Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel

It only happens about once every 15 or 20 years: Poisonwood Bible. Lonesome Dove. Now Cloud Cuckoo Land: a book that I will talk about forever, a book that changed the way I think about the world.How much should I write? There is a magic in discovering it for yourself, how all these pieces fit together to answer the most essential question we are all facing in 2021: is the world ending? And if so, how do we go on?Anthony Doerr addresses this question in no expected ways: by telling the story of Anna, an orphan living behind the walls of Constantinople under siege in 1409, who climbs a rock wall to discover hidden treasures; Omeir, a "demon" boy with a cleft palate, who is conscripted into the invading army because of the strength of his beloved oxen Tree and Moonlight; the story of Seymour in Idaho 2020, a budding environmental terrorist after the loss of his beloved great owl friend; and of Zeno, an 86 year old man hiding in the library as Seymour plants his bomb; and of Konstance, on a space station hundreds of years after the end of Earth, hurtling towards a planet that she will never live to see.And interwoven among them all, a myth of Aegon, the shepherd who longs for a better world, who sets off to find that elusive Eden in the sky, Cloud Cuckoo Land.It reads like three stories in one; the story of Constantinople, Omeir and Anna; of Idaho, Zeno and Seymour, and of the space station, with Konstance; and amidst them all, the myth of Aegon.There is writing so gorgeous that I had to stop and read it again; writing, especially, about the power of story itself, how stories can be magic, can save our lives, can give our lives meaning.Above all else, this is a story about our longing for a better world, what we owe to each other in this one, and whether it is possible -- even a little bit possible --- to hope, in the face of unimaginable hardship, that a better world might still exist, maybe even, possibly, not so far away as Cloud Cuckoo Land, not so far away as the clouds in the sky.

It's like Doerr was working on 4 different books and couldn't decide which one to publish, so he combined all into one and no editor had the courage to tell him to pick one or the other! I suspect the good reviews and great sales are based on Doerr's last book but time and more user reviews will bring out the truth of this one. It's a mess! That said, if you have the skill to use your Kindle's ability to examine chapters and jump from one to another, I think you'll enjoy reading the one book imbedded in the 4 that has some continuity, the one rooted in Constantinople.

This long novel follows multiple characters from different time periods, ultimately weaving their experiences together in a story about the power of stories, and how interconnected we all are. The book has about 622 pages in the digital version.Right from the start the book jumps around to different times and places, introducing you to the main characters. It may be a little challenging to keep up with each of the different groups of characters at first, but stick with it (and take notes if you need to), because things become easier to follow as the book goes on. It becomes clear that the common thread here is that all of the characters have become enthralled with the story of Aethon, a tale written down by an ancient Greek author named Diogenes. Diogenes had himself found the story written down on tablets in a mysterious tomb, and it tells of a man that wished that he could be transformed into a bird in order to reach a mystical utopian city in the sky.Most of the action in the story takes place in three different time periods: the siege of Constantinople in 1453, a library in Idaho in the present day, and aboard an interstellar ship in the future. Doerr jumps back and forth, describing the conflicts and difficult situations that these characters face, while slowly fleshing out the similarities and describing how Aethon's story affects each of them.This is a fairly long book and it took a while to finish, but the pacing was so good that it never really felt boring. I was slightly more invested in the story of Konstance and her futuristic journey than the other characters, but there was enough action and character development that kept me interested throughout the book. The author makes some great points in this book, and connects everything together in a very clever and well written story. I also like how the stories were wrapped up, although the way Konstance's part is concluded was a little less satisfying than the others for me.Overall, I enjoyed the book, and I feel like it is somewhat of a love letter to writers, readers, and librarians; and a excellent story about the power of stories. We all might be more similar than we think after all.

Full disclosure - "All the Light..." is one of my all time favorite books so read this on faith. Lot of moving parts here so hang in there. Story of a disparate group of people who are moved by Greek mythology/books/libraries and those who save them. I was skeptical at first - how is he going to put this all together - put he does and it works. I like the short chapters, it did jump around a lot, it takes some patience. Inventive, clever and different but well done.

