Cloud Cockoo Land is a beautifully written book that has three different storylines taking place centuries apart yet they intertwine effortlessly. I truly love the past present and future aspect of this book. Anthony Doerr does it so beautifully with a hint of science fiction to add another dimension. To me Cloud Cockoo Land is perfection and in the my favorites of 2021!

Cloud Cuckoo Land is the name of an ancient manuscript that weaves its way through Anthony Doerr’s new novel of the same name. Each of the characters puts great stock in the myth that unites them: an outlandish story of a man who becomes a fish, a donkey, and a crow in pursuit of Cloud Cuckoo Land, a heavenly world where there is no suffering. In alternating chapters, each character shepherds the manuscript through their own time.

In the future, there is Konstance, a girl living in a generation ship who has just faced the heartbreaking reality that her generation will never see the planet the ship is meant for. Seymour is a modern-day high school student whose sensitivities are vastly and tragically misunderstood. Zeno, a Korean war veteran who was, as a boy, taunted for both his ethnicity and his sexuality, learns Greek in a POW camp and translates the manuscript in present-day Iowa. Anna, an orphaned girl living in Constantinople in the 1400s, picks up reading (and thieving) like a sponge but cannot master the embroidery upon which her livelihood depends. Finally, there is Omeir, a boy whose cleft palate signals danger to his rural neighbors, but who is cloaked in his grandfather’s love. Each encounters the manuscript and is enchanted by the possibilities it holds, the ability it has to soothe the sick, to unite the cast-off people of society, and to provide respite from the world at hand. The characters are also united by a moment where they must break free of the path society has set for them and act—a moment that mirrors the hero’s final decision in the manuscript to which they’ve all been drawn.

There is less of a linear plot in this novel than in All the Light We Cannot See, and it will perhaps appeal to a narrower audience because it essentially preaches to the choir. It is a book about the glory of finding a story that speaks to you, wraps you up in its world of words, and allows you to be more than you would have been without having travelled through its ideas. If you liked Geraldine Brooks’ The People of the Book or E. Annie Proulx’s Accordion Crimes, this might be for you.

Review posted to Goodreads

Some people are going to absolutely love this novel. It took me a while to find my groove with it as the different characters/storylines felt a bit exhausting in the beginning. There's a mix of science fiction, historical fiction, etc. so it's all across the board. It did keep me entertained and I liked how the stories finally intertwined.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a treat to read! Three different storylines centuries apart - eventually they all converge and the entire book makes sense. Reading this is like watching a magician who forms a whole out of parts.

Two thoughts came to my mind after finishing #CloudCuckooLand, Anthony Doerr’s magical follow up to his Pulitzer winning All The Light We Cannot See : 1) How marvelously original, and 2) How marvelously derivative . What do I mean ? Original, in that for me the story', which continually shifts between past, present,and future never loses its narrative drive , and derivative, in that Mr. Doerr shows he’s done his homework and has read some of our most memorable and influential authors. For instance, Doerr proves he is a member of Kurt Vonnegut’s Karass. Huh ? Cat’s Cradle : teams that do God’s Will without ever discovering what they are doing. This is a perfect representation of the multitude of the characters in #CloudCuckooLand to say nothing of the karass. theme song : Nice, nice, very nice, so many different people in the same device. I haven’t read Cat’s Cradle in about thirty years but a terrific book like #CloudCuckooLand gets the brain going and revives long lost memories. In that sense one might say CCL is an adult book for kids, while also being a kid’s book for adults. It most certainly is a twenty first century fairy tale with plenty of meat on its bones. Go ahead, give it a taste.

Tears, then more tears, then more tears still. Sometimes it was sad sometimes it was just the sheer beauty of the book. Spanning the past, present, and the future it revolves around the story of an ancient text that as the reader you get to enjoy with the characters. This book IS NOT All the Light We Cannot See, but is written with the same elegance. There is a slight possibility science fiction element to the book, but not enough to turn off any reader who does not like the genre. A huge thank you to Anthony Doerr and Scribner/Simon and Schuster for the advanced copy. This is now my favorite book of 2021. I do not know if it will win the Pulitzer, like his previous book, it should.

Anthony Doerr wrote one of my favorite books: "All the Light We Cannot See." As a result, I was honored and very excited to be able to read this book ahead of publication via NetGalley.

