Cloud Cuckoo Land

Anthony Doerr does it again. I didn’t think he could write another book that I loved as much as I loved All The Lights We Cannot See, but he did. This book is fantastical, evocative, and emotional. Would recommend. 

This book had a slow start but my need to see how the seemingly disparate stories were woven together kept me going, and then around one-quarter of the way in, the stories picked up speed. From that point on, I loved this homage to books, libraries and their roles in our lives and I couldn’t put it down. 

Mr. Doerr has produced a simply written, but structurally complex novel with five protagonists who live in different times and places. All of the protagonists are marginalized somehow as children (e.g. deformity, homosexuality, hypersensitivity…). We follow them through time. Some will eventually interact (shades of All the Light We Cannot See), but all are linked by an ancient Greek story that the author has imagined (shades of Station Eleven). The events in the Greek story are echoed in the lives of the protagonists in the novel, and, I think, at least one message in the ancient story, that there’s no place like home, is echoed in the novel as a whole. Some of the philosophical notes seem platitudes, All times and all stories being one and the same in the end. or That’s what the gods do, they spin threads of ruin through the fabric of our lives, …

In a modern world where we can easily access almost any knowledge via the Internet, this novel is a reminder that written knowledge used to be rare, magical, and something one might risk their lives to protect. Stories and knowledge not written down eventually vanish along with everyone who knows them, which is what makes the written word so powerful. This story of a book that makes its way around the world and across the centuries, to touch the lives of dozens of people, is ultimately a love letter to books, wrapped into a series of compelling, interlocking stories of memorable characters. It was a joy to read and I would highly recommend it! I will add that it’s very long, and my pet peeve is novels that needed a better or more aggressive editor — but I feel this one earns its length. Try the audio book if it’s …

Doerr is a great writer. His prose is evocative and he creates characters that feel real. This book has five main seemingly disparate story lines that end up coming together, which I usually enjoy. The reason I'm only giving it 3 stars: it's somewhat unsatisfying. There are cool aspects to the story, but after 600 pages, I expect all the gaps to be filled. Instead, I walked away with a lot of questions which made me wonder if my audiobook was jumpy and skipped key sections. Having looked at the questions other readers ask, it seems the issue was the writing, not the audiobook.

Additionally, I'd be curious if there's any consensus among readers about which story lines were most compelling. I really enjoyed when the book focused on Konstance, Zeno and Seymour; I was bored and impatient when it focused on Anna and Omeir – and with the fable …

There is an ancient, mysterious Greek tale, written by Antonius Diogenes. Mysterious, because it was lost, and then some of it has been obliterated with damage and time. Five people, in three different time periods separated by centures, read and bring their own meanings to this tale.

This novel leads us into the lives of Anna, Omeir, Zeno, Seymour, and Konstance, who each have compelling stories of their own. The way the narrative switches back and forth between stories, letting the reader notice the connections, is brilliant and compelling. This ancient tale captures attention and imagination, allowing people to just enjoy it, to live in the moment.

The themes that run through these stories are beautiful, too. To need hope, to need other people, is to be human. And we are all in this together, and can't give up.

There are so many wonderful details in these stories! Jonathan Doerr …