Anthony Doerr’s newest novel is an adventure unparalleled in not only the rest of his work but in today’s canon in general. It is a sprawling, experimental piece that at its very heart is a striking ode to storytelling itself, and the ways in which we write, preserve, transmit, and transmute the stories passed down from generation to generation.

The novel follows five characters through several different time periods from the ancient past to the far future, each juggling, performing, reading, or interacting with Diogenes book “Cloud Cuckoo Land” that serves as the central mast to the journey this book takes us on. Our characters are tasked with pulling the central text through the fog (metaphorically, but sometimes literally) of time and in their various ways engaging with it in aspects of their time that has allowed it to remain with us as part of human expression, from its first written existence to its preservation, translation, performance, and intergalactic rediscovery.

The magic of this novel lies in what Doerr manages to accomplish in such an unflinchingly anti-pedantic manner. Some reviewers online I have seen even suggest they plowed through its 622 pages in one day, and much like Siskel and Ebert’s surprising review of how engaging “My Dinner With Andre” is despite the fact that it is an hour and a half of two guys having an intellectual talk over a dinner, I am not at all surprised. This book has momentum and a strong, unpretentious heart at its core. The piece is approachable despite its complicated structure and nonlinear narrative, similar to David Mitchell or Michael Cunningham’s work but suitable for a much broader, affable appeal. The characters are almost puppets in their own world, carried through the narrative and their experiences tied to this book in a cosmic way to ensure we are left with their story about a story, and boy do we care about how they manage to do it and just as surprised as they are when they end up in some of the resulting situations they find themselves in.

In this manner, the approachability and accessibility in its form directly mirror the thematic and contextual meaning of the novel itself. It is a book about a book that weaves through history and is discovered and rediscovered, and it is itself leaving an incredible contemporary impact being a story that is carrying the very story within itself. Doerr delivers a clever and incredibly well-executed magic trick. The book is an electric feast for bibliophiles everywhere and was an absolute joy to behold. I plan on another read-through very soon.

Cloud Cuckoo Land is out today from Scribner

CLOUD CUCKOO LAND

Cloud Cuckoo Land had all the elements I love most in storytelling (a varied cast of characters, detailed settings, multiple seemingly-unconnected storylines) executed in the best way possible. When done well, it makes for the best reading experience (imo)—I love having to work to get to know characters & wondering from one page to the next how storylines will eventually overlap & coalesce. Anyone who has been around here a while knows I’m a fan of a character map & this book required that AND a location/timeline breakdown (it may have also included a chapter-by-chapter summary, a habit I picked up from @deedireads & without which I wouldn’t have kept anything straight). Did I read the PREFACE three times before continuing? Yes. And did I go back to read it once I neared the end of the story, too? Also yes.

I know what I’m describing sounds like a nightmare for a lot of you & may in fact do the opposite of what I’m intending, which is to recommend this book. The PAYOFF, though, in persevering through all that I just described, is more worth it than any other book I’ve ever read. At its heart, Cloud Cuckoo Land is a love letter to books & storytellers. It made me think about the stories my mom used to read me before bed, or the way I discuss books with my grandma now, or how I’ve connected with all of you on this app & made best friends who live across the country from me & who, without books, would still be strangers. I don’t know if this book would have meant so much to me without bookstagram, which sounds much more sappy than my reviews ever are, but that’s the reality. For so many of us, books function as both a life raft & a window: sometimes, we need them to take us away (& wow, will this book take you away) & sometimes we use them to get closer to the core of what we love about one another (wow x2, will this book do that, too).

One of my favorite ways to read is with the accompaniment of a good movie score — in this instance, the combination had me in a full ugly cry for a solid 10% of this book. Books don’t make me cry, EVER (but music definitely helps me get there), so take that however you will.

THIS BOOK. I finished this book as my husband walked into the room, my eyes full of tears, and I said, “holy [expletive], this is the best book I’ve read all year, I’m going to send a copy to everyone I know so we can talk about it for years and years.” (My husband - used to my literary-themed outbursts - was unfazed.)