It was worth every minute of putting the pieces together in the beginning. How beautifully and creatively he weaves the tales of this story into one beautiful whole with an amazing ending which wraps them all up into one beautiful story. Too amazingly creative and wonderful to put into words that are adequate to describe. If you stick with it, you will not be disappointed! Want to read all his books now. This is the 2nd and I can’t wait to read the rest. I read a lot but have never read a more creative and wonderful book than this one. Thank you, Mr. Doerr for sticking with it!

Starting a new book, to me, always feels like a bit of a gamble. Will this be worth many hours of my time? Especially if it's a slow-starter. More and more it seems slow-starter books are no longer published these days, given people have so many distractions competing for attention. It doesn't help that this book has at least five different storylines and timelines and is told, much of the time, out of chronological order. Normally, I dislike this kind of "gimmick" or possible-flight-of-fancy by an author. Often multiple stories are frustrating to read because you get to the end of one chapter and just when things are getting good, you are whisked away to a totally different story that may or may not be related....but.... but, but... when done right, a slow-builder that promises much can sometime deliver most. Multiple stories, when told right, can deliver multiple times the load. Cloud Cuckoo Land is ABSOLUTELY a quality read that doesn't fail to deliver and the mythical tale of Aethon's adventures tie it all together beautifully, even as it seems possibly "annoyingly quirky" to begin with.There aren't too many "all in one" works of fiction these days, with a start, a middle and and end. It used be that fiction had this to aim for at least, but nowadays never-ending book-series seem the order of the day. To my mind, the best fiction is a story that builds to a knockout ending that leaves you dazed (and likely confused) by the end. This IS such a tale.I still don't know if it all makes sense (well, I kind of know it doesn't / also of course it does) - but it doesn't matter. I still haven't thought enough about it to figure out if there are some inconsistencies or a coincidence-too-far in places. Part of me is looking forward to thinking on it for a long time to come and part of me doesn't want to over-analyse it. There's a lot to digest here, but sometimes, like a good cake, it's best to gorge and enjoy rather than spend time dissecting the ingredients, trying to find an element that could be eliminated. The little tangy taste you get from an isolated under-ripe raspberry can be just what's needed to raise the flavour of a slightly-too-musky dark chocolate. And maybe you don't like cream, but when it has just the right consistency, with just the right flavours flowing through, the whole is many times more than the sum of its parts.That's not to put-down the individual parts of this book. Each, in turn is magnificently told and a lovely read. But, stitched together with "Diogenes's" thread, the whole is multiple times more special.Thank you for restoring my faith in modern fiction.

This huge novel is thought-provoking, funny, moving, entertaining and involving from the very start. Doerr drops us right into different places and times with no preamble, bringing his settings and characters instantly to life, with none of that stilted language or dutiful exposition that spoils so many historical works. The time-spanning intellectual mystery recalls David Mitchell perhaps, but this is so much more humane and resonant. I loved it.

Cloud Cuckoo Land is immensely readable, and we as readers are dropped into many worlds; Constantinople in the 15th century, a Spaceship travelling in interstellar space, Lakeport, Oregon in 2020. The various stories are achieved with such precise narrative skill, humour and humanity. I wake early to read more, so much do I want to solve this Rubik Cube puzzle of a novel. One of the most extraordinary and compelling reads I have come across. Buy it. If you like History, Sci-Fi and mysteries, then this is the book for you.

This is a most unusual story, weaving together several separate narratives. Each is fascinating and beautifully written on its own but it is how they cleverly weave together that is so clever. It is hard to see how they all connect at the start but the clarity builds slowly and is thoroughly satisfying by the end.Even though this is a long book, the many separate chapters make it fly by.Well worth the read.

Difficult to get into, but perseverance is rewarded with gripping tales. The chronicle of the C15th siege and fall of Constantinople is fascinating as it drives the lives of Anna and Omeir. The C20th Korean war brings Zeno and Rex together to creative freedom. The C21st climate catastrophe and its campaigns drive Seymour through criminality and reform, and Konstance into an attempt to save humanity by shipping a few survivors into outer space.So maybe a connecting thread is the force of major social movements on individual lives. Doerr does deal well with prejudice, whether towards someone with a cleft palate, or towards homosexuality. Otherwise, the stories are standalone and could have been told as such. Doerr's attempt to link them through common reference to a Greek tale by Diogenes is a complicated unconvincing artifice.