I read this book two weeks ago and still keep reflecting on it. A saga that looks at the past, present and future and how they all intertwine to tell one story. The present and future storylines were really engaging and thoughtfully woven together as seen through young adult and adult eyes. The effect we are having on the planet and how people are reacting to those threats was highly engaging and thoughtful. In full transparency, I struggled a bit with the historical storyline and how the overall tale of Cloud Cuckoo Land was integrated into the greater book. For those of you who read All the Light I Cannot See by this author will recognize the insightful and intelligent dialog. The need to take a pause and think about what you're reading makes this an interactive read vs. a passive one. I'd recommend this and actually think it would make a fantastic movie. Also good for young adults as a method of teaching about the planet.

I didn't know what to expect from Anthony Doerr after the quiet brilliance of All The Light We Cannot See and, although the mind-boggling scope of this book (from centuries ago until an imagined future state) was the last thing I expected, Cloud Cuckoo Land did not disappoint. This epic and sweeping story is unlike anything I've read before. So much suffering for so many individuals across centuries of time and space, yet there is such tenderness in the storytelling that leaves the reader with profound hope. When books are broken down between different characters/storylines/perspectives from chapter-to-chapter, I often struggle when I feel more connection or interest in some more than others. But not in this book; every one of these storylines was a 5-star read for me and their connection (which becomes clearer and clearer throughout the book) was fascinating and touching. Cloud Cuckoo Land makes me want to hug a librarian, increase teachers' salaries, and have our children run the world.

A worthy follow up to a book that’s nearly impossible to top. I was engaged from beginning to end. An excellent read!!

Amazing characters. I loved that the characters had a different setting for each also different time periods for some. I was interested in reading in a time period and setting I've never read before. The 1400s is not a time period often used in historical fiction. I also love the jumping of time periods between characters.

One of the more different and interesting historical fictions I've read in a long time. Between the multiple story line and setting I was in engaged the through out the book and always wanted to keep reading.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

When a reader loves a book as much as "All the Light We Cannot See," a reader would be cautious about the author's next book. Could it really be as good?

Yes, in fact, it could even be better.

...two kids making their way through the 17th century Ottoman Empire...
...a couple of men in a twentieth century Idaho library..
...interplanetary humans traveling to repopulate another planet...
...an ancient Greek manuscript binds them all.

What a treat it was to discover new tendrils in each chapter that slowly but securely connected each story to the others. Readers might need a little patience to see the connections, but they will be richly rewarded! There was much joy among the pain; humor among the devastation. The characters were so well fleshed out, the 640(!) pages flew by.

I don't think this is a book that one can put down and come back to easily, unless the reader keeps notes. Make sure you have time to get through it, or jot some reminders if you have to take a break.

Within these pages is the story of Anna and Omeir in 15th century Constantinople, Seymour and Zeno in modern-day Idaho, and Konstance sometime in the far future, traveling to an exoplanet on a spaceship. Three different eras, five different characters, all woven together by the thread of a fictional text — Cloud Cuckoo Land, an ancient Greek tale by (a real!) Antonius Diogenes, about a man named Aethon who is on a quest to find paradise. I especially loved the beautiful writing and how captivating every one of the storylines is, a rarity with books that tend to contain more than two or so viewpoints. It’s something like I’ve never read before, with elements of fantasy, historical fiction, and science fiction, all genres that I love. However, it did take me a good chunk of the way through before iI actually became invested in the book. Each of the viewpoints seemed like their own disjointed story for quite a while but persevering to see where it all came together felt well worth it in the end. Do stick with it, reader!

“Cloud Cuckoo Land” is a reminder of the power of storytelling, capable of not only connecting us to each other in the present, but also to those far before and after us. There are a number of prominent themes, from loss, war, and prejudice, to the future of our planet — with Seymour facing the realization that we’re running out of time and Konstance navigating an entirely different world in the aftermath of climate change. And I'm more thankful than ever for those who went to extreme measures to preserve history in the past, as we now have so much information right at the tips of our fingers. Ultimately, I feel that I have much to process with this read and I’ll be thinking about it for quite some time. Definitely worth the ride.

