Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: September 28, 2021
Anthony Doerr wowed me with his Pulitzer Prize winning World War II historical fiction novel, “All the Light We Cannot See” and I eagerly anticipated his newest release, due out in September, entitled “Cloud Cuckoo Land”. As much as I wished for it to be as jaw-dropping, knock-down amazing as “Light”, I was slightly underwhelmed with “Cloud”.
Anna is thirteen years old, living with her sister in a house of seamstresses who sew cloth and robes for priests. Outside the walls, a war rages, a war that young Omeir, hare lipped and sold to the military along with his beloved oxen, is reluctant to be a part of. Five hundred years later, a Greek translator named Zeno is teaching a beloved Greek play to young children, when Seymour, a young man struggling with what is likely autism who wants to change the world, walks into the library where Zeno is rehearsing with a gun and a backpack of bombs. All four of these characters are intricately connected by a story once thought lost in time, a Greek story called “Cloud Cuckoo Land”.
The novel itself is written almost as a collection of short stories, which each character narrating a chapter from a completely different time and place. Anna, Omeir, Seymour, Zeno and a young girl living in the future named Konstance, are all connected by one story, the original Greek book, “Cloud Cuckoo Land”. Each character on their own had enough to fashion an entire novel of their individual journeys, but tied together they personify the love of books, the power of storytelling, and pay homage to the librarians through the ages who have kept books alive.
I loved the individual characters and their stories (especially Konstance and the Zeno/Seymour storylines) and I wanted more from almost all of them. The novel was beautifully written, of course, and Doerr uses descriptive prose to intricately weave an indelible story, but there were too many instances where I was left unsatisfied. I wanted more of things left out, and less of things he included. I appreciate that the chapters were labeled, as that helped the flow of the novel, and the ending did serve to bring all of the stories together beautifully. The latter half of the novel was far more enjoyable than the first half, but it seemed to take me awhile to power through (even though the novel was less than 500 pages).
The original Greek story the novel is based around, “Cloud Cuckoo Land”, sounds intriguing in its own right but I think the snippets from the story did not need to be included, as there was enough in Doerr’s plot to give us all the description we needed.
Beautifully written, powerful and charming characters, all with the underlying theme of the love and protection of books to boot, “Cloud Cuckoo Land” was definitely worth a read. Sadly, it cannot hold a candle to its predecessor. Perhaps it would be a more enjoyable read for those who have not yet read “Light”.

Cloud Cuckoo Land, Anthony Doerr

Cloud Cuckoo Land is a brilliantly crafted work, the writing outstanding. This is not a story to be rushed, but to be savoured, like a fine aged whiskey. The novel highlights the power of the written word to bring us together and to bring moments of calm in troubled times. We follow Anna, Omeir, Zeno, Seymour, and Konstance through different times and situations, all with a common thread—the struggle to survive through the challenges that life throws our way, both outside hardships and inner demons. Woven within those five separate tales is Aethon’s story, the story of a man who pursues an ideal existence. It is this story that links our characters together.
Cloud Cuckoo Land’s characters are diverse and, while I was fully engaged with most of them, some I found more difficult to connect with. The same applies to the individual story lines. Not all were equally engaging, but all interesting enough to hold my attention. The characters and their situations evoke many and thought-provoking emotions.
The novel goes back and forth from story line to story line, with Aethon’s story interspersing throughout. At times, I did have to skip back to remind myself where I’d last left the different characters.
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“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….” From Cloud Cuckoo Land.
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Thanks to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

For the first quarter of the book, I felt like a grumpy old man lost in a world of short attention spans. It felt like too many voices, too many timelines and chapters that stopped just as they were getting going. Fortunately, I persisted, teased just enough by the glimpses of good storytelling. Then the timelines started to come to life and the thought-provoking ideas grabbed my attention. By the end, I was a big fan and recommend the book. But please persist and don't be dismayed if it takes a while to "get into it."

I did not finish this book for a number of reasons. While the writing is beautiful, I am not a fan of this genre of writing. I also found it complicating, difficult to follow, and it just did not grab my attention.

Cloud Cuckoo Land is a complex and complicated story. Three timelines with multiple characters in each and shifting POVs all tied together by a fantastical story.
The idea of this book is beautiful. It really honours the idea of stories begin able to transcend time, touch people's hearts, change minds and take you away from whatever troubles you are facing. But, I don't think a lot of people are going to get that.
There's so many thing happening that this book has way over complicated itself. You couuld probably remove at least a quarter of the book and still get to the same place. The connection between the timelines doesn't come about until the end and even then some things are left to your assumption and I had a few lingering questions.
It's beautifully written, it just needs some serious editing. I imagine a lot of people might put it down halfway through because it doesn't feel like it's going anywhere.

