Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel
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- Create Date：2021-06-14 12:31:27
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Anthony Doerr
- ISBN：1797128523
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Summary
From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of All the Light We Cannot See， perhaps the most bestselling and beloved literary fiction of our time， comes a triumph of imagination and compassion， a soaring novel about children on the cusp of adulthood in a broken world， who find resilience， hope， and story。
The heroes of Cloud Cuckoo Land are trying to figure out the world around them: Anna and Omeir， on opposite sides of the formidable city walls during the 1453 siege of Constantinople; teenage idealist Seymour in an attack on a public library in present day Idaho; and Konstance， on an interstellar ship bound for an exoplanet， decades from now。 Like Marie-Laure and Werner in All the Light We Cannot See， Anna， Omeir， Seymour， and Konstance are dreamers and outsiders who find resourcefulness and hope in the midst of peril。
An ancient text—the story of Aethon， who longs to be turned into a bird so that he can fly to a utopian paradise in the sky—provides solace and mystery to these unforgettable characters。 Doerr has created a tapestry of times and places that reflects 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。
Dedicated to “the librarians then， now， and in the years to come，” Cloud Cuckoo Land is a hauntingly beautiful and redemptive novel about stewardship—of the book， of the Earth， of the human heart。
The heroes of Cloud Cuckoo Land are trying to figure out the world around them: Anna and Omeir， on opposite sides of the formidable city walls during the 1453 siege of Constantinople; teenage idealist Seymour in an attack on a public library in present day Idaho; and Konstance， on an interstellar ship bound for an exoplanet， decades from now。 Like Marie-Laure and Werner in All the Light We Cannot See， Anna， Omeir， Seymour， and Konstance are dreamers and outsiders who find resourcefulness and hope in the midst of peril。
An ancient text—the story of Aethon， who longs to be turned into a bird so that he can fly to a utopian paradise in the sky—provides solace and mystery to these unforgettable characters。 Doerr has created a tapestry of times and places that reflects 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。
Dedicated to “the librarians then， now， and in the years to come，” Cloud Cuckoo Land is a hauntingly beautiful and redemptive novel about stewardship—of the book， of the Earth， of the human heart。
Reviews
Reso914
，
This book deserves 10 stars。
Shawn
，
Is it sci-fi？ *KindaIs it historical fiction？ *Some of itIs it a call to action on the environment and an exploration of the connection between humans and the environment that is collapsing？ *That tooIs it a week worn piece of fiction that leaves you thinking and weaves together the lives of disparate protagonists and one （fictional？） story to create something greater than the sum of its parts？ * Definitely。 Cloud Cukoo Land by Anthony Doerr is a complex book with a message as deceivingly simple Is it sci-fi？ *KindaIs it historical fiction？ *Some of itIs it a call to action on the environment and an exploration of the connection between humans and the environment that is collapsing？ *That tooIs it a week worn piece of fiction that leaves you thinking and weaves together the lives of disparate protagonists and one （fictional？） story to create something greater than the sum of its parts？ * Definitely。 Cloud Cukoo Land by Anthony Doerr is a complex book with a message as deceivingly simple as the riddle which forms a turning point in the story。 It is a book about finding your place and yourself。 It is， ultimately， about life。 The main characters slowly build as Doerr jumps from a young girl on a space ark hurtling away from Earth to a 15th century boy with a cleft palate， to a old Greek man， to a modern young boy （with autism？）。 We watch as each of these characters move their lives and eventually see what corrects them and in some ways how we are all connected。 I admit that the cook started a bit slowly for me， but by the time ask the characters had been truly introduced， I was hooked。 I recommend this book to anyone who is willing to see the world through eyes not their own。Thank you to the publisher （Simon & Schuster） and Netgalley for the chance to read an advance copy of this book。 。。。more
Jen
，
Beautiful。 Need to savour this one as you read it to catch all the nuances。 Took me a few chapters to see where it was going， but once I did， I became invested in the story。 Zeno is a wonderful character， but all of their stories got to me。 Wonderfully written。
Ashlee Bree
，
