The Light I Cannot See meets Cloud Atlas. I tried, I really did. Multiple times. But I just couldn’t get into it. I would be caught up in one story and then poof… I’m no longer there. Everything jumbled up and I found myself rereading to get my head around it. I’m sure many will love this story, but it just wasn’t for me.

***3.5 stars rounded up.*** Every reader has some component of literary style that they detest. For some, it’s an unreliable narrator. For others, it’s multiple storylines. Personally, I can’t stand abrupt endings that leave many unanswered questions. Enter Cloud Cuckoo Land. I have had this book on hold at the library for months awaiting its release. So, when I saw that it was being offered on NetGalley, I was ecstatic. Anthony Doerr is one my favorite authors, and I will read any book that he writes.

The beginning of the book was rough—you not only have multiple story lines, but multiple timelines. You even have two characters with multiple storylines expanding into multiple timelines. Once you wrap your head around the characters, however, you begin to enjoy Doerr’s vibrant storytelling. Omeir and Anna are children living in the 1400s and are eventually brought together through war. Anna takes comfort in a book entitled “Cloud Cuckoo Land,” a lost Greek tale written by a man named Antonius Diogenes for his dying niece (For the purpose of this review, I will write “Cloud Cuckoo Land” in quotes when referring to the Greek tale inside the book, and I will write Cloud Cuckoo Land in italics when referring to Doerr’s book). The tale of “Cloud Cuckoo Land” is told throughout Doerr’s book and relays the story a shepherd who “lived 80 years a man, 1 year a donkey, 1 year a sea bass, and one year a crow.” Excerpts from the tale are written at the beginning of each shift in timeline.

After meeting Omeir and Anna in Constantinople, we are transported to the 1940s & 50s. We are introduced to Zeno, a boy-turned-man who develops an unrequited love for his buddy, Rex, in the Korean War. While trapped in a POW camp, Rex teaches Zeno Latin. Zeno later uses Rex’s teachings when he discovers “Cloud Cuckoo Land” and begins to translate it.

Next, we move to the year 2014 where we meet Seymour, a young boy with autistic tendencies living with his mother in a double-wide trailer. Seymour develops a love for owls, which makes him begin to research environmentalism. Unsatisfied that his classmates don’t seem alarmed by the state of the climate, Seymour begins watching an extreme-left environmental “prophet,” which eventually leads to his radicalization into ecoterrorism. We meet both Zeno and Seymour again in 2020 when Seymour acts upon his radicalization for the first time.

Finally, we are transported to “Mission Year 65,” which is sometime around the year 2146. Konstance is a preteen girl on a spaceship bound for another planet after all humankind flees Earth due to climate destruction. Like most of the ship’s inhabitants, she was born onboard and has never seen land. Her father, one of the few remaining people on the ship who can remember Earth, often entertains her with the tales from “Cloud Cuckoo Land,” one of his favorite books as a boy. However, Konstance soon finds herself in a precarious position that makes her question everything she knows.

Yes, this book has a lot going on. However, each story is written with vibrant details that make the characters come alive. I did not struggle with following the storylines after the first few timeline shifts, although I did question how they intersected for the majority of the book. Konstance’s tale in particular seemed out-of-place. However, Doerr DOES weave the characters together beautifully in the end. I was fully prepared to give Cloud Cuckoo Land 5 stars….until the last 5% of the book.

Like I mentioned before, I can’t stand abrupt endings that leave many unanswered questions. After trudging through all 600+ pages of Cloud Cuckoo Land and becoming emotionally attached to each character, I was anticipating the moment where I discovered how their stories ended. I felt like Doerr did Zeno, Seymour, Omeir, and Anna justice. However, Konstance, whose tale became more mysterious as the book progressed, had a very unsatisfying ending. There was little closure in her story, and the reader is left asking, “Why?” What happened to Konstance has been bothering me for days.

All in all, this is a well-written, yet eccentric, book. It combines the genres of historical fiction, thriller, and sci-fi across multiple storylines. However, you may, like me, leave with unresolved feelings that are hard to shake.

Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for the book in exchange for my honest review.

More of an Overstory vibe than All The Light We Cannot See but also more hope. Slow, intricate build and then it opens up so beautifully.

👍🏻👍🏻

DNF - Did not finish. I decided not to keep reading this title because I’d did not connect with the writing or plot. Thank you, NetGalley and publisher for the early copy!

