Anthony Doerr does it again! This book had everything: Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, Contemporary Fiction all in one. It certainly was not a fast read. I had to read slowly to really take it all in all of the beautiful language and the intricacies of all of the characters and their stories. The story centers around 5 main characters and three time periods, Constantinople during the fifteenth century, present day Idaho and on a spaceship decades in the future. These characters are ones I think I will always remember just like Marie-Laure and Werner from his previous Pulitzer winning novel, All the Light You Cannot See. Even though there were 5 main characters in this book, they were so well developed I felt like I knew all of them so distinctly. At times, the switching of time periods and characters got a little confusing, but not to the point where it detracted from the story. When the story switched it left me always anxious to return to the previous characters to find out what happened with them. I loved how all of the stories of the various characters connect in the end and are all tied to a fabled Greek Myth.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an an ARC of this book.

Some books take you on a journey from the first page til the last! This story blends the past, present and future into a brilliant kaleidoscope of connection. This is a book that everyone should read.

WOW!
Dedicated to “the librarians then, now, and in the years to come,” - LOVE THIS.
I’m in complete awe. And left with the word: Hope. Def recommend this to everyone!

Thank you so much NetGalley for allowing me to read an early release of Cloud Cuckoo Land! I’m a huge fan of All The Light We Cannot See, so I was ecstatic to receive this!

I may run out of superlatives on this one. Anthony Doerr is a genius. I honestly think Cloud Cuckoo Land might surpass All the Light We Cannot See, one of my all time favorite reads. Cloud Cuckoo is not only genre-bending, but succeeds in its ambitious premise in brilliant prose that must be savored. Doerr weaves a gorgeous tapestry with unforgettable characters in such a fresh and surprising way that I’m in awe! I’m afraid if I go on I’ll accidentally give something away, so I’m going to end with this: if you’re a lover of All the Light, get your hands on this book immediately. Thank you so much to Netgalley and Scribner for the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader copy, in exchange for an honest review!

I loved Doerr's previous book All the Light We Cannot See but looking back at my notes, I really struggled while reading it. His style is very literary, which is to say more difficult for me to read. This new book, Cloud Cuckoo Land, is the same very literary style but with no solid storyline reward. It is all over the place and difficult to follow. Cuckoo is an apt word for it. I hope this book finds it's audience but it is not for me.

Cloud Cuckoo Land is another beautifully written novel by the modern day literary master Anthony Doerr. We are going through five point of views. The premise of this book was so unique and in a subject that I have not read on before.

Loved All the Light We Cannot See. Cloud Cuckoo Land ... not so much. The plot reaches for heights it cannot grasp, and comes off contrived. Still, it keeps the reader engaged if for no other reason than to see where it is going to end up. Several characters are also engaging, Omeir and Anna in particular. If you have some time on your hands and are looking for something a bit off the wall, this may fill the bill for you. If you are looking for a book you will finish with a sigh of satisfaction, you might want to move on.

I wasn't sure what to expect from a book entitled 'Cloud Cuckoo Land'. It's such a frivolous name but 'All the Light We Cannot See', Anthony Doerr's previous book, got such resounding acclaim who could pass up the opportunity to review this one. Then I noticed it's 640 pgs and nearly swooned. My love of thick books is well documented. The writing is so impressive that I literally got a third of the way through and went immediately to preorder a copy.

'Cloud Cuckoo Land' is a moving series of stories about the resilience of children, the harsh realities that face every generation (war, trauma, disease, abuse, death) and hope that can overcome hardships. We follow the thread of one story/play throughout all these characters lives. It proves what we readers already know, that the magic of a good story/book is sometimes the best medicine. I don't know whether to call this historical fiction, Sci fi/fantasy or a contemporary masterpiece because it is all of these. It was quite simply an excellent piece of literature and very worthy of buying in my opinion. I can't recommend it enough. The only things I can caution you about are the multiple narrators and nonlinear timeline. However, the chapters are pleasantly short and well titled, so I didn't find it confusing at all. Trigger warning for animal cruelty during a time of war. Anthony Doerr's writing is superb, beautiful and at times heart-rending. This a book with a powerful message that will stay with you.

Never have I read a book that has managed to take my emotions through so many different levels. What begins as sadness and hopelessness moves to joy and hope. We see how the connection to an ancient text transcends the past, present, and, future. It takes us down a path and through a forest and deposits us in a sea of stars. I cannot wait to read it again and to catch what I missed during my first read!!!

This book may end up being my favorite of the year. I was hesitant to pick it up because I LOVED "All the Light We Cannot See" and was worried that this new book would not meet my expectations. While it is a very different book and I can't say that everyone that loved "All the Light..." will love this one too, it was perfect for me. I really enjoy reading books that have multiple story lines in different time periods with story threads that come together by the end. Plus, the way Anthony Doerr writes is amazing -- so much talent. I will be recommending and gushing about this book for a very long time.

The writing in this book is really beautiful. Never have I been so aware of how using lists in writing can play with time and build tension. However, there is SO MUCH sadness at the beginning of the novel, and timing-wise it isn't a great fit for me at this moment. I look forward to returning to it in the future!