The cover of this book is gorgeous and eye-catching. It draws you into its world. I would often look for images of it online as I read, reminding myself of its beauty and hope. The reason I did that is because there is a long thread of melancholy throughout this story. Each of the protagonists, suffers in some way during their unique time frame in a unique location. Many of the perspectives are from when they were young. I did not have trouble following the separate perspectives because Doerr is a master at his craft. At the same time, I did not feel eager to get back to the book each time I took a break. Someone who can handle the heaviness of the storyline may be more engaged.

PROS: Very well written, not graphic in its depictions of violence, many heavy themes handled sensitively, glimmers of hope, overall message positive, love of stories is conveyed, libraries honored.

CONS: Very long, seemingly bleak at times, almost too many modern-day themes for reader to juggle, difficult to relate to some of the characters.

Overall, I still admire Doerr as an author, although this was not my favorite volume of his. I will read whatever he comes up with next because he is a wordsmith who values language. As a linguist, I did appreciate the exploration of how a work of literature in Greek is translated into English. I'm grateful to have been given the opportunity through NetGalley and Scribner to read it.

Who doesn't love Anthony Doerr? Cloud Cuckoo Land is his next masterpiece and is quite the tome - right out of the gate, kindly leave your expectations at home. They do not belong here. Enjoy the spontaneity, the ride, the breathtaking ending.

I doubted if I was smart enough to put these pieces together, but don't force it. The work will be done for you. Just know there are 3 time periods and 5 main characters:

*13 year old Anna, an orphan and seamstress
*Omeir, a village boy with a facial deformity
*Zeno, prisoner of war and soft-hearted
*Seymour, troubled teenager with a sensory disorder
*Konstance, a girl from the future, stuck alone, angry, and curious

Don't rush this, and please, consider it for your winter TBR. I call this type of read "slow-cooked." The more time that passes after you've read it, the more endearing it becomes. The first 30 % of this book can feel overwhelming and confusing. The next 30% feels leisurely and thoroughly enjoyable. Things are coming together in the following 30% and the last 10 % will absolutely blow your mind! Fantastic adventure!

This book was just incredible! It is definitely a slow burn, and took a few days to really understand what was going on and who the characters were, but once I was in, I was IN. Like All the Light We Cannot See, final 1/3 or so of the book is unputdownable!

We have characters in the distant past in Constantinople, characters in the 20th century and present times, and the distant future aboard a space ship. It sounds nuts, but Doerr is such a talented storyteller, he makes the commonalities seem effortless and beautiful. This story tracks various connections to an Ancient Greek story "Cloud Cuckoo Land" as humans throughout time experience the story, work to save it, translate it, act it out, etc.

This is a huge book, but definitely a huggable one when you get to the end and realize all of the connections these characters have with the story and each other throughout time. This is also one of the only books I've read that I immediately wanted to go back and start again from the beginning. Truly a masterpiece!

This tale was a bit slow moving, in my opinion. The narrative was awkward and strained. I didn’t hate the book, the subject matter being interesting, so will try this author again.
Thanks for the ARC opportunity.

This was a simply brilliant book.

I found all the separate storylines compelling and the way the ancient script united all the characters kept me going even if there were moments of uncertainty/confusion.

Doerr has a way of writing about violence without gore, and he infuses humanity into every character--from the ox tender with the heart of gold to the imprisioned soldiers motivated to live for academia.

I'll be recommending this for a long time.

"There is magic in this place. You just have to sit and breathe and wait."

This book was wonderful, heart breaking, and magical all at the same time. It is not a quick read. It's one that you let simmer as it pulls you into both the mundane and harrowing yet meaningful parts of people's lives. Anthony Doerr perfectly and intricately wove together tales from across the world and across centuries that show how stories and books truly connect us and how they can be a balm for the soul.

ARC provided by NetGalley & the publisher—Scribner—in exchange for an honest review.

Doerr does it again! I genuinely adore and love this story. The writing, the characters, the complexities, the themes...masterfully crafted. If you love All the Light We Cannot See, you will also love Cloud Cuckoo Land.

Setting: Across 3 different timelines (Constantinople in the 1400's, a present-day contemporary story in Idaho and the Korean War, and then sometime in the future in space).