I am truly in awe of Doerr’s abilities in this book. The layers he creates, the stories upon stories - and all in celebration of stories! And I loved the gentle, touching use of symbolism throughout - nothing clumsy that feels like it’s hitting you over the head, nothing that feels like a sermon.

This book is told from the perspectives of multiple narrators, from 15th century Constantinople to one hundred plus years in the future, but none of the storylines dragged and none of the transitions felt jarring. The stories were so carefully woven together - this tapestry of a book beautifully stitches together timelines, creating a celebration of the written word and its endurance, an ode to libraries, a missive on environmental stewardship, and a portrait of flawed and lovely humanity.

A wonder. Highly recommended for those who liked All the Light We Cannot See, Station Eleven and People of the Book.

If you are looking for a light, easy, or leisurely read, this is not the book for you. There are five characters and two of which are written in past and present, for a grand total of seven different storylines. I had to create a map that looked somewhat like a family tree to keep it all straight. Some chapters felt too short and then jumped to an entirely different time period. I really had to pay attention while indulging in this book. It’s a long read and worthwhile if you can keep it all straight.

There are a lot of redemptive qualities about this novel. It’s extremely descriptive, has excellent storytelling, and centers around hope for the hopeless across past, present and future. Each character is connected by an ancient manuscript and a library. The ending is wonderful, creative, and ties the entire book together in a sweet bow.

I was granted an early copy of this novel from NetGalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated are my own.

This is a Historical Fiction/Science Fiction/Fantasy. I have to say I did not know if this would be mine kind of book because fantasy/science fiction is hit or miss for me, but I loved this author's other book "All the Light We Cannot See". I have to say this book has several different timelines and several characters. It took me about 100 pages into this book before I got pulled into this book. There are some of the characters I liked more then others and some of the timelines took me longer to get into. The ending was so very good, and the ending pulled everything together so nicely. This book made me think about so many things, and I loved where this book went. This is not going to be the book for everyone, and I think the writing style this author as will not be for everyone. I found just like All the Light We Cannot See there are things that comes out early in the book that will not make a lot of sense until closer to the ending when everything comes together. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Scribner) or author (Anthony Doerr) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

A complexing story, or is it really five stories, wrapped into one? I am totally fascinated by the sentence structure that Anthony Doerr perfects in any of his books but this book had me stopping and wondering at the pure brilliance of his structure. Out of his mind comes this plethora of words—at times I began to think it was to make this book to 600 pages. It was dull at times to plow through the stories of the various characters since I am not a fan of mythology, sci-fi genres but suddenly I would read a sentence and laugh out loud whether it I might begin with ……walk into a bar joke or it would describe exactly how I had been feeling while reading the book.

There are certainly parallels to our world of today: pandemics, wars, and climate change. Perhaps the author wrote this story as fiction but perhaps a non-fiction book would have a stronger appeal.

The theme of libraries plays a central theme in this story: the reference to a book by its Dewey Decimal System reminded me of “The Paris Library.”—a tribute to librarians.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner Publishing for an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.

I enjoyed Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See, so I was really excited to see that he had a new novel. Cloud Cuckoo Land also has the beautiful descriptive language that Doerr is known for, and its main characters are also children for most of the book. Beyond that, the books are quite different. It's difficult to describe what Cloud Cuckoo Land is about because it's so epic in scope. There are a number of completely different plot lines: historical fiction, contemporary fiction, and science fiction all connected by an ancient Greek story.

As with all books that have separate storylines, I found myself more interested in some of them than others, and since it was constantly jumping back and forth between the stories, it took awhile for me to really engage with the book. The little bits of the Greek story were also confusing and jarring at first but started to make more sense as things progressed. By the midpoint, I was reading furiously, both curious about how things would resolve in each story and how the stories would end up relating to each other. 

In the end, it felt like it was more about the journey than the destination, but that seems fitting for the theme of the book anyhow. I'm impressed by the ambition of the writing -- it's like nothing I have ever read before -- and how vivid the settings and characters were. 