What an introduction to Anthony Doerr!

First of all, this book is meant to be savored, not devoured. At 650 pages, it’s better enjoyed in small bites over a long period much like a multicourse Italian family dinner. Doerr is not serving up McDonald’s fast food. Much like the importance of heading to a big dinner with an appetite, empty your head of all preconceived ideas and learn to go with the flow while appreciating Doerr’s talent. Accept what is being presented, knowing that ALL the pieces will tie together and make sense later. Frustration awaits if you ignore the suggestions!

At the core of this book is the concept of stewardship – of books, of the planet, and of each other’s heart. To showcase this concept, Doerr will transport you to the 15th century Constantinople with Anna and Omeir, to Idaho in present time with Seymour and Zeno, and to a foreign future with Konstance. All five dreamers on the edge of society are trying to make sense of the world around them and, as a result, come to rely on their resourcefulness and hope. Doerr showcases the power of a story through the ages as each come in contact with and are united by the fictional ancient manuscript, Cloud Cuckoo Land, by Antonius Diogenes.

This Herculean effort, 7 years in the writing, spans three narratives and thousands of years. Written to remind us of the importance of stories and their power to unite, this literary wonder needs to be on your radar. Put yourself in the right frame of mind and look up the definition of the title before allowing Doerr to sweep you away!

Publishes September 28, 2021.

I was generously gifted this advance copy by Anthony Doerr, Simon and Schuster Canada and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

First of all thank you to Goodreads and the publisher for allowing me to read this book. I have to be honest, I'm really not sure what I think about this book. I did enjoy the different characters and storylines throughout. Some more than others. I am still thinking about the book and reading other reviews, after I had finished reading it. So that in itself says something. Some people will not like this book. Six stories intwined together in one book, I have to commend the author, as this is not an easy feat.

I have decided that 3.5 out of 5 is a fair number, as I didn't love or hate it. I'm somewhere in-between.

This book is impossible to describe. Rating it was a little easier. This book is several stories about children coping in perilous situations and places at different times in history. Past, present and future. Extraordinarily imaginative, descriptive and emotional. I was caught up in the challenges of the children in each story. Most of the book reads as separate stories with a fable sort of providing connectiveness. Eventually, the author brings everything together, sort of, at the end. Not everyone is going to like this book but if you enjoy exploring your paradigms and finding the alikeness in the world you will find some if not all of this book intriguing and engaging. I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley and this is my voluntary and honest review. This book is scheduled to release on Sept. 28, 2021.

I loved All the Light We Cannot See (who doesn't?) so when I had a chance to get an ARC of this how could I not. The best and worst thing about this book it that it is endless - gorgeous descriptions of the most mundane happenings. This book spans centuries, people, genres and timelines and that is equally lovely and frustrating - the book was a lot to get through to, and while I deeply cared about some characters and storylines, others were just boring.

It seems to be a more common thing now to mix genres, and generally I really like that as a style. I was waiting to see the connection, and it didn't happen till the end of the book - which I'll leave you to all read without my opinion. Generally I think I really liked this book because it was very different from anything I've recently read, and I really enjoyed and feel for many of the characters. That said there was a lot going on, as intentional as that was, and the children just doing the best they can to survive was the best possible gut punch. I think the biggest challenge was that the prose got a little too repetitive and everything felt a bit too convenient by the end. That said, Doerr is clearly a master, and his writing is (as always) a delightful read. Absolutely worth a read when it comes out.

This book is incredibly ambitious and, in my view, a huge accomplishment. To say I loved it would be a massive understatement. I’m already looking forward to reading it again.

There are multiple storylines and at the beginning, you have no idea how they connect — from 15th century Constantinople to present-day Idaho to an interstellar spaceship decades in the future. And we jump around in time within those storylines too. There are also short excerpts from a (fictional) ancient Greek manuscript scattered throughout. Each episode is intrinsically enjoyable but, at the beginning, you will feel at sea. Roll with it. It all comes together — beautifully.

This novel is a beautiful ode to the precious planet we humans are busy destroying. It’s an ode to the power of books and stories. It pays homage to those who write books, translate them, protect them, read them, love them. This novel touched me deeply, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

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My one concern is about a character I think is supposed to be autistic. I won’t say anything more because I don’t want to risk spoilers, but I plan to pay attention to autistic people’s comments on this character’s portrayal.

The thing about this book is that I actually really like the qualities of the prose. It has wonderful diction, cadence, and specificity. But it also tends to change framing so casually and quickly that most of what I consume feels meaningless and my mind begins to skim or wander. There are 5 points of view and within each, including a donkey, the point of view further shifts. Stream of consciousness Interiority to omniscient head-hopping to just setting the scene before jumping next paragraph break into the head of a character again.