✨✨✨ REVIEW ✨✨✨

I have never before read anything like Cloud Cuckoo Land by @anthonydoerrwriter . What an amazingly unique and powerful read. Doerr skillfully weaves together three different timelines and stories, all centered around a piece of Ancient Greek text. I was constantly trying to surmise how the three storylines would link together, and the end was so very satisfying (my guesses were all incorrect, by the way). This was not, by any means, an easy read. The story was complex and there were a great deal of intricacies to keep up with. I often found myself needing to go back and reread certain pages; this was not a burden, just a desire to ensure that I was fully digesting everything that I was reading. I enjoyed all of the storylines but was most eager to read about Konstance. I connected with her character and was anxious to see how her story would evolve. I cannot wait to see how the rest of this community will receive novel; I, for one, thought it was a masterpiece. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for Cloud Cuckoo Land

Thank you to @netgalley and @scribnerbooks for this fantastic ARC.

Amazing! I was very frustrated at first, bouncing between the stories, but im so glad i stuck with it. Received an ARC from netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

I am a big fan of Anthony Doerr’s previous works ( Memory Walls…All The Light We Cannot See) but Cloud Cuckoo Land was a total disappointment. The story was somewhat incomprehensible, confusing and way too long. Hard to recommend this to anyone

Anthony Doerr is definitely a Genius writer! I enjoyed his previous Pulitzer Prize winning novel, All the Light We Cannot See, but Cloud Cuckoo Land is even better in my opinion! He handles the multiple viewpoints and timelines and really draws the reader in.

CW: active shooter/hostage situation

Cloud Cuckoo Land is a book about books (the best kind of book?). The protagonists are linked by a shared connection to an ancient Greek text about Aethon's quest to find Cloud Cuckoo Land, a dream land in the sky. The five protagonists include Anna and Omeir on opposite sides of the Constantinople city walls during the 1453 siege, Seymour and Zeno on different sides of a hostage takeover in a 2020 Idaho public library, and Konstance sometime in the future on a ship bound for a planet far from Earth. Doerr uses 24 folios (or sections) of the rescued text about Aethon as the structure of the book, interspersing stories about the five protagonists in between, somehow magically weaving all of these stories together.

As a lover of All the Light We Cannot See, I had high expectations for this book... and it lived up to them! Similar to AtLWCS, it weaves together multiple storylines (and in this case multiple timelines), and it takes time and patience to sort through these threads. Because of this, it's certainly not an easy read - you have to invest yourself in it to get the payoff of the threads weaving together, and it is worth it!

This is a tricky one to review without giving away spoilers, so I'll highlight some of its themes:
-the precariousness of a book's life - it must stay safe from natural disaster, human destruction, the earth's elements, and so much more to survive through time. Despite this precarity, humans can protect and shepherd books throughout time, however imperfectly.
-environmental carelessness and destruction; the wastefulness of humans and the consequences of this waste; the power of technology for both guiding society and destroying it.
-the value of human connection and storytelling to bond us together, to help in difficult times, and to guide our future actions
-the pain suffered by outsiders, excluded by society, as well as their ingenuity in carving out spaces for themselves to belong.

Overall, he builds multiple vivid worlds and helps you grow invested in each of the characters. It was a beautiful book that spanned centuries, and one where multiple times he gives jaw-dropping revelations that link the story together. I remain a fan of Doerr!

Thanks to Scribner and Netgalley for the eARC of this book.
Book release: Sept 28

Anthony Doerr's previous novel "All the Light We Cannot See", was deservedly touted as a luminous piece of fiction. Doerr's latest book, "Cloud Cuckoo Land is a very ambitious novel, which ranges from 1450 Constantinople, to current day America, to a space station in a pandemic-like situation. The thread of Greek writer Diogenes wraps through all three time periods, and Anthony Doerr is able to cleverly bring to life very disparate settings and characters, and even more cleverly give them common events and characteristics.
This is not a book to read casually, it takes concentration and engagement to put the pieces of this historical mosaic together.

Beautiful writing. Very well drawn characters with an interesting premise at illustrates the power of story.

This is a beautiful work of fiction with a unique concept and exquisite writing. It is a mix of multiple stories that span centuries and eventually converge in an unexpected way. Be patient as you begin reading, as it takes some time for the stories to develop. Your patience will be rewarded; this is the kind of book to read slowly, to savor, and to think about long after finishing.
Thank you to NetGalley and to Scribner for the advance e-galley.