Thanks to Netgalley and Scribner for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

🎉PUB DAY CELEBRATION AND REVIEW FOR ANTHONY DOERR'S 𝐶𝑙𝑜𝑢𝑑 𝐶𝑢𝑐𝑘𝑜𝑜 𝐿𝑎𝑛𝑑!🎉

Richly imagined and deeply affecting, Anthony Doerr does not disappoint in his latest novel. Honestly, I can't even quite pinpoint the genre of this novel (a mix of historical fiction, sci-fi, literary fiction, and even a little romance), and I'll admit, it requires some concentration, but the payoff is grand. It took some time to acclimate to the writing style - I suppose I was expecting something similar to 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑊𝑒 𝐶𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑆𝑒𝑒, but the similarities end with the uniquely complex characters and immensely layered narrative.

I love how Doerr pays homage to the power of the written word in this novel spanning over six centuries. As a master storyteller, he manages to weave the individual stories together, despite what seems to be an inaccessible chasm between each. In each time period, the world around the characters is in a different state of dissolution, and each of them clings to hope in different ways.

His descriptions are incomparable, as he paints each of the scenes vividly, and allows for full immersion in each. I was just a captivated with Konstance in her futuristic realm as I was with Anna and Omeir during the seige of Constantinople in the 15th century. Talk about dichotomy, right?!

This is, by far, the most unique novel I've read in a long time. I absolutely loved the concepts of environmentalism, literacy, superstition, and flawed human nature interwoven into the narrative. Bravo Mr. Doerr, the 7-year wait was certainly worth it!

"𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑡'𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐺𝑜𝑑𝑠 𝑑𝑜," ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑦𝑠, "𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑟𝑢𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑐 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠, 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑎 𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒."

Many thanks to Scribner Books and NetGalley for gifting me with this advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this one, but Anthony Doerr's "Cloud Cuckoo Land" just didn't work for me. Every so often a major author will attempt to write their "Cloud Atlas," and that seems to be what Doerr has done here, with five characters all being connected, what we learn throughout the book. However, this just all felt a little obvious, and I found myself wanting for the novel to be over long before it was. Doerr's writing is occasionally really great, and sometimes laden with cliches making for an inconsistent read. While its ambition was clear, this just didn't hit the mark for me.

Whoa! Anthony Doerr is a master.
As I got to the last line, I wanted to immediately go back to the beginning to start again. At first, it was a little hard to settle into this book with its four stories plus a book-within-a-book story, ranging in time from the 1400s to the 2100s, but it became an experience, reading how they all entwined.
I'd love to teach a class on this book and can picture books full of analysis on the symbolism of trees and birds alone.

Cloud Cuckoo Land is a book about connection. About our shared story across time and space and identity and humanity. Powerful and mind-stretching. Gorgeous, commanding, thoughtful.

Thanks to NetGalley for the Advanced Review Copy of this one.

I appreciated Anthony Doerr's use of multiple perspective in his previous work, All the Light We Cannot See. In Cloud Cuckoo Land, he takes this up a notch. Not only do we get multiple perspectives and multiple timelines, we get multiple genres. This is a blend of literary fiction, historical fiction, sci-fi, and fantasy, with just a touch of dystopia thrown in for good measure - and it works! Each separate storyline has its own well-developed plot and characters which interweave throughout with the same"ancient book" that is crucial to them all. I especially appreciated the number of main characters  that were outcasts within their own cultures but proved their worth - both to themselves, and the greater community. Don't let the length discourage you - the pacing of the story makes it feel like a much shorter work. There was a lot of climate change science thrown into one of the plot lines which seemed to bog it down, but never for too long. Overall, a uniquely enjoyable read.

As a longtime Doerr fan, I was eager to get my hands on Cloud Cuckoo Land, and I'm not disappointed with this latest book. In his characteristically lush language, Doerr weaves together multiple stories from different points in time. In the past there is Anna, inside the walls of Constantinople and Omeir who finds himself outside the walls of the city. In the present there's Zeno whose story takes us through the Korean War into present day and Seymour whose life intersects with Zeno's under the most tragic circumstances. In the future, there's Konstance, a 14-year-old on a spaceship bound for a future off-planet. Though these characters exist under completely different circumstances, they're all bound together by a Greek manuscript known as Cloud Cuckoo Land, fragments of which are woven through Doerr's novel. The characters are also tied together by the presence of libraries, something Doerr makes clear in his dedication to "librarians then, now, and in the years to come" at the start of the novel.