All the Light We Cannot See is one of my favorite books, so even though I knew the subject matter would be very different, Cloud Cuckoo Land had a lot to live up to. And did it ever. This book is really three in one and the fact that Doerr was able to weave these three stories together in one book is nothing short of testament to his writing genius. The three stories, told during time settings so different that they may as well have taken place in different worlds, are woven together, if not seamlessly, poetically and logically at the same time. The story of Anna in Constantinople during the mid 1400’s has some strong Aria from Game of Thrones vibes. The present day stories of Zeno and Seymour are foreshadowed to break your heart right from the beginning and the story of Konstance in the future is just vague enough to keep you interested without frustration. I did struggle in the beginning while these three distinct voices were showing themselves but once I passed that hurdle I could not put this book down. The dedication “for librarians the , now and in the years to come” gave me a lump in my throat. This book is a story for readers who love stories, big, rambling saga types of stories. Don’t expect a chronological or linear type of story and be prepared to shift from those three different time settings frequently and sometimes abruptly. If you decide to read it please be sure to read at least 40 pages before deciding whether to continue, I acknowledge the beginning is a bit rough but if you stick with you will be greatly rewarded with a genius of a novel. **thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ebook in exchange for an honest review**

I wasn't sure if it was possible for me to like a book more than I liked All The Light We Cannot See, but Cloud Cuckoo Land may have done it. Doerr is a master at pushing and pulling on a dozen different storylines such that they eventually converge into one beautiful chord, with no stray notes along the way. I was captivated by each protagonist and their immediate stories, but the task of imagining how they were all connected to each other kept my brain churning such that I just couldn't put it down. Cloud Cuckoo Land is such an immersive story, one that left me missing the characters and the experience of reading the book as soon as I was finished. It definitely stands in the top three books I've read this year.

Another great book by Anthony Doerr! This story is told from multiple POVs. The storylines are from different times and it was interesting to see how they would come together. The characters are very well developed. I would recommend not to take a break for too long while reading the book as I had to, as it made it hard to follow the various storylines and characters when I resumed reading. That being said, I truly enjoyed the book and would recommend it to others. Happy reading!

First, a disclaimer: I received this ebook in advance of publication in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own opinions. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book.

If I could give this book MORE than 5 stars, I would. I am so grateful that I got to read it early on my Kindle, but there is no doubt in my mind that I will want this book on my shelf. I am itching already to reread it and annotate throughout. This was just beautiful. I absolutely LOVED it.

CAWPILE Score: 68
Star Rating: 5
Pages: 640
Read on EBook

Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr.
In true Anthony Doerr style, Cloud Cuckoo Land is brilliant! A masterfully written story that flawlessly entwines three unique time periods held together by an ancient fictional masterpiece. A mixture of historical fiction, realistic fiction, and science fiction covering many topics from war, climate change, and relationships. Jumping between the 1400s, present-day, and future, Doerr makes all three engaging and relevant. A book I won't forget!

Do you like libraries, librarians, books and precocious children? Who am I kidding, of course you do! You will love this book- it checks all the boxes. Intricate plotting with big themes incl the importance of literature on a personal and cultural scale,climate change, nature & coming of age. Short chapters w alternating POV move the narrative along briskly. Moving from the fall of Constantinople to the future sounds like a grandiose epic but because it is told through children (much like Doerr did with All the Light We Cannot See) it is brought down to earth and is relatable.

I loved All the Light We Cannot See, I started this book wondering if it could live up to that. At first it did not, but as I put my bias and love for All the Light aside, and read this book for what it was the story won me over. It is a compelling narrative, covering many different time periods, many different areas of this planet and beyond. In the end it all comes together, the story of the ancient text resonates with all and goes on….

I absolutely loved All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr, and was not sure what to expect from his new novel with the name, Cloud Cuckoo Land. The story was beautifully written with fully developed characters who come alive. This novel may not be for all, as it does skip back and forth between times and characters, but if you hang in there, you will read a novel like one you have never read before!
The story revolves around characters in the fifteenth century Constantinople, modern day Idaho, and on a space vehicle in the future. Anna lives inside the walls of Constantinople, and Omeir who lives outside the same walls, will cross paths. They both will be impacted by the story of a shepherd named Aethon who desires to become a bird and live in a perfect world. Zeno, a war veteran in his eighties who lives in Idaho, discovers the same preserved Greek story, and translates it into English. Zeno enlists five children to help him adapt the story into a play, but Seymour, a troubled individual will alter the outcome. Konstance, a young girl ensconced in a vault on a spaceship has always been enchanted by the story her father had told her of Aethon and is determined to find the written story in the virtual library.
I enjoyed this novel and am glad I read it. I loved the way all the stories tied together with some twists in the end. Doerr dedicated it to all librarians in the past, present, and future, symbolic of this beautiful, feel-good story.

Thank you to Anthony Doerr, NetGalley and Scribner for the opportunity to read and review this book before publishing. All opinions are my own!

I have to admit, I had a hard time with this one for the majority of it. I was surprised by this, as I adored All The Light We Cannot See by Doerr so much. In this book, it at times felt like he was doing too much. However, the ending saved it.

This book follows multiple timelines, including one in 1400s Constantinople, present day Idaho (and a bit of past Idaho leading up to it), and a future timeline where a group of humans are hustling through space seeking a new home planet after Earth has fallen apart due to climate change going unattended to.

This book will definitely give some serious perspective on why we need to get more realistic about the impacts of climate change on our planets future. This was really hard hitting and frightening, as well as incredibly timely and important. I did adore this aspect of the book.