I began to see some interesting themes coalesce but rapidly realized I didn’t actually care about anything except the curiosity of meta-level questions. It is the most uprooted, groundless novel I’ve ever consumed and it is admirable sometimes, but also just not something that jibes with my mind, apparently. I just could not focus. I even took a weeks break from it to see if it would do me well and when I came back to it, well, the same problem, I’m sorry to say.

I usually give books I DNF 1 star but I actually do love the prose work and it does seem a case of just how my brain works. It seems most people get on with it well. I gave it more than a fair shot at 34% though, so I don’t feel too bad about moving on.

Thanks to Netgalley and the author and publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for a fair review. I expected to enjoy it quite a lot with the pitch and author, but not all books are for all people, and that’s just fine.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me of an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

There was way too much going on in this book for me. The conglomeration of different genres created an overwhelming disconnect that flooded over the fantastic character work. This was an ambitious idea that did not come to fruition and, after reading and loving All The Light We Cannot See, was an incredible, discombobulating disappointment. I will absolutely still read works from this author in the future however, this book in particular was a let down. 2.5 stars rounded down since my head is still spinning from how much happened in such a disorganized fashion. I truly wish I could have loved this book more but alas.

This is a stunning book, but it must be said that I had no sweet clue what was happening for quite some time with this one and yet, the writing is so compelling, I kept reading. There are various story lines and characters and time periods and then an ancient story woven throughout to  further complicate everything (at least in the beginning).  It almost felt like a puzzle within the book, and while I hate the feeling of confusion, I love a good challenge. So I persisted and began to get a better grasp of what was unfolding. Sort of.  I asked myself a few times “Do you really have to know what’s going on when the writing is just so vivid and beautiful?” I decided the not-knowing-yet was probably part of the author’s strategy and assured myself that “I would get there eventually.” And then I did, around the 15% mark I realized I did know what was going on and then I was really hooked!

I met Constance and Anna and Omeir and Zeno and Seymour, each unique and worth knowing, each story beautifully and sometimes tragically unfolding. There is a whole host of secondary characters in each story line who were so real in my mind as well.

I don’t want to give away too much of the story, but I will say that  it is rare for me to read a book that is told from so many multiple point of views,  without preferring one of those point of views more strongly than the others. What an almost magical surprise this book is, to realize that as each chapter ended and I felt sad to have to take a break from that character’s  story, I would then turn the page to remember a character I had almost forgotten about and then instantly felt eager to read more of that one’s story as well. This happened to me throughout the entire reading of this book. It was truly engrossing.

Each chapter is so vibrant, so full of place and time and it’s own plot line. I wondered if the author had written out each story line individually and then chopped each story up into bite size pieces and then intermixed the pieces. Of course,  I don’t know how he did it, but it doesn’t really matter…However Anthony Doerr accomplished this masterpiece, I am just thankful that he did and that it has been shared with me. I will gladly recommend this book to anyone who loves a beautifully written story, one you don’t fully figure out until the very end, and even then, one that will make you think for awhile after the last page is done.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the opportunity to read this advance copy of this glorious book.

Cloud Cuckoo Land is an enormous achievement for Anthony Doerr. As I read, I wondered how Doerr wrote this complicated, dense novel with so many endearing characters and intertwining story lines. I also wondered how this tapestry of tales would weave itself together...and then, of course it did! This novel is brilliant in it's beautifully written prose and epic in it's meassage about our world, past, present and future. It is an admirable feat to write a novel of this scope with such originality.
The novel is set in three time frames--the past in 1453, the present, and decades later in the future. There are several stories that take place in different places, in alternating narratives. The characters are compelling and they are connected to an Ancient Greek text with excerpts interspersed within the novel. Anna and Omeir's story is set in the 1400's during the siege of Constantinople, Zeno as a young boy in Idaho and later as an old man, Konstance, whose story is set in the future, and Seymour whose story is set in the same time as the elderly Zeno.
The Ancient Greek manuscript included in the novel connects our world's past, present and future. This book is definitely worth reading and deserves the concentration required to keep putting the pieces of the the puzzle together right until the end. I highly recommend this terrific and very unique novel. Bravo!

This story has three timelines, five main characters.
- In 15th century Turkey, Anna is a young orphan inside the walls of Constantinople and Omeir is a young reluctant soldier in the Ottoman army.
- In 2020, Seymour is a young environmental activist and Zeno is an old translator putting on a play based on an old weird myth alled Cloud Cuckoo Land in the local library with some fifth graders.
- In the far future, Konstance is one of the last human beings on a spaceship on its way to a distant planet.
All those stories are connected to each other, not only the contemporary characters but also through time. The myth, Cloud Cuckoo Land, is the main thing appearing in all three timelines, but there are also other little things we discover as we read. The way the threads are laid throughout the book to be pulled tightly together at the end was masterful, I loved it.