As someone who writes woven narratives, I know that one of the most difficult parts is building up each thread so that readers are just as interested in the story when it shifts perspectives. Given what I've read of other reviews, this didn't work for every reader, but for my part, I was always happy to meet back up with the characters from a different storyline every time it shifted. I also know building bridges between the pieces takes mastery, and it's abundantly clear here that he's taken that level of care, weaving images and connections throughout.

My one quibble is that it does seem like this passes too closely in structures and themes to David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas, but if you liked that book, you also may find this one interesting.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Scribner for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Cloud Cuckoo Land is a literary masterpiece. I read it at the beginning of the month and I cannot stop thinking about it. It is truly one of the best books I have ever read. I read and loved Anthony Doerr’s novel All The Light We Cannot See so I had high expectations for this book and I was not let down at all. I can see myself revisiting this novel for years to come. The inscription at the beginning of the book to librarians really resonated with me.

The story follows along 6 different stories, through 6 significantly different timelines but Anthony Doerr somehow beautifully weaves all the stories and connects them all together. This is a book about love, climate change, the evolution of the human race, and most importantly, the significance of books and how they connect us all together through the test of time.

Cloud Cuckoo Land gives us magic and fantasy between it’s pages. We are brought to a different time, a different land, a different world, and are told stories/fairy tales/folklore from many different characters points of view. It is not an easy read, it is sophisticated and lengthy, yet very powerful and incredibly talented. I have no doubt that this will become a national bestseller that will be talked about for a long time.

The word 'thread' appears 35 times in Anthony Doerr's latest novel. I counted, not because I found the word overused, but because Doerr so masterfully uses the word in all its meanings, deftly weaving six different storylines across three distinct (past, present, and future) timelines and three disparate places (Constantinople, Idaho, and outer space). What a bleeping puppet-master Doerr is, holding all those threads without tangling or losing or even fraying them. The title, Cloud Cuckoo Land, comes from an ancient (fictional) Greek manuscript that captures the attention of characters across place and time, impacting each and every character. In essence, Cloud Cuckoo Land is a world within a world, potentially within yet another world. At its core is an epic story. To put it simply, it's well worthy of its 640 pages. Like me, you may even want to read it all over again.

[Thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my opinion.]

You know when a book just hurts your soul immediately, because you find you're invested in the story and the characters from the first page? This was "Cloud Cuckoo Land" for me. A stunningly thought out epic of a book, with three interconnecting time periods and sets of circumstances that are beyond the scope of what I knew a brain could do. The past, the present, and the future all come together in this beautiful, stunning story.

It isn't instantly clear how the three stories connect, but it comes closer and closer the more pages go by, and every revelation gave me chills. I highly recommend this book, and I truly hope it wins the National Book Award.

Cloud Cuckoo Land has one of the most unique premises of any book I have ever read. At its core, it is really a book about how stories can save us. Using the story of how a shepherd called Aethon strives to reach this city in the clouds, Doerr takes us through many generations of people who use this story as a means of survival. There are several points of view throughout, each taking place at a very different point in time. Anna and Omeir's story takes place in 1453 during the fall of Constantinople. Zino's story takes us through most of his life, starting in the 1940s and carrying through to 2020. Seymour's story takes place from the early 2000s to 2020. Finally, we have Konstance who is living on a starship called the Argos, en route to a new planet. Each of them has their own set of struggles and it is mainly the story of Aethon that helps them get through it. While my initial interest in this book stemmed from the historical timelines, particularly given that I absolutely adored Doerr's other work All the Light We Cannot See, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was Konstance's story that hooked me the most. This book is perfect for people who enjoy reading from a wide range of genres, but I think could also appeal to people who prefer historical fiction above all else. I will say though, that if you are going into this only because you enjoyed All the Light We Cannot See, then you may be disappointed as it is very different. My one complaint is that it is maybe a bit too long and, because of this, it took awhile to really capture my interest. Once it did though, I was hooked. I read the last 70% in one sitting.
You can find a full review on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/XAA-I9f7pYU