Doerr's latest novel is not only ambitious but pleasurable. If I were teaching a YA lit class, I'd probably pick this novel because I think high school students would enjoy it a great deal. This novel takes place over many centuries in many countries and is connected by the title of our novel. To some degree, it's a bit of a mystery how it all connects, and we read along assuming we will see the connections more clearly through the chapters, which we do. Much of the book revolves around showing appreciation for librarians.

At times, I found myself speed-reading over sections because I was more interested in some characters more than others. Maybe I was just impatient. I was most interested in Seymour and Zeno, even though Zeno's visit to reconnect with the POW friend was a bit of a let down. Seymour and his mother were more interesting, mainly because they were the most contemporary characters and their experiences seemed the most relatable.

Overall, this is an enjoyable novel that provides readers with a glimpse into different cultures, historically and in futuristically, and shows how we are connected by mysterious threads.

Anthony Doerr is one of our best contemporary writers. All the Light We Cannot See is one of my favorite modern day works, and I’ve waited seven years in anticipation of his next novel. Doerr’s creativity shines through in Cloud Cuckoo Land, which is more complex than ATLWCS. In this novel, Doerr employs a fictional ancient Greek text to connect five people across three different time periods. At times, it can be a lot to take in, but Doerr writes it very well.

Ultimately, I grew to love all of the characters and their stories, and I became deeply invested in everyone’s outcome. The last third of the book is stupendous, as Doerr melds the timelines and plotlines to connect the characters to each other. All of the characters know and come to love the ancient Greek text in some way. Doerr dedicates this book to “the librarians then, now, and in the years to come,” and his dedication rings true throughout the novel in the ways he regards the stewardship of knowledge through books over time and the important role librarians play in that process.

This novel is long – 640 pages – and each story is its own genre: historical fiction, contemporary fiction, and science fiction. The novel is complex, nuanced, and very different from ATLWCS. Particularly in the middle third of the novel, you have to let go, keep reading, and trust that Doerr will get you where you need to go (he does). I don’t mind any of that – in fact, I think it’s all the signs of a great writer – but some people will not enjoy it. Those of you who do enjoy this type of novel: preorder this one now. I cannot wait to reread my physical copy when it appears on my doorstep in next month.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an ebook ARC of this novel.
Publication date: September 28, 2021

This book was so engaging, beautiful, disturbing, and wonderful. I would have expected nothing less from the author of All the Light We Cannot See, and I can see that I was right to believe this.

The story is centered around a manuscript by Diogenes that is previously unknown, and the various characters interact with it throughout history, from the siege of Constantinople, to the near future when earth has become uninhabitable. Much like Doerr’s previous works, this book weaves different stories together and creates a beautiful tapestry of meaning surrounding this interesting and unconventional writing. The allegory of the story itself is not lost of me, and the idea of leaving earth to return to the stars is something we see very clearly in our daily life right now with various billionaires trying to reach space. Is this story that far from the truth?

The main stories that are interwoven are the story of Omeir, a young Turkish boy who is born with a cleft palate and is raised as a farmer. His story very delicately becomes interwoven with the story of Anna, who lives in Constantinople and comes to guard the book, Cloud Cuckoo Land. We are also introduced to Zeno, raised in Idaho, who becomes a prisoner of war in Korea and becomes familiarized with the book as well throughout his life.

There are so many different nuances to this book that I hesitate to tell all of them, because I think you should definitely read it for yourself and find out how they all become related. A masterpiece once again.

This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

Disappointing read. Set in multiple timelines, I found the storylines and characters confusing and hard to follow.

2 ☆

Anthony Doerr dazzles with his command of language, plot, and character. Cloud Cuckoo Land begins with a bomb in a backpack in a library with the wonderful Zeno and several children acting out a play upstairs with no idea how their lives are about to change. As the story zinged from Idaho to space to Constantinople, I couldn't stop thinking about those kids and that bomb. Doerr made me care from page one and that in itself is a feat, but that's not the thing I loved most about Cloud Cuckoo Land. The relatability of its people, the universality of their dreams and longings - this is the real gold of this lovely epic.

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc. What a privilege to read.

Thank you, Anthony Doerr, for your inspiring and staggering talent.

Set in 15th century Constantinople, current times in Idaho, and a spaceship in the distant future Cloud Cockoo Land is an epic tale made up of the stories of multiple characters. The book’s cast of characters all have their own storylines. They are all equally engaging, from the young boy and girl caught on opposite sides of the Fall of Constantinople, to the librarian in more current times who deals with a young man who brings a bomb to the library, where a group of children are preparing for a play, and the girl in the future on a voyage through space in a ship that is hit with a plague. All of their diverse stories are beautifully tied together by a single manuscript from ancient Greece written by Antonious Diogenes. Cloud Cuckoo Land is a masterpiece of immersive fiction with depth, heart, and emotion. It is a story about how books touch our lives, and how important it is to keep books alive. How books can touch us all throughout space and time.

This book was amazing! I had no idea what to expect as I have never read his books. It is beautifuly written and great to read

This is a book of fantasy involving five children spread over different time periods, but with a story in a book that binds them together. The book moves smoothly back and forth between time periods making it easy to follow the different story lines. Of interest to me was the inclusion of a piece of the Cloud Cuckoo Land story before each major shift. Overall, a very enjoyable book.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog.

I liked All the Light We Can Not See, but this book just was not for me. I can appreciate it, and I would not be surprised if it also wins awards and accolades. I did not care for the back and forth and all the background that did not matter.