I am absolutely enraptured！ I am almost rendered speechless！ Cloud Cuckoo Land deserves to be exalted atop a cloud of literary prestige with the best books ever written for company because it is simply remarkable。 Phenomenal。 Exceptional。 I am losing my mind because all I want to do is settle into this novel's spine and stay there， forever。 I want to bottle its perfection， open it only so I can soar back into its gossamer depths again and again。The lush， philosophical prose！ The themes！ The rive I am absolutely enraptured！ I am almost rendered speechless！ Cloud Cuckoo Land deserves to be exalted atop a cloud of literary prestige with the best books ever written for company because it is simply remarkable。 Phenomenal。 Exceptional。 I am losing my mind because all I want to do is settle into this novel's spine and stay there， forever。 I want to bottle its perfection， open it only so I can soar back into its gossamer depths again and again。The lush， philosophical prose！ The themes！ The riveting character histories and connections！ I don't even know where to begin， honestly。 Doerr has exceeded his best here。 Better than All The Light We Cannot See， I'd argue， which won the Pulitzer。 He has created an intricate tapestry in this novel that not only threads together the past with the present， and the present with the future， but he also transcends genre - quite literally treading across multiple different ones on a trapeze - to underline the enduring， transportive power of the written word。 He provides stirring commentary on reading， on learning， on the ability to imagine trekking across mythical worlds。 More than anything， though， he writes about books。 About libraries。 He writes about the preservation of stories and how they can ricochet from one century into the next， giving comfort， providing escapism， provoking creativity， and instilling hope for a better tomorrow in the people who read them。The true mastery of this book， at least for me， is the way in which Doerr flushes out five different narrative perspectives in three separate time periods。 There's Omeir and Anna in 1450's Constantinople， Zeno and Seymour in present day Idaho， and Konstance who's aboard an intergalactic shuttle called the Argos in the future。 It's a lot to balance。 It's even harder to weave all of those cross-genre threads together in a manner that's both narratively and thematically cohesive。 Yet， again， the author manages to do so with tender， thoughtful skill。 Each character， every storyline， draws readers in to expose profoundly human longings， successes， mistakes， and warnings。 Everything stokes， stirs。 There's not a single element that fails to resonate in some way。The overall effect is simply breathtaking because the characters appear to be unconnected in the beginning。 Their journeys seem to be separate。 Divided。 Yet it was so easy to get swept up in Konstance's feelings of isolation， in Omeir's sense of shame or "otherness" because he was born with a cleft palate。 I enjoyed being along for Anna's ache for knowledge， for Zeno's search for identity， for Seymour's Trustyfriend adventures and Save The Planet activism。 I grew attached to them all。 I cannot tell you how many times my heart twinged in my chest or tears pricked the corner of my eyes because of all they had experienced or were suffering。 It felt like I was gifted five independent stories for the price of one。It also seemed impossible at first that these people - who are separated by age， race， gender， time period， and experience， among other things - could have anything in common， but they did。 They do。 Over the course of the story the author slowly peels back the layers。 It's such a delicate， absorbing unraveling， too。 Little by little， piece by piece， he unveils how every one of them has been touched by the magic and perseverance of one ancient text。 It's so， so moving！ There's no way to predict in what ways the past， present， and future will connect let alone how certain characters' storylines will converge。 I'm still marveling about how it all comes together in the end。 I don't rate many titles 5 stars but this one buried its talons in deep， transported me to a pantheon of imaginative awe。 I cannot stop thinking about it， dreaming about it， or screaming about it to anyone who will listen。 That's how much I loved it。 That's how deeply it's woven around the bedrock of my soul now。Overall， Cloud Cuckoo Land was such an emotionally propulsive， imaginative， examining， metaliterature triumph in storytelling that I would dump an entire thesaurus worth of commendation on it if I could。 I'm floored by how incredible it was。 One of the best books I've ever had the privilege to read。 In fact， if someone were to ask me if it's "really that good" I'd have to say， no， it isn't， it's a million times better than you could dare to dream or imagine - so what are you waiting for？ Fly like the bird Aethon wanted to be and procure yourself a copy already！Many thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC in exchange for my review。 BOOK BLOG 。。。more