Characters: This is where Doerr shines. Omeir, a hairlipped male who connects more with animals than people. Anna, a female who loves her sister, is an orphan, and learns at a young age how to read and has a general sense of curiosity about the world. Seymour, an anxiety-ridden male who may also be autistic (not explicitly called out, but lots of mention of sensory sensitivity). Neno, a closeted man who served in Korea, fell in love with language, and lives a modest life. Konstance, a young girl in space who thinks that maybe there is something more to life than hurtling through space to inhabit a new planet because Earth has been destroyed. But these are only the main human characters. There are a plethora of side human characters as well. Arguably some of my favorite characters are the non-human counterparts. There is Trustyfriend, a great grey owl in Idaho. Moonlight and Tree, the reliable twin oxen companions for Omeir. Sybil, the gigantic AI "conscious" of the spacecraft where Konstance lives. All are masterfully crafted, unique, fully formed, and realistic. A+ to Doerr!

Plot: Across multiple timelines, these characters each encounter their own coming of age stories, connected through the work The Birds by Aristophanes. I don't want to give a lot away because the way this story unfolds is in part what makes it so beautiful. I will say, I think this is what The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern wanted to be, but this actually had a point. Not to criticize Morgenstern's work, as it has lyrical prose that rivals most, but at the end of that story I felt like "what did I read?" whereas at the end of Cloud Cuckoo Land I had a very satisfactory reaction. Also, as an owl lover, I greatly appreciated the symbolism of owls throughout the story as well.

Themes: Interactions between humans and nature, What it means to be human, Drive/persistence of "life finds a way", the desire for seeking more beyond what we have today, interactions/juxtaposition between nature v technology and life v destruction, Love, the concept that some things can disappear in a blink while others, but for the grace of god, persist.

Tropes/Devices: multiple timelines, a story about stories, character-driven plot, beautiful writing

Criticism: I will say at 650 pages this is a chunky book! There could have been a little more editing in some of the chapters to parse it down a bit, but I do think that everything connected well at the end. I like the use of The Birds throughout, but at times it did become a little wearing. Also, many of the characters do die in the story, but none of these were full on surprises to the reader, as Doerr would plant the seeds or flat out tell you of "future events to come" earlier in other timelines. Sometimes I'd rather have the story unfold "without spoilers", but it worked alright in this piece I suppose.

Final thoughts: I was in a bit of a reading slump before picking this up. It helped snap me out of that slump and I savored this while reading it. I can tell why Doerr took so much time between this novel and All the Light -- truly a piece of art.

All the Light We Cannot See is one of my top five reads of all time and so I was ecstatic when I was approved for an ARC of Doerr’s newest book on Netgalley.

And then I spent the first 100 pages super confused about what was happening. Some storylines really drew me in and others felt like they abruptly pulled me out of the story and felt disjointed. I get what the author was trying to accomplish, but I don’t think the payoff was there in the end. The storylines didn’t culminate in such a way that justified having six of them.

In the end I wish he had focused on 2 (or maybe 4) of the storylines, I think it would’ve been enough.

I received a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This beautifully woven tale of a story that travels through time, from Ancient Greece, to the 1400s, to the present day, and to the future. The draw of a good book, and the treasures held in libraries, and the joy of passing down a story through the years are all background themes as Cloud Cuckoo Land unrolls. I had trouble putting the story down, and I look forward to rereading it with my book club.

Cloud Cuckoo Land is a book about societies on the brink of disaster. Linking each these narratives is the ancient Greek story of Aethon, an Odysseus-like figure whose journey is told both in-between chapters as well as through the characters' narratives. Aethon's story, aptly titled Cloud Cuckoo Land, unites the individual disaster narratives by reminding readers about the passage of time and how the past is preserved and carried into the future.

Anna is an orphaned child living within Constantinople in the years leading up to the Ottoman Empire's siege of the city, which had previously been thought to be impenetrable. Omeir is a boy ripped from his home and conscripted to fight for the Sultan. As the army gathers outside of the city and a massive new cannon is aimed at the walls, residents are forced to reckon with the impending destruction of life as they know it. As the walls begin to crumble, Anna smuggles out a copy of Aethon's story as a monument to what once was using Omeir as an unlikely accomplice.

Zeno is a young boy growing up in Lakeport, Idaho who joins the army during the Korean War and quickly becomes a POW in a Chinese camp. While there he meets Rex, a fellow British POW and former classics instructor, who teaches Zeno Greek letters and translation to pass the time and keep one another sane. Many years later, Zeno uses these skills to translate the newly discovered papyrus containing Aethon's story, buried by Omeir nearly 500 years prior. When it is complete he and a group of children put on its production in the Lakeport library as a way to pass on the tale. On the last day of rehearsals, a young man named Seymour plants a bomb in the library hoping to send a message about the overdevelopment of the area, the destruction of wildlife, and the impending disasters wrought by climate change.

