I absolutely loved All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr, so when Cloud Cuckoo Land by the same author was published in September 2021, I was so excited to read it. Then I started reading reviews and the sci-fi, futuristic thread turned me off the book. Years pass. I am looking for something to listen to and my library has an audio of Cloud Cuckoo Land available with no wait. I take the plunge. I fall in love with this book. Why didn't I trust that Doerr would not let me down?
Cloud Cuckoo Land is an ambitious book. There are five distinct story threads, some of which converge, spanning centuries, not including the ancient novel attributed to Antonius Diogenes (a 2nd century Greek author) but actually written by Doerr that connects all five stories and characters.
It is creative, historical, fanciful, mythic, and poignant. My favorite characters were those from the 15th century who witnessed the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire--Anna is a reluctant seamstress who learns to read Greek and unearths the Diogenes manuscript whose story of a shepherd who ultimately makes it to the utopia of Cloud Cuckoo Land. It is this story that provides an arc for each of the other characters--Omeir, a peasant boy in the Ottoman Army; Zeno a Korean War vet who learns Greek and translates the story into English; Seymour, an autistic boy who loves owls and just wants to protect them; and Konstance, a young girl on a spaceship in which she is immigrating to another Earth lightyears away.
I know it sounds crazy, but it was crazy good. It was lovely and thought-provoking. I particularly loved how Doerr connected these various characters together, showing the connection between people, their commonality. Despite their profound differences in time and space and culture, he showed how we are all connected to each other and our world. It was a beautiful message for our troubled times. It lightened my heart, and that is a very good thing.
What an excellent review! I have been actively avoiding this book for years, but will now be open to it when the time seems right.
ReplyDeleteI've been avoiding this for the same reasons but maybe will also succumb for the audiobook, now that you've suggested it. When did converging storylines become such a thing? I felt that was what made All the Light work so well and Kate Atkinson, along with a few others, are masters at this dexterous interweaving. My sister has Netflix so maybe I will watch the new series this weekend while visiting.
ReplyDeleteI am liking the converging story lines trend. As you say, it worked beautifully for All the Light We Cannot See, and I love everything Kate Atkinson writes. I was all ready to watch the Netflix series on All the Light, and then read a couple of reviews (Time panned it), but now I am thinking I will watch it after all. After Lesson in Chemistry, that is!
DeleteI'm glad that you enjoyed this one so much and that it lightened your heart. I love that about books. :D
ReplyDeleteHi Jane, Cloud Cuckoo Land sounds really good. Love your review and the fact that we get to go back in time to the Middle Ages and Ancient Greece has me hooked. I'm thinking the title of the book might confuse people though and make them feel the novel will be too eccentric. But it sounds very accessible.
ReplyDeleteGood review. Your review makes me want to consider reading the novel again. At first I thought it would be too crazy with all the threads but I think you've convinced me that it's doable & relatable. The plot slightly reminds me of Geraldine Brooks's novel People of the Book ... in which a manuscript gets into various hands over generations. I liked that one, so I think I'd like Doerr's too.
ReplyDeletePeople of the Book is my favorite of Brooks's novels. I read it quite awhile ago now, so I think a reread is in order. Yes, I can see the parallels to People of the Book. It could be I really love the premise of following a manuscript/story through time.
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