Ricki Brodie
，
Anthony Doerr has created a story of a man seeking to become a bird an enjoy an idyllic existence， by a fictional Diogenes， that surfaces in the fourteen hundreds in Constantinople， present day Idaho and an intergalactic spaceship in the future。 You have to wonder how these disparate time frames can coalesce into a cohesive story。 Doerr makes it work with five points of view and a translation of the ancient text to move the stories forward。 The book crosses genres including historical fiction， c Anthony Doerr has created a story of a man seeking to become a bird an enjoy an idyllic existence， by a fictional Diogenes， that surfaces in the fourteen hundreds in Constantinople， present day Idaho and an intergalactic spaceship in the future。 You have to wonder how these disparate time frames can coalesce into a cohesive story。 Doerr makes it work with five points of view and a translation of the ancient text to move the stories forward。 The book crosses genres including historical fiction， crime fiction and science fiction to unite in literary perfection。 From Anna， an orphan who finds solace in reading， stuck in Constantinople during the siege， to Omeir， a cleft palate teen， who has a way with oxen， recruited to help pull the instruments of war to overtake the city， to Seymour， a seventeen year old who tries to bomb a library in Idaho where eighty-six year old Zeno， the translator of the text is leading a group of students in producing it as a play， to Konstance， a fourteen year old hearing the story from her father on a spacecraft， their dreams， hopes and dangers they face interconnect with the stories and lessons that unfold into a stunning conclusion。 Enjoy。 。。。more
Nathan
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This is a layered and articulated call to respect the true history of our world and to put more faith in stories and in each other than ever before and to use our own senses to learn。 I'm not for waxing poetical， but this is a beautiful book。 This is a layered and articulated call to respect the true history of our world and to put more faith in stories and in each other than ever before and to use our own senses to learn。 I'm not for waxing poetical， but this is a beautiful book。 。。。more
Heather
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I received this for free from Goodreads to review。 This book was boring to me。 It might not be boring to other people， though so that is why I gave it 3 stars。 It's worth the try so don't pass on it because of what I say。 I received this for free from Goodreads to review。 This book was boring to me。 It might not be boring to other people， though so that is why I gave it 3 stars。 It's worth the try so don't pass on it because of what I say。 。。。more
Lisa
，
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher。 Reading Cloud Cuckoo Land gave me that wonderful feeling of settling in for a good story in a favorite reading spot where nothing disturbs you so that you are completely transported to another world。 I wanted to savor it; but towards the end， I couldn't put it down。 The story itself is intricately plotted， and you'll just have to trust Anthony Doerr that it will all come together。 There are five main characters: Anna and Omeir whose stories take I received an ARC of this book from the publisher。 Reading Cloud Cuckoo Land gave me that wonderful feeling of settling in for a good story in a favorite reading spot where nothing disturbs you so that you are completely transported to another world。 I wanted to savor it; but towards the end， I couldn't put it down。 The story itself is intricately plotted， and you'll just have to trust Anthony Doerr that it will all come together。 There are five main characters: Anna and Omeir whose stories take place in Constantinople and Bulgaria in the 1400s; Zeno and Seymour in Lakeport， Idaho in 2020 although Doerr tells of their childhoods throughout the book; and Konstance aboard the Argos traveling towards a new planet sometime in the future。 They are all tied together by an ancient Greek manuscript in which Aethon， a foolish， old man tries to get to Cloud Cuckoo Land， a magnificent city in the clouds built only for birds。 I love books with a large cast of authentic characters with multiple points of view and a nonlinear storyline， and Cloud Cuckoo Land surpassed my expectations。 I cared about all of the characters and can't say that I had a favorite。 The chapters were short and jumped from one character to another。 The tone was moving， sometimes silly， sometimes heartwrenching， addressing sobering issues but ultimately hopeful。 The writing style was engaging and lush， and I felt as though I was experiencing what Anna， Omeir， Zeno， Seymour， and Konstance were seeing and doing。 I loved Cloud Cuckoo Land！ 。。。more
