"Thirteen-year-old Anna, an orphan, lives inside the formidable walls of Constantinople in a house of women who make their living embroidering the robes of priests. Restless, insatiably curious, Anna learns to read, and in this ancient city, famous for its libraries, she finds a book, the story of Aethon, who longs to be turned into a bird so that he can fly to a utopian paradise in the sky. This she reads to her ailing sister as the walls of the only place she has known are bombarded in the great siege of Constantinople. Outside the walls is Omeir, a village boy, miles from home, conscripted with his beloved oxen into the invading army. His path and Anna’s will cross.

Five hundred years later, in a library in Idaho, octogenarian Zeno, who learned Greek as a prisoner of war, rehearses five children in a play adaptation of Aethon’s story, preserved against all odds through centuries. Tucked among the library shelves is a bomb, planted by a troubled, idealistic teenager, Seymour. This is another siege. And in a not-so-distant future, on the interstellar ship Argos, Konstance is alone in a vault, copying on scraps of sacking the story of Aethon, told to her by her father. She has never set foot on our planet."

My thoughts:

It is a monster of a book, filled to the rim with descriptions. I both loved, and hated that. There were a lot of moving POV's and story lines that I struggled to keep up with it. I did enjoy the world building and how beautiful the story was once I got through it. Thank you so much for y advanced copy!

I tried twice to read Cloud Cuckoo Land in ebook format and once via audiobook from my public library, but I eventually decided it just wasn’t the right book for me. After about 50%, I wound up skimming. Which is a real shame, as I remember loving Doerr’s earlier book, All The Light We Cannot See. This story is really several stories which eventually get connected. But there were just too many different stories in this book, too many characters and too many shifts between the various stories for me to enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book is amazing and so unique. Anthony Doerr never disappoints. The story is weaved into three time periods has many characters and leaves you with something to think about. I absolutely loved this book even though it was a hefty one. Would highly recommend reading this!

I love this author and really expected to love this book. Despite a few tries over a long period of time, I just couldn't get past halfway. It was well paced and the themes good, but it just wasn't pulling me in at all.

Fabulous read. Doerr does it again. I was hesitant as I loved "All The Light We Cannot See" so much and often, I don't like to read another title by the same author for that reason. However, this title was beyond description. I enjoyed it and have read it again since.

This started out really slowly. It took several hundred pages to really get past the groundwork and get going with the plot itself. I came close to giving up several times.

I loved the blend of characters and time periods. Some broke my heart. Others left me with not enough clarity for my liking. Either way, I think Doerr has created a wonderful work here.

I really enjoyed this book. It is beautifully written and I would give it ten stars if I could! I will be purchasing a hard copy!

It's a long book with multiple storylines and timelines. Yet, is is absolutely lovely! I highly recommend reading this novel..

Thank you #NetGalley, #Scribner and #AnthonyDoerr for the advance readers copy for my honest review.

I loved this book. It’s told from multiple narrators, across centuries of time, and different parts of the world. While it seems daunting, it is so worth it. A think you should go in blind and just let the novel grab ahold of you and take you for a ride.

Zeno is a war veteran living in Idaho translating a Greek text — the story of Aethon — when a group of five children surprise him with their interest in making the story into a play. The library group gets to work on the production with no clue how huge an impact this story has and will have on both the past and the future. 500 years prior, Anna, a 13-year-old girl in Constantinople risks it all to learn how to read before a journey that takes her to Omeir, a village boy with a face defect that constantly seems to risk his life. The third timeline of the story takes place in the future on a spaceship hopefully on the path to a new world — since the original one was ruined. Onboard, Konstance begins questioning the ship she was born on and the world it left behind.

This is an incredibly unique book and, while there is nothing at all like it, I did find some familiar themes in it that I really enjoyed. The hardest part for me was just how long it was. But, despite the length and the could-be-confusing triple timeline setting, I don't feel like I really got lost in the plot or the characters. We really only get a handful of main characters and a handful of secondary ones. The details of each story are so beautiful, if you want a book that will truly transport you and immerse you in a world, look no further than this one! I never was bored and absolutely loved how the book ends.

All The Light We Cannot See is one of my favorite books of all time, so I was thrilled that Doerr published another historical fiction novel. And may I just say, this did not disappoint me in the slightest. I think that this novel took some unexpected twists and turns, but I was fully enthralled the entire time. The characters were so lovable, and I really think that this is a special book that most people would really love.

Doerr's book is an amazingly bold and daring "love letter" to libraries and books. This book literally took my breath away at multiple points. I can't wait to read it again.

This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review…it is not my favorite genre but others might love it…try it…

As I began reading this I couldn't figure out the plot. There are 5 story lines that I didn't think would ever line up into one. However, I could not put down the book. Each chapter left me wanting to know more and dig deeper into the story. I enjoyed the book and felt a connection with the characters.

An amazing tale of the ages as fascinating characters interact in various ways with an ancient document. Doerr is a master storyteller and takes us throughout time and space for an unforgettable journey celebrating the importance of words, stories, and books.

4.5 stars. Stories told in several parts can be challenging to become invested in. It took me a little while to really care, but I was glad once I got there. It's really four stories that make up two larger stories, which tell one overarching story. It's really better than I'm making it sound.
Also, the climate aspect of the story doesn't really get political one way or the other, in my opinion. Thought maybe some people might like to know that.

Parts of the book have stayed with me, even after a few weeks. That doesn't always happen. It was worth reading. I'm glad I did.

This book is an impressive work. The characters come over as solid but believable individuals and have a connection that moors them. Very well written.
Many thanks to Scribner and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved Anthony Doerr’s All the Things We Cannot See and had great hopes for this latest novel, Cloud Cuckoo Land. But I couldn’t get into it and made it about 1/3rd of the way before I put it down. The constant changing of time lines had me thrown off and as a mom on the go this is a book I really needed to take the time to sit down and grasp. It’s definitely on my list to revisit.

I was a big fan of Doerr's prior work so I was very excited to receive this ARC. Expansive, ambitious fiction is my favorite genre and this book, with its multiple timelines and rich descriptive passages did not disappoint! It absolutely blew me away. It is definitely a long one, but I loved when the different threads started to come together.

I wish I had read this faster, as it was clear the farther I got into it how connected the stories were. I wonder what I missed in dragging it out over months. He is a great writer - even feeling lost in the story at times, the skill involved in keeping everything moving and connected is clear.