DNF - stopped at 20%

I am rather new to the sci-fi genre - it's never really been my jam, and even now, as I have found ones I love, I have also found I am extremely particular about which ones I love and will read and which ones I don't [and I just never know what one will be - something that I shouldn't like I will end up loving and vice versa] - so while I loved Binti, Piranesi and Project Hail Mary [HOLY COW that was an amazing book], I absolutely did not love Cloud Cuckoo Land.

To be honest if I had truly read the description of this book [and not requested it simply because I have read this author before and LOVED him] OR had read the page count [that is a lot of sci-fi to read], I never would have requested this book [and that is totally on me and I get that]. Multiple POV's, within multiple time lines with multiple stories going on WITHING those multiple time lines...whew. That kind of story is absolutely not for me. I don't enjoy that kind of story in ANY genre, but even less in a genre I am not 100% comfortable in to begin with. I finally quit at 20% because 1. I was very confused, and 2. I had forgotten EVERYTHING I had read the previous day [which is never, ever a good thing]. Lesson learned - pay closer attention to the descriptions of books I am requesting.

I will still recommend this book though - out there are die-hard sci-fi fans who love this kind of book and this would rock their world - I totally recognize that. Unfortunately, that is not me. I am disappointed, but I also get that that too is on me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Anthony Doerr, and Scribner for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A book that is equal parts historical, contemporary, and science fiction, "Cloud Cuckoo Land" by Anthony Doerr follows the stories of five different narrators who are all touched by the same story over the course of several centuries, from the Fall of Constantinople, to modern-day Idaho, to a spaceship in the "no-so-distant future."

The moment I read the dedication page for this e-galley, "the librarians then, now, and in the years to come," I knew that this was a book I was going to run out and buy a hard copy of on release day. The more I read the more that statement rang true.

The interwoven storylines spanning over vastly different eras at times felt like I was reading three different books, however, Doerr masterfully made it all come together by the end showing the reader the impact that stories can have over several generations. I will say this probably isn't for everyone, I found myself using bookmarks and a journal to keep some things straight, and getting pulled from one story to another was as times jarring. This is definitely the type of reading that is most enjoyable if you stick with it until the end. I have never read anything else like this, and it is a book I intent on going back to for years to come.

Thank you goes out to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book to read and review.
For me this was a bit difficult to put together as there is the element of fantasy and imagination. . That said, the book involves several children, one, Anna, living with ladies who do embroidery back in; 15th century in Constantinople. Two Zeno, who learned Greek in prison, living in the present Idaho, three is Konstance, living in the future on a spaceship, Argos, locked in a room.
The book somehow ties the library as a common location. Additionally, there is a book, Aerhon, a person who wants to turn into a bird so it can fly to paradise.. Anna wants to learn to read it, Zeno wrote a play for children who gather in a library and Konstance, finds scraps of the book to put together as her father use to read it to her.
It’s rather extraordinary how all this is intertwined and linked with children who have hopes, despite their individual dilemmas.

I absolutely ADORED this book. What a beautiful, magical, epic ode to the power of stories and what "home" means to us all. As a lifelong reader and library lover, I was particularly moved and enraptured by this book. The span of this story from 15th century Constantinople to the science fiction-infused future was expertly crafted and woven together in a way that felt beautifully intentional, organic, and perfect.

From the start, Konstance's story was a stand-out of mine. I could have read a story just about her journey alone and been raving. Nino was also another character who hit me right in the gut and who I cared for so much it makes my heart ache even now.

I will be recommending this book to all book lovers from now till forever.

A wonderful, imaginative, one-of-a-kind story.

Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for an advanced copy.
Will post a fuller review to my Instagram in the following weeks.

Incredible work. This illustrates the importance of books and stories throughout space and endless time. It is a bit hard to get into at the start, but once you do, you fall into each of the three timelines. I loved Konstance and Zeno, felt empathy towards Seymour, but didn't love Anna and Oemir, which is why this is a 4 star to me. The ending is heartbreaking and perfect. This book is deep: be prepared.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

I really wanted to like Cloud Cuckoo Land and looked forward to reading it because I had loved Doerr's first book. This book is beautifully written, the characters are all interesting but there are just too many of them over too many time frames. I had a really hard time with the first 50 pages just keeping everybody straight. It follows a book or story over three time periods, the 1400's, the current day and the distant future; and three places, ancient Greece, small town US and a ship in space.

It all makes sense in the end but I just found the story so convoluted that it was hard to become engrossed in the the book like I normally can. Every time I would start to really care about the characters I was reading about, it would change location and time again.

I can appreciate that this took a lot off time and coordination to keep the story moving forward with the different points of view, but for me it just didn't hold my interest.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for this honest review.

I loved Anthony Doerr's previous title and couldn't wait to read his new book. Excited to start Cloud Cuckoo Land,I was surprised with the disjointed format and subject matter. Like others, I was quick to dismiss the story as I was fixated on "All the Light We Cannot See."

Due to the 5-starred reviews,, I decided to take my blinders off to separate this book from his past. While it's not my favorite novel, I can recognize its merit. In a COVID era, the feelings of isolation and dreaming of a better life resonated with me.

Some characters I liked more than others and eagerly awaited getting back to their chapters. Once readers realize that each character continues the story in his or her own way, that's when the book gets easier to read and more engaging.

While I felt disconnected from a few of the protagonists, as their backstories are revealed or their worlds unraveled, I felt empathy for them. Without giving anything away, some of their actions were extreme but I could see what led especially one of the characters to that devastating decision.