Colleen Earle
，
This book is so much different than Doerr’s first。 I love the way the narratives intertwined Zeno’s story was by far my favouriteComp to cloud atlas in feel。 Also aspects of station elevenI feel I need to think about this book more
Michelle
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I am Aethon， a simple shepherd from Arkadia， and the tale I have to tell is so ludicrous， so incredible， that you’ll never believe a word of it— and yet， it’s true。 For I， the one they called birdbrain and nincompoop— yes， I， dull-witted muttonheaded lamebrained Aethon— once traveled all the way to the edge of the earth and beyond。。。。I'm not sure how I feel about this book。 I know I will be one of the rare reviewers that didn't love it。 The writing is beautiful and lyrical。 This is a story where I am Aethon， a simple shepherd from Arkadia， and the tale I have to tell is so ludicrous， so incredible， that you’ll never believe a word of it— and yet， it’s true。 For I， the one they called birdbrain and nincompoop— yes， I， dull-witted muttonheaded lamebrained Aethon— once traveled all the way to the edge of the earth and beyond。。。。I'm not sure how I feel about this book。 I know I will be one of the rare reviewers that didn't love it。 The writing is beautiful and lyrical。 This is a story where there are 3 main timelines and multiple POVs， loosely connected by an ancient Greek fable。 Here's the biggest issue for me。 This didn't feel like a cohesive story。 I enjoyed bits of each of the mini-stories， my favorite having to be Konstance in the future。 If this was a book of short stories， i might feel differently。 The big issue with multiple timelines and POVs is that some are better than others。 I also found myself confused， and the story was difficult to follow。 If I wasn't reading this to review， I'm not sure I would have stuck with it。 Maybe this just isn't my type of book， and that's ok。 Thank you Netgalley for giving me an arc in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Polly-Alida
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Wow！ What a wild ride this was。 Review when I come out of my daze。。。。。
moony ☽
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This book looks quite original and very interesting！！ Can't wait to read it！ This book looks quite original and very interesting！！ Can't wait to read it！ 。。。more
Ginger Forster
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I received Cloud Cuckoo Land as a Goodreads giveaway （advance reader’s edition）。 The size of the book （over 600 pages） is a bit daunting， but it serendipitously arrived on the first day of my summer break from teaching。 I told myself that I had all summer to read it， yet I finished it in two days！ I often see books labeled DNF （did not finish） for various reasons， and I am worried this could end up as one of those。 So， I felt compelled to write this review in order to implore you （the fickle rea I received Cloud Cuckoo Land as a Goodreads giveaway （advance reader’s edition）。 The size of the book （over 600 pages） is a bit daunting， but it serendipitously arrived on the first day of my summer break from teaching。 I told myself that I had all summer to read it， yet I finished it in two days！ I often see books labeled DNF （did not finish） for various reasons， and I am worried this could end up as one of those。 So， I felt compelled to write this review in order to implore you （the fickle reader） to hang in there with this one！ The story jumps around to different characters and different time periods， but ultimately you begin to care about each and every one of those threads of story。 Even more， the threads weave together a beautiful story about the cruelty， absurdity， and tenacity of humanity。 This powerful story is also about storytelling， and it reminds us that books， stories， and words are what tie all of us together throughout history and in the future。 I have read approximately fifty books this year， and I’d rank this easily in the top five。 。。。more
Allison
，
