This is not an easy read. It takes place in three widely separated time periods, and its multiple protagonists, too, are dissimilar, a least on first glance: 13-year-old Anna and young Omeir in the 15h century, teenager Seymour and octogenarian Zeno in contemporary times, and teenager Konstance in the distant intergalactic future. Initially, I found it difficult to follow the seemingly unrelated tales and wondered why they weren’t presented in three separate, continuous stories, rather than moving back and forth from one story to another, from one time period to another, from one character to another. But, finally I began to see the connections and, so, became engaged through the characters and the themes: a book (the story of Aethon), libraries, relationships, struggles, endurance, danger, hope, and more. The writing itself is impressive, as one would expect from Anthony Doerr, the author of All the Light We Cannot See.

This is a magical book with a big message. Written in Anthony Doerr’s signature style, the lyrical words jump off the page. As you follow the main characters forward and backward in time, the ancient tale is revealed. By the end, you can see the connection between all the storylines. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC copy of <i>Cloud Cuckoo Land</i>.

<i>CCL</i> is a novel about, among other things, the invisible threads of time, blood, happenstance, etc., that connect us to people and events in the distant past we have no idea about, and a novel that reminds us that what we do today is creating the same kind of invisible threads that will one day affect people in a future we will not be around to see. Our decisions matter; our actions matter.

There were moments while reading this novel that made me pause mid-sentence while an image, a memory popped into my mind. Memories of stepping into a library for the first time, of holding fragile, leatherbound books in my hands. Memories of family and friends dead but not forgotten, of people who come into your life for brief periods of time but lasting impact, changing you, changing the way you view life. It's that kind of novel, a sort of looking-glass novel where you see parts of your own life reflected in the characters and situations. Which is quite an accomplishment as the novel spans centuries, cultures, and languages that are unfamiliar to me.

I don't like to write about the characters or plot, because I always feel like I give away too much. But I would urge any reader who picks up this novel to go along for the ride, trust the author, trust the story. Yes, the novel flies back and forth between the past and future, between characters, and I admit at times it was a bit frustrating because you wanted the story of the character you were with to continue (the author is very good at creating tension and compelling you forward). But Doerr is weaving a large, beautiful tapestry, and when it's finished you will nod your head and see how all the threads come together and say, "Ah!" And you will wish the tapestry was a little larger yet.

How to describe a story that spans centuries tied together by a book written in a language that cannot be read anymore let alone a book secreted away and lost and found over the course of 2000 years? Well, Mr. Doerr does exactly that: weaving a beautiful story of the past, the present, and the future.

Just a quick word of thanks to both Scribner/Simon and Schuster publishers, as well as netgalley.com for an advanced reading copy in return for my honest feedback for this novel.

4.5/5 stars is my rating for this novel.

To start, I have to say that I have been really looking forward to Anthony Doerr's newest novel, Cloud Cuckoo Land. I read and was completely engrossed with his last novel, All the Light We Cannot See. This was probably the best novel that I have read in the last 10+ years. That said, Cloud Cuckoo Land did not disappoint. Well-written, characters who are easy to connect with, and descriptive language throughout the novel made this another great novel by Doerr.

"He that knows all the learning ever knows only this - that he knows nothing yet." One of the many excellent lines from this novel. Cloud Cuckoo Land follows five major characters in this novel - two from the medieval times in Constantinople, two in current times in Lakeport, Idaho, and one from the future times presumably in space. The novel goes back and forth throughout these characters, with each chapter interspersed with a Greek story from Antonio Diogenes - Cloud Cuckoo Land - that has survived and been retold for generations.

Omeir and Anna - the two characters from medieval times - meet through the fall of the city of Constantinople by the hands of the Ottoman empire. Both characters are young, both have flaws within them that make you feel for them. Ultimately, the two have a survived copy of Diogenes's Cloud Cuckoo Land.

Zeno and Seymour - the two characters from present times in Lakeport, Idaho - meet through rather unfortunate circumstances at a library in Lakeport. Zeno has been translating Cloud Cuckoo Land, and is getting ready to perform the story with a group of young children at the library. Seymour, an autistic young man who sees the environment being destroyed over many years, arrives at the library to vent his frustrations.