What an epic tale! Spanning from 15th C Constantinople to present day Idaho to life on a spaceship in the future, the story Doerr weaves connects each character to an ancient Greek story, and to each other. A story about growing up and about going to great lengths to find answers that sometimes are closer than we realize. A story about being human and the complicated world we've created--"that we are all beautiful even as we are all part of the problem, and that to be a part of the problem is to be human." A uniquely told story, beautifully written. 5 stars!

The writing of this is absolutely amazing. So different from All the Light We Cannot See but still the same detailed prose. I truly enjoy Doerr’s writing.

I did enjoy this book. The multiple story lines were a tad confusing at times, and the burn to get them to converge is slow. It felt like most of the action happened in the last bit. But ultimately this was a very unique story and I plan on making this a book club read!

There are three interrelated storylines held together by a common thread: an ancient (fictional) manuscript by Antonius Diogenes, entitled <i>Cloud Cuckoo Land,</i> which is a picaresque story about a shepherd’s journey to a utopia in the heavens.

Anna lives in an embroidery house in 15th century Constantinople. She is recruited to raid an old library where she finds valuable ancient manuscripts. Omeir lives with his grandfather in a remote region. He and his oxen are conscripted into the Ottoman army to help pull a large canon for an attack on Constantinople. Anna’s and Omeir’s stories eventually intersect.

Seymour lives in current times in Idaho. He is distraught when a forest that he loves is destroyed in order to construct a housing development. He becomes an environmental activist. Zeno is an amateur translator and a former soldier in the Korean war. He is working with children performing <i>Cloud Cuckoo Land</i> in the local library. Seymour’s and Zeno’s stories converge.

Konstance is on a spaceship traveling to what will become a new human settlement on a remote plant. She becomes trapped in a vault with access to a virtual library. The narratives are woven together in patchwork style. The ancient manuscript plays a role in all five stories. I recently read a book where this approach did not quite work, but here it works beautifully.

The book comes in at around 650 pages and is organized in short chapters. It takes a while for the separate stories to gel, and for the reader to discern how they are interrelated. Doerr’s writing is lively and intelligent. If you have previously read <i>All the Light We Cannot See,</i> do not expect anything remotely similar (except for the writing, which is outstanding).

It involves nested stories and is mixture of myths, historical fiction, science fiction, travel, ethical quandaries, and relationships. It tackles interesting themes: the power of literature to unite people across cultures and time periods, environmentalism, and the human desire to seek utopia. It will appeal to those who enjoy creative, quirky, playful, thought-stimulating stories. I loved it.

Twitter.com@falstaff25

Because I loved All the Light We Cannot See, I was eager to read this text. Cloud Cuckoo Land follows a similar narrative style of interconnecting and parallel character development. This novel is more complicated, but I really enjoyed the themes of translation, living texts, saving of art and literature, the enduring role of classics in our culture, and so much more. I loved the characters—
Zeno and Anna and Omeir. I loved the parallel settings of Constantinople-Istanbul — imagining that city changing from
Christian/western to Islamic-Eastern is easier looking at Lakeport’s gentrification as a resort town. The Reality of Climate change puts the real in this realistic fiction. Doerr’s novels require an investment because of the multiple storylines, but that slow burn develops into a rich story that I didn’t want to put down.

The author's writing is wonderful. I enjoyed the characters and stories, but it was A LOT. Lots of moving parts and stories jumping from different points in time. Although they came together beautifully in the end, it was many stories intertwined and took much focus to follow. This is a book I would suggest reading when you have time to get through in a few days as it is hard to pick up and put down. I really like the style of the author and will give a listen for a second time. Many things will likely be easier to follow after the first read.

Cloud Cuckoo Land is hard to define--science fiction? fantasy? historical fiction? suspense? It's a mix of disparate stories and characters across centuries and continents that somehow all comes together in the end. Because the novel bounces between such varying stories, I felt like I had to read quickly or risk getting them mixed up. However, each story was so interesting and engaging, that I was sad when the author bounced to the next story. I was intrigued to see how all the characters and their plots came together, circling around this one ancient text. The part I had a hard time with, unfortunately, was the ancient text itself. The excerpts from the found and translated Diogenes text just did not seem believable--I'm no expert in classical Greek texts, but I've read more than my fair share of Homer and Sophocles and just wasn't buying that an ancient Greek would write like that (and obviously, this is fiction, so no ancient Greek actually wrote that). I ended up skimming the Diogenes text, but as a narrative device to bring all the other webs of stories together, it worked great.