Anthony Doerr Is a writer who just keeps getting better。 I have read several of his works， including Pulitzer Prize-winning All the Light We Can Not See， but I was still not prepared for the power of his latest book， Cloud Cuckoo Land。 This is a story that presents multiple plots through a variety of times and places with seemingly tenuous connections。 We follow children and adults from the mythic past， from opposing sides of the Fall of Constantinople， through the harsh imprisonment of the Kore Anthony Doerr Is a writer who just keeps getting better。 I have read several of his works， including Pulitzer Prize-winning All the Light We Can Not See， but I was still not prepared for the power of his latest book， Cloud Cuckoo Land。 This is a story that presents multiple plots through a variety of times and places with seemingly tenuous connections。 We follow children and adults from the mythic past， from opposing sides of the Fall of Constantinople， through the harsh imprisonment of the Korean War， as well as events of recent times focusing on environmental issues and then leap ahead to a future of space travel and escape from Earth。 At first it is hard to keep the characters in their different settings straight but gradually the individual personalities become clear and we feel a sympathy for the challenges each character faces in his own world。 One thread that connects the disparate parts is the telling of a mythic story of a quest and metamorphosis shared in different sections within a family or among travelers or with new friends。 The origin of the story is uncertain， the manuscript faded and perhaps out of order and the meaning obscure， but the reader quickly understands that the search by the fool of the narrative is a metaphor for the search we all undertake as we attempt to find our place in the world。 The power of story and the preservation of knowledge is further emphasized by Doerr’s dedication， “ For the librarians then， now and in the years to come。” What reader can’t embrace this？ A truly， wonderful story that offers us hope from the ashes of tragedy。 。。。more
Lisa Wright
，
This luscious epic weaves together the stories of young outsiders whose lives are all tied together through an ancient， decaying book。 The book is a comic masterpiece， a Fools's Journey， that is discovered in Constantinople just as the city falls in 1453 then lost， and found， and lost again。 It is still playing a part in people's lives in 2150， but all the stories collide on February 20， 2020。This book has it all。 Doerr's imagination is matched only by his writing ability。 Prepare to surrender b This luscious epic weaves together the stories of young outsiders whose lives are all tied together through an ancient， decaying book。 The book is a comic masterpiece， a Fools's Journey， that is discovered in Constantinople just as the city falls in 1453 then lost， and found， and lost again。 It is still playing a part in people's lives in 2150， but all the stories collide on February 20， 2020。This book has it all。 Doerr's imagination is matched only by his writing ability。 Prepare to surrender because there is no escaping once you begin。 。。。more
Penelope
，
All the stars！ *review to follow*
J Wells
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4。5 inventive， creative， thought provoking， terrifying， original
Jorge
，
Anthony Doerr is one of my favorite authors。 The book starts slow and builds up。 I did not know what to expect。 The book presents several story lines in different time periods。 Each narrates the story of a child， or an adult trying to make sense about the world around them。 I kept wondering how the author was going to bring the stories all together。 In the end， he did it successfully。 My favorite story is the one about Konstance and the Argos traveling through space。 The ending of that story lin Anthony Doerr is one of my favorite authors。 The book starts slow and builds up。 I did not know what to expect。 The book presents several story lines in different time periods。 Each narrates the story of a child， or an adult trying to make sense about the world around them。 I kept wondering how the author was going to bring the stories all together。 In the end， he did it successfully。 My favorite story is the one about Konstance and the Argos traveling through space。 The ending of that story line is totally unexpected。 I did find the jumping from one story line to another at times distracting。 The book is beautifully written。 I read an advance copy and want to thank Scribner and NetGalley for making it available。 I do plan to get a copy when the book comes out in the fall。 。。。more
Alice
，
As only Anthony Doerr can， this multi-threaded plot engages right away with fully developed characters that are easy to let in。 Proven once again to be a master story teller， the author has created another brilliant novel with several plots that converge around a book， and ancient manuscript。 Much like "All the Light We Cannot See"， it is how the stories relate to each other at the end that is the surprise。 It is easy to predict this book will be THE book to read this fall。 As only Anthony Doerr can， this multi-threaded plot engages right away with fully developed characters that are easy to let in。 Proven once again to be a master story teller， the author has created another brilliant novel with several plots that converge around a book， and ancient manuscript。 Much like "All the Light We Cannot See"， it is how the stories relate to each other at the end that is the surprise。 It is easy to predict this book will be THE book to read this fall。 。。。more