Finally, Konstance is a child living aboard Argos, a spaceship containing what readers are led to believe are some of the last humans in existence forced to flee a not-so-distant future version of earth that has been destroyed by climate change. Konstance passes her time exploring a digitized version of earth available to the ship's inhabitants, until a deadly contagion permeates the crew and she must use Aethon's story relayed to her by her father to recalibrate her perception of life and the future.

If this feels like a lot, it's because it is. However, Doerr is a masterful writer who is able to connect stories so seemingly removed from one another, while at the same time addressing larger themes about human resilience in the face of inevitable demise. I am usually not a big fan of books that address disaster and apocalypses so directly, but the varied ways that Doerr approaches the subject makes for a beautiful and haunting story.

The review can be found at my blog here: https://bookhouseblog.substack.com

This is the sort of book that leaves you with that warm-honey-flowing-through-your-veins feeling, but also with a nagging sense that you won't be reading anything this good any time soon.

I have to be one of the only people I know that didn't read All the Light We Cannot See - I put it off for years and then it became one of those "everyone else read and loved it and now it can only be a letdown" type of books for me, but knowing how beloved that book is, I was excited to dive deep into Cloud Cuckoo Land. It exceeded every expectation. The writing is beautiful: poetic, intense, lovely, the kind of passages I'll re-read ten times just to savor a few turns of phrase.

Other reviews and the publisher summary do an excellent job condensing the plot, so what I'll say is this: Cloud Cuckoo Land is a story about outsiders and dreamers, characters hoping for a better future while longing for a cherished version of the past. There's the obvious theme of human-wrought destruction: climate change, war, many others. And in the face of this suffering, each of the primary characters serves as a steward: of animals, of the environment, of an ancient story that knits its way through each of their lives in unexpected and fantastic ways. I cared so deeply for kind-hearted, gentle Zeno and curious, fiery Konstance. I even empathized with the antagonist, insofar as he can be considered such. It's perfection.

Truly I don't think I have the words to do this review any justice, but I can see myself evangelizing for this book for years.

I absolutely loved Anthony Doerr's previous book, All the Light We Cannot See and recommended it to all my family and friends to read. Needless to say, I was extremely excited to receive Cloud Cuckoo Land. The story was enveloping--I could NOT put it down, as I cared for each character and silently cheered them on! Sometimes the chapters ended too quickly and I wished I could have spent more time with that character before moving onto the next. I loved that this book is about libraries, books and librarians as they have a positive effect on so many lives.

Have you ever read a book and you just think : "what a breathtaking and captivating read"? Well, that is exactly what I think after I read All The Light We Cannot See years ago, and now, I think of it again after I read Cloud Cuckoo Land. It's really amazing to think that there are people who can write a book beautifully, and luckily, Anthony Doerr is one of the best among them. Words can't describe how beautiful this book is, but what I do know : if you haven't read Anthony Doerr's books yet, you should give it a try and I guarantee that you will never regret you made the decision. I love that this book centers around a magical Greek-based story, and the cover adds the magical realism to the book. Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for the free ARC, and also to Anthony Doerr for writing such a beautiful book❤. I am really grateful I got to read this beautiful and oh-so-remarkable book.

Do you ever let out a deep exhale after finishing a book? The type of exhale where you know you are forever changed, in even the smallest way, by experiencing that book? The story has come to an end on paper but begins a new life in your cognitive life experience. I let out this exhale after finishing 'All the Light We Cannot See', and the same contemplative exhale after finishing 'Cloud Cuckoo Land'.

Doerr has written another masterful piece in which stories are spun together with fine silk prose, connecting one character's story to the next. I initially raised an eyebrow at the thought of exploring multiple characters across three distinct time periods without the story turning too convoluted or losing the depth and meaning Doerr is known for. Any initial trepidation I had was abated two chapters in, and I was instantly engulfed in the worlds the story creates. This story goes above time to deeply connect the reader to the fragility of life, the chaos, and confusion of what it means to be quintessentially human and is a literary morsel to be savored. By far, one of my all-time favorite books, you will not be disappointed.