Finally, Konstance - the young girl who is from the future and is in space with her family and those "survivors" of Earth - and is on to a new planet - Beta Oph2. Konstance becomes the only survivor of the space craft, Argos, and ultimately assembles Cloud Cuckoo Land from notes and references in her local library in space.

Whew - and those were the main characters! I found that I did need to jot down a few notes as the story went on, so that I did not confuse or forget who was who in the novel (hence, 4.5/5 stars for this novel). However, I found that I did get into this novel pretty quickly, and, similar to All the Light We Cannot See, I found that I could not put it down. The way Doerr intertwines the characters - Omeir and Anna coming from two different backgrounds during the fall of Constantinople, Zeno and Seymour in the same town, but having different life histories, and the tie-in with Diogenes's Cloud Cuckoo Land story and the its future in the hands of Konstance - made this a good read for me. Doerr seems to have a good way of telling a story - you know that something good (or bad) is going to happen to a character, but how you get to the finish line is the enjoyable part of his writing.

Outside of the many characters in this novel that you have to keep track of, I found this novel to be a great read on the survival of a story - in this case Cloud Cuckoo Land - throughout many generations.

Cloud Cuckoo Land is a well written story that has alternating storylines. It was sometimes hard to follow with the multiple storylines, but the characters were orchestrated with such care that I wanted to know what happens. Overall, would encourage it to others!

Thank you to netgalley , the author, and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Scribner for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my review!

I appreciate Anthony Doerr's talent. I have enjoyed other novels by him but this book just didn't do it for me. The multiple storylines were hard to keep track of, it didn't flow together as they should have. I was really excited about this book and I really wanted to like it but I gave up halfway through after weeks of trying to get through it. I lost interest far too quickly here.

What an amazing adventure it was to read this book. I had read Doerr's other books and still wasn't prepare for the magical journey I would embark on when reading this book. I had to work to keep track of the storylines but it was worth it. Doerr's novel begs to be read aloud, his images and descriptions are amazing.

All the Light I can Not See is one of my favorite books and I was super excited to get the ARC of Cloud of Cuckoo Land, that being said I only stuck with it because of how much I enjoyed Anthony Doerr's writing. I had a hard time with the alternating stories between historical, contemporary and science fiction. The writing was beautiful and the characters well developed but it was just not for me.

Cloud Cuckoo Land is SO well written. The way the story weaves and turns and how the characters are introduced is very well done. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. There were times I felt a little overwhelmed with all the different ideas and stories going on, but still enjoyed the theme.
thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was just ok for me. I really hoped to love it, but there just was too much going on for me to keep up. The author brings historical, sci-if, fantasy, & contemporary stories, and most of the time it felt like different stories, instead of one common thread.

Cloud Cuckoo Land takes some bold and narratively ambitious choices from author Anthony (Antonius?) Doerr. Ultimately, Doerr weaves a narrative of survival and the power of story- those we tell ourselves and to each other.
I would not however call this book transformative or particularly transportive. This is one read that is a literary achievement yet difficult to enjoy until the end. Only a few characters were engaging, such as Konstance. I admit I struggled through the first half, even with the cliffhanger chapters. Yet there is undeniably beauty and brilliance to Doerr's writing which one hopes will have a timeless appeal. Recommended for those who enjoy literary fiction.

Simply put, Anthony Doerr's novel, Cloud Cuckoo Land is a magnificent novel. Doerr, the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for All the Light We Cannot See, has managed to create a wondrously imaginative tale that is a love story to libraries, reading, nature, and the interconnectedness of human experiences. Centuries of time are not a barrier when there is a thread of a quest braiding through the experiences of a disparate group of characters. Most of these characters are outcasts in their own time.

Doerr's tale spans centuries with locales sprinkled across the ancient world, war-torn Korea, contemporary United States, and a futuristic interstellar spaceship. There are two constants: the ancient story of Aethon, a young Greek, who longs to turn into a bird so he can fly to see the golden city in the sky, and the solace that getting lost in such an adventure can bring. Aethon's travails and travels bring excitement and comfort to the many characters as his efforts are emblematic of their own uncertainty. All of Doerr's characters are fully developed even though they stand outside of the ordinary and the easily accepted. The very relatable characters feel a connection to the living world around them as that very world is threatened by short term thinking and demand for excess.

This is not a fast read, but it is a compelling one.