Emily
，
This was not a book I would normally gravitate towards based on the synopsis， but gave it a shot given how much I loved the author’s previous work。 Spanning across different times， settings and characters， this was quite an ambitious novel。 It took me a good quarter of the book to really get a feel for each of the characters and their storylines， but well worth pushing through。 Cloud Cuckoo Land was complex， clever， and very unique。
Margaret
，
Anthony Doerr’s latest novel， about the written word and what it can teach us about ourselves and our connection to the natural world is dedicated “For the librarians then， now， and in the years to come。” It weaves together several centuries and places （real， virtual and mythical）; underlying it all is a fable of a man searching for happiness and what happens when he finds it。 The play rehearsal set piece is a highlight and sets the tone for the rest of the book。I found the eco-anxiety theme too Anthony Doerr’s latest novel， about the written word and what it can teach us about ourselves and our connection to the natural world is dedicated “For the librarians then， now， and in the years to come。” It weaves together several centuries and places （real， virtual and mythical）; underlying it all is a fable of a man searching for happiness and what happens when he finds it。 The play rehearsal set piece is a highlight and sets the tone for the rest of the book。I found the eco-anxiety theme too obvious， and at times the bird/flight symbolism felt overused， but these are minor difficulties。 I don’t hesitate to recommend this creative and well-written novel。Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to review the ARC via Netgalley。 。。。more
MICHELE
，
Absolutely brilliant！！！ Anthony Doerr has created a tale that takes place in three different time periods， with the stories of five protagonists， all connected by an ancient Greek text。 It's a book for people who love stories and books and libraries。 It's historical fiction， modern day suspense， and science fiction all wrapped up in one。 You may experience a little confusion at the very beginning because of the different time periods and stories， but trust that it will start to make sense and co Absolutely brilliant！！！ Anthony Doerr has created a tale that takes place in three different time periods， with the stories of five protagonists， all connected by an ancient Greek text。 It's a book for people who love stories and books and libraries。 It's historical fiction， modern day suspense， and science fiction all wrapped up in one。 You may experience a little confusion at the very beginning because of the different time periods and stories， but trust that it will start to make sense and come together beautifully。 It's a genius concept and Doerr executes it perfectly。 This is a book to read again and again。 Thanks to Goodreads and Scribner for awarding me an advance reader's edition。 This is my own honest opinion。 。。。more
Lauren
，
Having previously read All the Light we Cannot See， I was delighted to find out that won an advanced readers edition of this book from a Goodreads giveaway！ （And if you were wondering- yes， it’s written in the same beautiful and elegant writing that is almost poetic）At first glance， you wonder “How does the siege of Constantinople， a town in Idaho， and an intergalactic spaceship have anything in common？” Believe me， while reading this book I was searching and searching and searching for the answ Having previously read All the Light we Cannot See， I was delighted to find out that won an advanced readers edition of this book from a Goodreads giveaway！ （And if you were wondering- yes， it’s written in the same beautiful and elegant writing that is almost poetic）At first glance， you wonder “How does the siege of Constantinople， a town in Idaho， and an intergalactic spaceship have anything in common？” Believe me， while reading this book I was searching and searching and searching for the answer， （which isn’t a bad thing as it’s written in a way of which entrances you to ask questions and piece events together- each chapter a clue for the next） And let me tell you although it may not make much sense in the beginning， when you reach the end everything unveils！ Knowing that they are all connected though the ancient text along with the fact that each character has unique qualities that entrances you helps you read along， and that’s really important to keep on your mind so that you can have a delightful reading experience。As this books holds 5 different perspectives and covers a immense amount of time， Omeir and Anna in 1453 Constantinople， Zeno and Seymour in present day 2020 Idaho， and Konstance in the future， I became so interested in each of the 5 main characters lives that at times it felt I was reading 5 different stories。 