I found this all a bit confusing…probably because I was listening to the audio while working/driving, rather than reading it (with my full attention). Despite my distracted mind, I got the gist and this was a well-woven, emotional tale.
CLOUD CUCKOO LAND is a stunning novel about leaving home and finding home. It centers on the supposed lost text of one Antonius Diogenes that follows the adventures of the fool Aethon, who longs to be something other than a fool and is transformed into many different beings. In real time, the text, translated by 86-year-old Zeno Ninis, a library volunteer in Lakeport, Idaho who is working with several fifth graders to create a play based on the tale. Every character in the book is somehow connected to Diogenes's text, from as early as the 15th century siege of Constantinople to a young 21st century girl and her family hurtling through space to find a new and livable world. For all its seeming disjointedness, Doerr has melded these characters into Everyman attempting to deal with the real world problems all humans face: including the destruction of the planet, government unreliability, economic privation, war, plague, and domestic terrorism, to name just a few. Each character is engaging and sympathetiic, and shines for their innocence and purity of purpose. Each time period takes on its own reality. Doerr dedicates his book to librarians everywhere. For, indeed, an imbedded theme in CLOUD CUCKOO LAND is the important role of libraries and librarians, and how storytelling and stories survive over millennia. Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner fora review copy of the book.
at first I thought this was a lot of words going nowhere; however, the more I read the more I liked. Three stories, past, present and future get a little overwhelming to keep straight but it all comes together in the end.
AMAZING!! After reading All The Light We Cannot See I knew I’d have to read everything from this author. Anthony Doerr introduced me to historical fiction and opened a whole new world of must read books for me. 100% recommend! You must read this book!
Cloud Cuckoo Land is a marvel of a book. Set in multiple timelines, the novel focuses on the interconnectedness of storytelling--how a single myth can bring us all together and create a sense of immortality. One storyline is set in Constantinople in the Middle Ages; another is set in modern times; and the third thread takes place several generations in the future. What brings all the characters together is an ancient Greek manuscript that influences their lives.
The most interesting storyline in the book, for me, was the storyline set in 2020. Seymour is a sound-sensitive young boy when he befriends an owl in the woods. When society infringes upon his world, Seymour retaliates by teaming up with a terrorist organization that leads him down a dark path. Seeing the world through Seymour's eyes is disturbing but fascinating, and Doerr's gift with language really stands out here. In fact, the author's narrative prowess is the real star of the book. There are certain passages that made me pause because of their sheer beauty.
Don't be intimidated by the size of the book. There's a lot of blank space on the pages, so it reads very quickly. And you'll be very glad to have spent time with this unorthodox novel.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for my opinions.