#NetGalley #CloudCuckooLand

"Stranger, Whoever you are, open this to learn what will amaze you." This is just about the opening line of the book and, whoo boy, does Doerr deliver on this promise. There is magical storytelling that enchantingly braids past, present, and future story lines into something greater than the sum of the parts. There are sympathetic characters, even one who initially could be the villain, but turns out to be someone a lot more complex. This is powerful storytelling that reminds us just how life-saving and life-giving a good story can be. It is a tale that needs to be told in these uncertain times, because it gives hope that, as messy as life can get, there is always hope. If you read only one book this year, make sure it is Cloud Cuckoo Land. You will not regret it

It is rare for me to finish a book and feel a little speechless, but that is what has happend with Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. I want to thanks NetGalley and Scribner for the digital ARC that allowed me to experience the wonder that was this book. All opinions are my own. For Cloud Cuckoo Land, you have to read with patience and trust that the author will bring it all together, and boy does he! There are some revelations and twists toward the end of the book that were mindblowing. The author also manage to tie the characters together in ways that feel organic and not forced. You have excerpts from an Ancient Greek epic poem, Anna and Omeir from the 1400's and siege of Constantinople, Zeno and Seymour in the present day, and Konstance over 100 years in the future. And it all works, I don't know how but it does. The portrayals in each time period feel so accurate and the detail in the writing is immaculate. Lastly, somehow even when there are moments in each time period where all seems lost and the world seems to be full of evil and destruction, there ends up being hope, love, and joy. We could all use a bit more of that these days.

There are five different characters, each coming from different time points: 15th century, current day, future, for example. They are all mirroring an Ancient Greek tale in search of paradise. I can appreciate what it is that Doerr was trying to do. It’s about the sacredness of old songs/texts/written words/books, how they are stored and passed down. The five stories (from various points in history) pay homage to that idea. I also see the relevancy; the idea of our disintegrating planet and with it, the potential loss of knowledge.
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Frankly, I was only really interested in 2/5 of story lines (For reference: 1. Konstance - because of the Star Trek Discovery-like feel. Also, Sybil, the info center/AI component is fascinating. 2. Zeno- would be an interesting book in itself)
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Parts of it feel unfocused and/or rushed. I am curious as to how long this has been a WIP. I’m sad to report that I did not like this book and therefore, I cannot recommend it. That being said, I have a tremendous amount of respect for this writer and his craft. I finished it and will move on.
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At its heart, Cloud Cuckoo Land is a story about stories and a love letter to all the ways we are connected by them. I requested this ARC on NetGalley after reading Doerr's 'The Shell Collector,' and while it is certainly different, it did not disappoint. Told in 24 sections (like the 24 letters of the Greek alphabet) and 5 different intermingled storylines, the novel takes us from the 1453 siege of Constantinople, to present day Idaho, to a spaceship generations in the future; while each character appears to have no connection with the others, they each have some connection with the story 'Cloud Cuckoo Land,' a utopian fantasy written in ancient Greece and interspersed in fragments throughout the narratives. This novel covers a multitude of time, topics, and genres and yet at its conclusion, feels deeply intimate and cohesive. I loved everything about it, and finished the last page with a few tears and a huge amount of respect for Doerr and this ambitious, epic story.

This book will likely not be for everyone, and not even for all Doerr fans. The varying storylines can make it feel a disjointed read if you approach it the same way you would a standard novel, but that is exactly why I think it works - without identifying how unique each narrative is, you can't fully appreciate the threads that finally weave them together. Cloud Cuckoo Land is brave and painful, heartbreaking and beautiful, and I found it a joy to read.

Thank you Scribner Books, the author, and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy! This gem will absolutely be added to my permanent library come pub day on September 28th, 2021.

I was anticipating this novel for so long, as "All The Light We Cannot See" was one of the most beautiful and memorable books I'd read in the past year.

Anthony's Doerr's writing and prose is just as strong in "Cloud Cuckoo Land" as it is in his previous work, and he's crafted an incredible plot and five unique and memorable protagonists whose perspective and narrative rotate throughout the course of the story. In Constantantinope, Anna lives with her sister Maria working on sewing the robes of priests; she is lured into stealing books to in order to make money to take care of her sister as she goes blind. Outside of those walls, Omeir also grows up; born with a cleft lip, he grows up shunned by society and eventually becomes conscripted into the army that invades Constantinople. In the present, Zeno is helping a group of children rehearse a play in the library at the same time Seymour attempts to detonate a bomb within those same walls. And in the future, Konstance lives in a technically advanced interstellar ship Argos, and her idealistic world crumples when the community experiences a mysterious disease that takes over every other person on board.