Some of the timelines were less interesting than others. I definitely didn’t need as much of the lead up to Constantinople’s fall, from either of the characters we were following. Seymour and Zeno’s chapters were wonderful and engaging, and you really followed and understood both of their motivations and values. Konstance, in the future, was likely my favorite part. She was like able and relatable and you definitely found yourself rooting for her.

Ultimately, my difficulty with this book ended up with it feeling like it was doing too much. I could see a lot of people quitting this book for that reason. It’s science fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, so many things. The last 25% was wonderful, and I enjoyed it very much. This book could have been much shorter, I think. And Doerr was tackling a lot of things all at once, and I’m not sure many (if any) authors could really do that justice. I’m impressed with how well he did accomplish this, despite everything. Additionally, I do adore Doerr’s writing style. It’s moving and poetic and full of imagery. This is awesome if it is a style that suits you, but I could also see it slowing down the story further for some. Ultimately, I’m giving this book 3 stars.

After reading "All The Light We Cannot See," I was looking forward to reading Anthony Doerr's new book. This new book is so different than his last one. It takes place during three different time periods and wanders through the three periods throughout the book. It took me some time to grasp the flow of the book and to understand the connection between the time periods. All in all, I did like the book primarily because it is about books!

Feels like an epic novel. Can't wait to discuss it with someone else. A serious but very compelling read. The character development was really wonderful.

This book began as an utter delight and if it was just the writing and the characters and the plot, it would be a 5-star review. But this book is not more than the sum of its parts. It was just too long. It is an ambitious undertaking that spans all of time and the future. The conceit, that everything for all time is connected is played out in such a sophisticated way. I cared deeply about the characters and wanted to know their fates, but it just took a bit too long to get there. I felt the same way about The Goldfinch. Just a bit too much of a really good thing.

Love the concept of the book and the characters were great.
The only draw back for me was the story jumps from past, present, future from the different characters perspectives. It takes a bit to keep it all straight. I've read many books like this and enjoy the different story lines, this one took a bit more concentration. Once I got everything down, loved the story.
Overall a great read.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was so excited to have the opportunity to read Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. Doerr, author of the Pulitzer Prize winning All the Light We Cannot See, never fails to beautifully craft a story. I've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of this novel for several years now. The book is dedicated to, "the librarians then, now, and in the years to come," because they are the stewards of knowledge, helping to ensure that knowledge, even if only piece of it are passed on each generation. There is no doubt that this book is a love letter to reading, writing, and the intrepid folks that painstakingly stored and passed on manuscripts. There is a love of the written word that permeates the entire novel and is apparent in each of the very different character sections.

Cuckoo certainly feels like a novel of the pandemic. As a historian, one of the things that I love to look at, is the contemporary literature that stems from major world events. The Decameron by Bocaccio perfectly encapsulates the horror of the Black Death, Pale Horse, Pale Rider by Katherine Anne Porter is about the all encompassing grief of losing a loved one and surviving the 1918 flu pandemic, and there are numerous examples of authors responding to war. Cloud Cuckoo will likely be one of the examples of that for the Covid-19. Each of the characters is undergoing some sort of siege and the claustrophobia waxes and wanes in a way that feels all too familiar in this moment. It's one of the most impressive aspects of an already impressive story.

There are two things that are likely going to hinder some readers. The first is simply the length of the book. While I never felt like it was too long, it is a hefty read, and one that requires attention. The second is the changing protagonists and varied timelines. Much like Maggie Shipstead's Great Circle (keep an eye out for an upcoming review!), the jumping timeline will be a hurdle. The one benefit, in my opinion, is that each time period is very distinct. It felt like Doerr recognized the challenge of having a variety of voices and chose to keep the voices distinct with the change in style as the timeline changed.

All that to say, I adored this book and really savored the moments that I had with it. Once it was done, I had a serious book hangover because it hit all the right spots for me.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Scribner for allowing me early access in exchange for an honest review. Cloud Cuckoo Land is available September 28, 2021 at a bookshop near you!

When I was given the opportunity to read the ARC #CloudCuckooLand by Scribner and Net Galley I was excited to read another book by Doerr. I have not been disappointed. It took me a few pages to sort out the stories and the connections but when I got it I could not stop reading. Special characters. Konstance, Zeno, Omeir, Anna and even Seymour warmed my heart. Their stories are intertwined by an ancient script written by Diogenes. Cloud Cuckoo Land. The stories are set in Constantinople, Idaho and Outer Space. Their lives are lived through time. #AnthonyDoerr #CloudCuckooLand #netgalley #Scribner

Cloud Cuckoo Land is just that…cuckoo. While the concept is gorgeous and imaginative, the story needs to be organized better. I can respect seeing the story unfold from the viewpoint of various characters, but repeatedly going into the past, present, and future thru the guise of different characters gets confusing. I feel like this book requires a re-read because you have to know how the characters connect to fully understand the plot. I think it would be easier to follow the story if it were separated into parts. For example: Part 1=present, Part 2=future, and Part 3=past. That way, you still get the grand reveal, but it is easier to follow the individual storylines.