After reading, I'll bookend myself between the lovers and haters. It wasn't my type of read but I don't feel it warrants the negative backlash. My suggestion would be treating this book as a standalone and putting aside your feelings about Doerr's previous novel. If you get fixated on that format, you're not giving yourself permission to be open to a different genre and style.

Well I loved All the light we cannot see but this one- I really have no idea what it's about or what I just read. Not for me. The book was way too long, the storylines were confusing and really didn't make much sense

Although the stories are completely different, if you enjoyed Anthony Doerr's popular novel, All the Light We Cannot See, I think you'll be a fan of this new one as well. It's a story that requires patience as there are many different points of view being presented along with many different threads that need to be woven together, but once you settle in and start letting the pieces fall into place, the payoff is so worth. I think Cloud Cuckoo Land will deservedly end up on many "Best of'' Lists this year.

The first time I picked this up, I got about five chapters in and walked away. Then I heard my trusty bookseller friends talk about how they’d loved it, and so I went back. I did really enjoy this multi-story novel. Once you get everyone set in your head they’re pretty easy to keep straight. There’s a lot going on! 4.5 stars

Still so surprised and pleased I got an arc for this one! Anthony Doerr’s writing is guaranteed to be a classic, his words poetic and and deep. I can’t recommend this one enough.

Cloud Cuckoo Land and far exceeded my expectations: I really enjoyed the different characters all tethered together in a beautiful way even though their lives were centuries apart. The prose was also so lyrical and fluid that made for a truly enjoyable read. If you enjoyed Reincarnation Blues you’ll def enjoy this wonderful novel

Are there more than five stars? There should be more for "Cloud Cuckoo Land," one of the greatest books I've ever read and a new entry on my Top 10 Books Ever list. Doerr is a brilliant wordsmith and clearly a magician to turn the stories of five major characters in three timelines separated by eight centuries i to such a cohesive, coherent, never-confusing page turner. "Cloud Cuckoo Land" is perfect. Reviews in print and online for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

For fans of Anthony Doerr who are picking this book up because they loved All the Light We Cannot See, I would like to say these two books couldn’t be more different. I absolutely requested this book knowing how much I loved Doerr’s previous book and then after reading the synopsis, wondered what I had gotten myself into.

You did get historical fiction here, but also some sci-fi and fantasy, which admittedly aren’t my usual genres. All that to say, Cloud Cuckoo Land completely drew me in. This book follows the stories of five individuals (Anna, Omeir, Zeno, Seymour, and Konstance) across three different time periods (the 1400s, present day, and the not-so-distant future) and three different locations (Constantinople, Idaho, and a spacecraft). Add to that, all of our main characters are also involved in some way or another with the ancient Greek story of Aethon, which works like a thread connecting all of the plotlines. If you’re wondering where this story will go, I don’t blame you, but I promise it comes together in a beautiful way.

If you like having one primary narrator or a linear timeline, this is not the book for you, but I felt the story actually moved quite quickly given the different narrators (and yes it’s over 600 pages). I can see this one being polarizing, but I think this hugely ambitious novel is another triumph for Doerr. For those who pick this up, know that it’s uniquely different from All the Light We Cannot See and also that the pacing picks up once you get through the first 20%. Although the summary wouldn’t have drawn me to this book initially, I’m so glad to have read it. I hope we don’t have to wait another seven years to get something else from Doerr. Thanks to Scribner and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC.

Bizarre, heartbreaking, and fascinating. This was a very ling novel, but the super short chapters made it go very fast. Some of the characters were more visible than others, but this was still a great read.

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this book, but if I learned anything from reading Doerr in the past it is that it is best for me to take his work slowly and allow each piece of the puzzle to slide into place. I can say when it started the different characters and time periods were so disparate that I was concerned that the only way they could be tied together was through a unbelievable coincidence and cheesy mantras about how storytelling is the most powerful thing, but the message Doerr has is a lot more nuanced than that. Of course, there is some sort of coincidence and the value of storytelling is examined, but it all felt relatively grounded and meaningful, particularly considering one of the parts sort of takes place on a space ship. While I don’t think I enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed All the Light We Cannot See and I sort of partially wished that I could go a little more in depth into the different parts (by choosing to follow 5 characters there does seem to be something sacrificed, also some storylines were more interesting than others), I did find myself really enjoying this book. The build is slow, but in the end I was a lot more satisfied with how it all came together than I expected.

I would like to thank NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy!

One of the most---if not the most--creative engrossing books read in a long time. Doer outdoes himself. A must for any serious reader. What more can be said.

This is a novel that follows multiple characters from different time periods, weaving their experiences together in a story. The 3 main characters are Anna, Omeir, and Zeno.The book shows how connected we all are and our stories. This was my first book by Anthony Doerr, and I loved it. It is a bit daunting to see how long it is, but it didn’t feel like it was long- the book kept me interested! I loved his book so much I just purchased All The Light We Cannot See!

I am loving it! The story is slowing building but the prose is beautiful. I am happy I had the opportunity to read it.
thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for giving me a copy to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

I can’t say this book pulled me in from the start. In fact, I was nearly 50% through before I started to see how the numerous perspectives would come together and pull me in.

Not having been a huge fan of All the light we cannot see, I’m glad I gave Doerr another chance.

I’m not sure Anna and Omeir’s perspectives were critical to the plot, and do question how necessary they were. There seemed to be a bit of connective tissue missing to really weave it into the characters from the present and future.

Give me Konstance’s storyline all day. I want a sci-fi spin off of life on Argos.