Cloud Cuckoo Land
By Anthony Doerr
- Release Date: 2021-09-28
- Genre: Literary Fiction
Description
On the New York Times bestseller list for over 20 weeks * A New York Times Notable Book * A National Book Award Finalist * Named a Best Book of the Year by Fresh Air, Time, Entertainment Weekly, Associated Press, and many more
“If you’re looking for a superb novel, look no further.” —The Washington Post
From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of All the Light We Cannot See, comes the instant New York Times bestseller that is a “wildly inventive, a humane and uplifting book for adults that’s infused with the magic of childhood reading experiences” (The New York Times Book Review).
Among the most celebrated and beloved novels of recent times, Cloud Cuckoo Land is a triumph of imagination and compassion, a soaring story about children on the cusp of adulthood in worlds in peril, who find resilience, hope, and a book.
In the 15th century, an orphan named Anna lives inside the formidable walls of Constantinople. She learns to read, and in this ancient city, famous for its libraries, she finds what might be the last copy of a centuries-old book, the story of Aethon, who longs to be turned into a bird so that he can fly to a utopian paradise in the sky. Outside the walls is Omeir, a village boy, conscripted with his beloved oxen into the army that will lay siege to the city. His path and Anna’s will cross.
In the present day, in a library in Idaho, octogenarian Zeno rehearses children in a play adaptation of Aethon’s story, preserved against all odds through centuries. Tucked among the library shelves is a bomb, planted by a troubled, idealistic teenager, Seymour. This is another siege.
And in a not-so-distant future, on the interstellar ship Argos, Konstance is alone in a vault, copying on scraps of sacking the story of Aethon, told to her by her father.
Anna, Omeir, Seymour, Zeno, and Konstance are dreamers and outsiders whose lives are gloriously intertwined. Doerr’s dazzling imagination transports us to worlds so dramatic and immersive that we forget, for a time, our own.
Reviews
not as exciting
3By MarcelMomExcessively long and convoluted for me. I loved all the light you cannot see, and this new book did not measure up to that for me.A Must Read
5By akessel56This story is written so well and it’s so moving. It’s an old theme, but super well done.Not sure was hard to tie together until the end
3By ftv185Came together at the end, might be good to read it againAmazing
5By jckidd2One of my favorite books of all timeHighly recommended
5By GladeolaI rejected this book several times before purchasing it because I’m not into sci-fi or fantasy, and frankly the title was a turn-off for me. By the second chapter, however, I was hooked. The past, present, and future plots are woven together with incredible skill, the character development is outstanding, and the ending is superb. I bet you’ll love it, too.Disappointing
1By UzzielI loved all of Doerr’s previous masterpieces. This one was such a disappointment. I felt like I was reading an whacko-environmentalist sermon disguised as a novel. I’d give it zero stars if I could.Fascinating
4By kate450An incredible tale woven by a master storyteller.Captivating Read
5By PR vibeSo very interesting how several storyline threads are woven into a tapestry which is antique and modern at the same time.Wow
5By nikoufazeli2Loved itPsychosis or the power of storytelling
4By LeonF63This book is hard to invest in due to the multiple characters in different times, past, present, and future. You spend a significant part of the novel's first half trying to build empathy with the protagonists, but their point-of-view is short and seemingly unconnected to the other segments. It feels to me that the use of classic Greek is an intentional throwback to the oral history tradition you encounter with The Odyssey and Iliad, which I believe is the intention of this novel. A story presented as a tale told about a history lived. The value of the work is not in the individual lives but in the totality of the woven tapestry, with each life contributing color and texture to the whole. In this recognition, stories from before the common era got to us in 2022 because many people touched them, cared for them, and passed them on. The strength of humankind is our ability to tell stories that carry forward and become knowledge and entertainment many times removed from the source. The book is a bit of a slog until you invest in the characters. The end, however, is worth the work. A connection that, in the end, frees the future protagonist.