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr is an absolute delight. From the author of All the Light We Cannot See comes an epic tale that spans centuries and travels from Constantinople to Idaho to Korea to a spaceship hurtling towards a new planet. And tied to it all is a Greek tale written to a dying niece and pieced together over the millennia. Doerr creates worlds within worlds beautifully. Anna, Omeir, Zino, Seymour, and Konstance are all dreamers and outcasts. Yet, they all take big risks to find something more in their lives; they take risks to find something better. Interspersed is the translated tale of Aetheon, who is a lowly shepherd who has heard of a land where there is no pain, no suffering, no want. He goes through many trials to get there, and his belief in this unbelievable place never wavers. In the end, he gets there, but is it worth it? Doerr is a master at creating multiple storylines- usually, I hate the multiple narrator/ storyline, but in Doerr’s hands, I was drawn in completely to each character’s chapter. Floating on top of all the journeys, the trials, and the triumphs, was the love of the written word. The importance of books. The way stories need to be shared and passed down. As a teacher of English and a reader, I can think of no better quest than to save a long forgotten story. Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC. I cannot recommend this book enough!

Cloud Cuckoo Land is a fascinating novel that begs to be read multiple times. I finished the book and immediately turned back to the beginning. Doerr has created a masterpiece. Cloud Cuckoo Land is the title of an ancient Greek manuscript that is recounted to many different people throughout the novel. Doerr's characters have unique stories and settings. Cloud Cuckoo Land impacts them all regardless of when they lived. Doerr's writing is both clear and lyrical and his characters are endearing. Cloud Cuckoo Land is a work of art that should be enjoyed for its uniqueness and deciphered later.

Full text of review posted at https://chronicbibliophilia.wordpress.com/2021/09/28/cloud-cuckoo-land-by-anthony-doerr/

“Doerr has created a tapestry of times and places that reflect our vast interconnectedness – with other species, with each other, with those who lived before us and those who will be here after we’re gone.” – from the Scribner press release

Anthony Doerr, author of such extraordinary works as “Memory Wall” and “All the Light We Cannot See” (winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2015), returns to the scene with what is possibly his farthest reaching, most complex work yet. “Cloud Cuckoo Land” takes on a phenomenal scope, spanning time and space with astonishing ambition. The stories of Anna and Omeir in mid 15th century Turkey, Seymour and Zeno in present day Idaho, and Konstance decades from now on an interstellar ship bound for an exoplanet are all bound by a little-known and enigmatic ancient text. A deeper synopsis risks being both confounding and off-putting; this is a novel requiring the trust of an intrepid reader.

All of the key characters are outsiders in their worlds, individuals fighting for their place and somehow always able to nurture an ember of hope in the face of hopelessness, bound across time by the story of another such dreamer. Each story line is developed with such care and detailed world-building, that they could probably stand on their own. The way they are gently interlaced with such quietude, inch by inch, makes the overall work a spectacular feat.

“Why can’t healing happen as quickly as wounding? You twist an ankle, break a bone – you can be hurt in a heartbeat. Hour by hour, week by week, year by year, the cells in your body labor to remake themselves the way they were the instant before your injury. But even then you’re never the same: not quite.”

The same could be said of Doerr’s writing – its imprint remains long after the reading is done, Doerr’s words and his worlds a lasting part of the reader.

“‘Repository,’ he finally says, ‘ you know this word? A resting place. A text – a book – is a resting place for the memories of people who have lived before. A way for the memory to stay fixed after the soul has traveled on.’

His eyes open very widely then, as though he peers into a great darkness.

‘But books, like people, die too. They die in fires or floods or in the mouths of worms or at the whims of tyrants. If they are not safeguarded, they go out of the world. And when a book goes out of the world, the memory dies a second death.'”
The connective tissue of “Cloud Cuckoo Land” is an ancient text that narrowly withstands centuries. May Doerr’s creations live so long.

Thank you to Scribner for providing a complimentary Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.