I really enjoyed this book, often found myself reading way past when I'd told myself I'd stop because I just <i>had</i> to know what happened next. All the characters were lovely and interesting, with my particular favourites being Zeno and Konstance. They all had a backstory that made you invested in their own particular aspect of the general plot.

I did knock off one star, however, because the author used the lazy "the bad guy is mentally disabled" trope.

I love the central theme of the power of books and the value of libraries. The story, however, fell flat for me. There were too many different story lines and styles going on - we went from historical fiction to contemporary to sci fi - and even multiple stories for the same people. I had high hopes because of the author but was, at the end, just glad to be done.

"Cloud Cuckoo Land" by Anthony Doerr is an authentic and emotionally charged journey through time, place, and space. It challenges readers to acknowledge the interconnectedness of history and the future while also pushing them to consider multiple perspectives. Using competing storylines, Doerr offers us insight into how our world is changing and how events can change our perceptions of humanity. Konstance, one of the main characters, explores earth's history with a bird's eye view using ultramodern technology. Konstance is able to virtually jump back to moments in history, however, she slowly realizes not everything her eyes see is true or accurate. Her time-traveling journeys enable readers to piece together seemingly unconnected events, people, and places.

The Greek myth of Aethon ties all of the characters together, a true tale of how both oral and written stories can teach people wisdom and knowledge. Stories can traverse different spaces and moments in time but remain relevant and influential.

Personally, I found "Cloud Cuckoo Land" emotionally charged. It confronted my views on climate change and made me consider the path on which our world may be headed. One of the reasons we read fiction is because it challenges us to consider diverse perspectives; it addresses tough topics via the inner dialogue of the main characters. As a teacher, I believe it is important for people to know that although they cannot physically experience the lives of others, they can have empathy towards the challenges others face. One of the ways we can understand other peoples' perceptions of the world, and in turn become more empathetic to their needs, is by reading narratives such as this. These accounts can be either fiction or non-fiction, but by reading them, we can begin to understand other peoples' immediate needs and worldviews. In my opinion, this narrative reaches deep into what it means to be human and how our needs have molded and changed throughout history. For all of the characters, the basic, life-sustaining ingredients were achieved in different ways. It is a story about survival and strength, and a story about the human condition. For me, this was the most emotional part of the narrative. I am not a climate change activist, but this book did challenge me to consider my own lived reality, as well as what the experiences of future generations might be like because of our actions today.

I would highly recommend this book to my friends and family. It was well worth my time and was a reprieve from the mundane and routine of everyday life.

I also want to thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada, Scribner for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

This was an odd story and took a little time to get into. I think there were a few too many storylines overall but in the end they all gelled together. I enjoy the authors writing and will read other books by him

Loved, loved, loved this book! Almost didn’t choose it because of the odd, childish-sounding title; but this author’s last book got such rave reviews that I had to give it a try. (I have yet to read All The Light We Cannot See).
This story revolves around an ancient Greek text which is dealt with, or read by, the characters in different times. In the end, all the storylines are brought together around the Greek story which is told in snippets throughout the book.
In the 1400’s in Constantinople, orphan Anna wheedles her way into learning to read and discovers the Greek text in an old priory. She lives inside the city and works with her sister to embroider religious cloths for a rich, but brutal sponsor. Outside Constantinople’s walls, young Omeir is working for the Sultan who is laying siege to the city. Both Anna and Omeir end up running away from the weeks-long siege and end up meeting. The text seems to help them along.
In modern times, a Korean War veteran Zeno, is spending his retirement working on translating the found text from pictures taken of it. He ends up working with grade five kids in the public library to put on a play about the work. Another regular at the library, Seymour is a teen on the autism spectrum, who is being raised by a poor single Mom. Seymour has many social issues; but in the end, the text helps him as well.
In the future, 14 year old Konstance is reading the text from her “spaceship’s” virtual library. Some sort of plague spreads throughout the ship and Anna spends time creating a new physical book while in isolation.
The five main characters are well written; each with their own compelling story. The book has many themes and is well crafted. This is my favourite book so far this year. A well-deserved 5/5!!

This is one of those books that left me speechless and in awe that a human being can create such a piece of art! The story revolves around an old Greek book about a man on a quest to find a perfect place, only to realize in the end that the world is just fine the way it is with all its imperfections. However, Anthony Doerr takes this old book, places it in the past, present, and future, and then as the book progresses he masterfully weaves all of the three stories together. By doing so, he teaches us that the world has always been and will always be full of heartache and challenges but also that there is always hope, love, and home, and they transcend the boundaries of time and space. I highly recommend this book!