Being written in 5 different perspectives could come across as a nuisance to some。 I believed it was beautiful！ You were able to turn each page and reveal more details about each character in their point in time， and oh boy it was delightful。 You mentally piece all of the information together， discover new words and facts， and become attached to each and every character in their own way。 Their faults and achievements become more than a single moment in time， but an expansive spider web influencing the events of the future。 Because they were all connected by the might and glory of an ancient story， you never loose sight of your main task as the reader- discovering how impactful this ancient text had on the lives of these people。 Discovering ambition， despare， truth， forgiveness， perseverance， and so much more。 The lessons in this story is incredible， and when it released I would imagine a deeper dive would be necessary to understand it all。 I would relate it to the Alchemist， a long journey based on hope and each adventure connected to the other。 When everything is wrapped in the end， you finally understand and are blissfully satisfied。I cried when I read the end of this book- it was just so beautiful and it tugged at my heart strings。 I will never forget reading this book， and I hope you find that this story resided in your heart as much as it did mine。 :） 。。。more
Denise
，
I won a copy of this book from the Goodreads Giveaways。 Once I have received the book and read it I will give a full review。
Sue
，
From Wikipedia: "Cloud cuckoo land is a state of absurdly， over-optimistic fantasy or an unrealistically idealistic state where everything is perfect。 Someone who is said to "live in cloud cuckoo land" is a person who thinks that things that are completely impossible might happen， rather than understanding how things really are。[1] It also hints that the person referred to is naive， unaware of realities or deranged in holding such an optimistic belief。"From phrases。org/uk: 'It's nice for once to From Wikipedia: "Cloud cuckoo land is a state of absurdly， over-optimistic fantasy or an unrealistically idealistic state where everything is perfect。 Someone who is said to "live in cloud cuckoo land" is a person who thinks that things that are completely impossible might happen， rather than understanding how things really are。[1] It also hints that the person referred to is naive， unaware of realities or deranged in holding such an optimistic belief。"From phrases。org/uk: 'It's nice for once to have a definite and unambiguous origin for an expression。 Cloud-cuckoo-land was coined by the 4th century playwright Aristophanes in the whimsical and extravagant play， The Birds。" The novel that concerns us can be daunting at first。 It is extravagant and one of the most brilliant I have ever encountered。 I will admit it challenged me。 It is set during 3 different timelines， 1453， the present， and decades in the future told from 5 POV's 。Interspersed is Aethon（an ancient greek）， If it sounds chaotic， it can be。 Once I understood the structure the writing and the characters just captivated me。 The characters are all children， innocents， searching for hope and knowledge in each of their broken lives。 Learning through stories is vital to who they become。 All of their stories combine in a masterful way to create this masterpiece。 I have no doubt that unlimited discussions will abound。 This is one that I plan to re-read knowing there is so much more to unearth。 I would give it 10* if I could。 You know a book will be a special gift when the author dedicates it to "the librarians， then， now and in the years to come。"Many thanks to Netgalley， Simon&Schuster and the author for the ARC。 。。。more
Debbi
，
Cloud Cuckoo Land is a brilliant， multi-layered story that will stay with me for the rest of my days。 Tony Doerr has created a magnificent tapestry here， weaving time and space， history and speculation， everyday heroes and the power of libraries into an extraordinary masterpiece。 Rarely do I re-read books， but I will definitely revisit this perilous and magical journey。 No doubt， each new reading will offer undiscovered gifts。 Release date is 9/28/2021。 Pre-order your copy from your favorite ind Cloud Cuckoo Land is a brilliant， multi-layered story that will stay with me for the rest of my days。 Tony Doerr has created a magnificent tapestry here， weaving time and space， history and speculation， everyday heroes and the power of libraries into an extraordinary masterpiece。 Rarely do I re-read books， but I will definitely revisit this perilous and magical journey。 No doubt， each new reading will offer undiscovered gifts。 Release date is 9/28/2021。 Pre-order your copy from your favorite independent bookstore。 。。。more