Despite the differences in time and location, these five disparate characters and storylines are unified by one thing - a mythical book and story about Aethon, a man who searches for a way to get wings so he can seek out a utopian society in the skies. Each of their storylines are unique and heart-wrenching, and I was especially moved by Zeno's history as a POW during the Korean War. The novel is complex and carefully woven together, and while I loved the messaging and themes throughout, this was not one of the more enjoyable reads of late for me.

First, the novel is lengthy, at 660 pages. It is a commitment to get through, and that length is compounded even more with five different storylines to keep track of, each in different time periods (or worlds) and characters and backstories to them. Doerr sprinkles snippets of Aethon's story throughout as well, but those excerpts only served to be more confusing and didn't necessarily tie in well with the sections they led into. It was only in the final chapters of "Cloud Cuckoo Land" that I felt like the plot and characters truly came together, and this can be a deterrent for many readers.

"Cloud Cuckoo Land' is a worthy read for those willing to give it their full attention and time.

Cloud Cuckoo Land is a complex novel about a story that reaches across time and the libraries it is found in. The story is from Ancient Greece and a version is discovered by a girl in Constantinople in the 15th century. It's also being studied by fifth graders in the present day and by a girl on a mission with her family to find another planet on which to live. The chapters alternate between the timelines while telling the Greek story linearly.

This is masterful storytelling by the author. The stench and oppressiveness of the 15th century leaps from the page. The struggles of the present day - mental illness, cruelty of kids, etc - resonate, along with the concept of the library as the heart of a community. The technology of the future, with a library that Hermione from Harry Potter fame would die for, reminds us that there is no substitute for the human mind.

It took a while for me to really understand what was going on and how the timelines connect through the Greek story, but I eventually got there. This is a long book with a lot of detail. The author does an excellent job of getting into the minds of such diverse people. My only quibble with it - and what keeps this from being a five star read for me - is the agenda that's being pounded on here. It distracted me from the heart of the story. Otherwise I enjoyed this book.

Not family friendly due to profanity and subject matter.

Epic storytelling by Anthony Doerr! An imaginative story set in three different time periods from the past, present day, and in the future but all tied together with a story about a city called Cloud Cuckoo Land, a Greek book of Aethon. It shows how we are all interconnected. It is about children who have all faced challenges and with strength and resilience, overcame them. To read this, one must do it slowing to take it all in.

The past is a story set in Constantinople of a young orphan girl, Anna who works for priests to embroider their robes. While Anna is often distracted and not patient to do needlework, she is sent on errands to the marketplace. There she meets an old man who teaches her Greek. Anna is smart and learns to read. She discovers the book of Aethon, of a boy who longed for wings to fly close to the Sun and to paradise. Just outside Constantinople is Omeir, a cast-off village boy with a cleft pallet. He is a gentle boy and kind, but will meet Anna as he helps to lay siege to Constantinople.
Zeno lives in Idaho and we hear his story as a young orphan who grows to be a very old man. In his 80’s, he works with children and is helping them put on a play at the library about Cloud Cuckoo Land. While there, unbeknownst to him, there is Seymour, a deeply troubled young man who is set on planting bombs at the library in order to destroy a nearby business that has wronged him.
In the future, on the ship The Argos that is headed to a new planet after leaving Earth which has been deemed inhabitable for living, is Konstance and an AI named Sybil. Sybil has all the important information and history of Earth stored. The Argos left Earth more than 500 years ago. Konstance works along-side her father, a botanist, who tells her the story of Cloud Cuckoo Land as they work. As she hears this story, she seeks to write it down. Konstance struggles to figure out her purpose in life and her role in the world.

Each story by itself could be its own, but together as they are connected through the shared story Cloud Cuckoo Land, they are amazing. The author is good on giving just enough details on each character so that the reader can understand them and their connections within the story. This is a story of those who are dreamers, looking for something greater than they have or a utopian experience and what would it be like should they ever achieve it. This is a story showing the power of words on others.

Many thanks to #netgalley #cloudcuckooland #simonandshuster for the opportunity to read and review this book.