Alli Theis
，
This book was a challenge for me to get into， simply because there were so many points of view。 I don't think I really understood what was happening until about 30% of the way through the novel。 With that being said， once I understood what was going on， I really enjoyed reading it。 I found myself wanting check in on the various characters and curious how it was all going to tie together。I look forward to this book being published and hearing my fellow readers' reviews！ Thank you to the author， p This book was a challenge for me to get into， simply because there were so many points of view。 I don't think I really understood what was happening until about 30% of the way through the novel。 With that being said， once I understood what was going on， I really enjoyed reading it。 I found myself wanting check in on the various characters and curious how it was all going to tie together。I look forward to this book being published and hearing my fellow readers' reviews！ Thank you to the author， publisher， and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Sarah
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Wow。 I never got around to any of Doerr's fiction （I did previously read Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins， Insomnia， and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World）。 This is amazing。 Perfect for readers who loved The Bookman’s Tale and were disappointed by People of the Book。There are five characters in four timelines。 Frequently， with so many moving pieces， it feels like the author is holding back on purpose， keeping the reader in the dark; that's never the feeling here。 Information is share Wow。 I never got around to any of Doerr's fiction （I did previously read Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins， Insomnia， and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World）。 This is amazing。 Perfect for readers who loved The Bookman’s Tale and were disappointed by People of the Book。There are five characters in four timelines。 Frequently， with so many moving pieces， it feels like the author is holding back on purpose， keeping the reader in the dark; that's never the feeling here。 Information is shared in perfect order， at just the right pace。 The reader feels confident that the link between all these people in these far-apart places will be made clear。A historical timeline， a futuristic timeline， modern rural America， the Vietnam Conflict-- this book has something for almost everyone。 A great pick for book clubs！ 。。。more
Andrew
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Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me review。 3。5 stars The lives of five main characters of this book are intertwined around an ancient text。 Anna and Omeir live around Asia Minor and are facing the Fall of Constantinople。 These two reminded me very much of Werner and Marie Laure from Doerr’s All the light we cannot see。 They are in this event on this journey， and you just know that their paths will cross。 And when they do it is beautiful and heartbreaking。 Seymore and Zeno ar Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me review。 3。5 stars The lives of five main characters of this book are intertwined around an ancient text。 Anna and Omeir live around Asia Minor and are facing the Fall of Constantinople。 These two reminded me very much of Werner and Marie Laure from Doerr’s All the light we cannot see。 They are in this event on this journey， and you just know that their paths will cross。 And when they do it is beautiful and heartbreaking。 Seymore and Zeno are more contemporary characters， one a teen the other an old man whose lives intersect and the consequences from their decisions affect the future of all the characters。 And a girl names Konstance who is traveling on a spaceship hundreds of years from now。 She is going to discover there is more to her world than she could not ever guess。 Themes of Missed chances at Love， opportunity， climate change， have and have not， war and peace， radicalization， and extremism， The characters experience the world around them， and we see how interconnected these people are and their journeys alongside the fable about Aethon the man who wants to be turned into all kinds of animals and know everything about the heavens and earth。 The book was interesting， written very well and had many great points。 It was a bit busy though。 So much is going on its easy to get confused， but Doerr does an excellent job of wrapping it up so that I felt good about understanding the story at the end。 I was not thrilled about the end though。 Even though I have issues with it， it is still a story id highly recommend by an amazing author。 。。。more
Bonnie
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