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jmcampbell57's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Confinement and Gun violence
Minor: Death of parent and War
deedireads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
Cloud Cuckoo Land was a fun-to-read, moving book, but it was definitely not perfect. I liked it, but certain aspects left me a little uncomfortable.
For you if: Like stories with multiple timelines, and/or literary fiction with more emphasis on plot.
FULL REVIEW:
Cloud Cuckoo Land was one of the most highly anticipated books of the fall, if not the year, and it’s a finalist for the 2021 National Book Award. I really enjoyed reading it, but when I finished, I couldn’t quite bring myself to say I loved it.
First, the good: The plot — three distinct timelines tied together by a single story, emphasizing the timelessness of our stories and the importance of unearthing, preserving, and enhancing them — was a lot of fun to read. Parts of the present-day timeline read nearly like a thriller, which definitely makes the book a page turner. You’ll fly through its nearly 600 pages. It was also emotional and, in places, deeply empathetic.
Then the not-so-good: First, for a book with central themes *about* climate change, its environmentalism felt surface-level at best, a cheap grab for a plot device at worst. It didn’t really say anything new or present any useful ideas about our current reality or where we go from here.
And second — and this is where I’m sort of conflicted — one of the main characters is neurodivergent (possibly ASD, at least sensory processing disorder), but his character arc is uncomfortable. He’s manipulated into radical ecoterrorism. On the one hand, I actually thought from an individual character perspective, it was well done. Your heart really breaks for Seymour at every turn, and it’s easy to see exactly how and why this happened to him. But on the other hand, we still live in a world where neurodivergent representation isn’t mainstream enough to be able to show someone easily manipulated into violence without the danger of feeding problematic stereotypes. I think ultimately I’m less than comfortable with the choice, but I also really did love Seymour. It’s just hard to expect the world to read him as an individual instead of as part of a larger narrative about neurodivergence, violence, and the world we live in.
Ultimately, I’m glad I read it, and like I said, it was a really fun, entertaining read. But it’s far from perfect.
TL;DR REVIEW:
Cloud Cuckoo Land was a fun-to-read, moving book, but it was definitely not perfect. I liked it, but certain aspects left me a little uncomfortable.
For you if: Like stories with multiple timelines, and/or literary fiction with more emphasis on plot.
FULL REVIEW:
Cloud Cuckoo Land was one of the most highly anticipated books of the fall, if not the year, and it’s a finalist for the 2021 National Book Award. I really enjoyed reading it, but when I finished, I couldn’t quite bring myself to say I loved it.
First, the good: The plot — three distinct timelines tied together by a single story, emphasizing the timelessness of our stories and the importance of unearthing, preserving, and enhancing them — was a lot of fun to read. Parts of the present-day timeline read nearly like a thriller, which definitely makes the book a page turner. You’ll fly through its nearly 600 pages. It was also emotional and, in places, deeply empathetic.
Then the not-so-good: First, for a book with central themes *about* climate change, its environmentalism felt surface-level at best, a cheap grab for a plot device at worst. It didn’t really say anything new or present any useful ideas about our current reality or where we go from here.
And second — and this is where I’m sort of conflicted — one of the main characters is neurodivergent (possibly ASD, at least sensory processing disorder), but his character arc is uncomfortable. He’s manipulated into radical ecoterrorism. On the one hand, I actually thought from an individual character perspective, it was well done. Your heart really breaks for Seymour at every turn, and it’s easy to see exactly how and why this happened to him. But on the other hand, we still live in a world where neurodivergent representation isn’t mainstream enough to be able to show someone easily manipulated into violence without the danger of feeding problematic stereotypes. I think ultimately I’m less than comfortable with the choice, but I also really did love Seymour. It’s just hard to expect the world to read him as an individual instead of as part of a larger narrative about neurodivergence, violence, and the world we live in.
Ultimately, I’m glad I read it, and like I said, it was a really fun, entertaining read. But it’s far from perfect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Confinement and Violence
sallysimply's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
I picked this up knowing absolutely nothing about it, but All the Light We Cannot See is one of my favorite books of all time so I wanted to give it a try.
It is long and a bit meandering and I was left with questions, but I absolutely adored this. There is a quality to Anthony Doerr’s writing that fills me with wonder. Even when I am frustrated or confused or wanting to continue with the storyline I’m on instead of jumping to another, I am still captivated.
Throughout so much of this book, I felt a deep sense of hopelessness - why do we do what we do, why are we destroying the planet, why do we hurt each other, why are we not content with what we have? And yet, by the end, I was filled with hope. Not because I think things will suddenly improve, but because there is beauty and awe in the mere fact that we can love each other. And I know that sounds corny, but it’s how I feel. I’m grateful to have read this.
It is long and a bit meandering and I was left with questions, but I absolutely adored this. There is a quality to Anthony Doerr’s writing that fills me with wonder. Even when I am frustrated or confused or wanting to continue with the storyline I’m on instead of jumping to another, I am still captivated.
Throughout so much of this book, I felt a deep sense of hopelessness - why do we do what we do, why are we destroying the planet, why do we hurt each other, why are we not content with what we have? And yet, by the end, I was filled with hope. Not because I think things will suddenly improve, but because there is beauty and awe in the mere fact that we can love each other. And I know that sounds corny, but it’s how I feel. I’m grateful to have read this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, and Death
Moderate: Confinement
Minor: War
hollyd19's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Usually I find the descriptors “genre-bending” & “ambitious” entirely annoying, but both are truly apt for this epic saga across time and space, spanning from 1400s Constantinople to decades from now aboard a spaceship headed to a new planet after we’ve thoroughly wrecked this one. A collection of protagonists propel the narrative with a translated Ancient Greek story serving as the connective tissue between each.
Author Anthony Doerr is immensely creative, and I was surprised at how well he gathered the threads of each story in a way that felt thoughtful without being overt. Each storyline has complicated human characters and well-developed sense of place. Admittedly, the beginning felt a little disorienting, jumping between an impressive number of characters in such a way that was initially hard to track. But if you stick with it, the convergence is worth it. More than once, I exclaimed out loud as a new revelation unfurled.
Cloud Cuckoo Land dances between themes of fragility & resilience, hope & despair, bravery & fear. One endorsement mentioned the term “stewardship,” and that really struck a chord once I finished the book. Each character has something they are cupping tenderly like a fallen bird, trying to usher it through a complex and crumbling world.
My main critique of this book is the handling of the neuro-diverse character.While Seymour is never explicitly called autistic, he is coded as such. All of his concerns about the environment are entirely valid and the manipulation he experiences which leads him to the villain role is handled insensitively & even somewhat harmfully. I wish that Doerr had been more thoughtful here.
Author Anthony Doerr is immensely creative, and I was surprised at how well he gathered the threads of each story in a way that felt thoughtful without being overt. Each storyline has complicated human characters and well-developed sense of place. Admittedly, the beginning felt a little disorienting, jumping between an impressive number of characters in such a way that was initially hard to track. But if you stick with it, the convergence is worth it. More than once, I exclaimed out loud as a new revelation unfurled.
Cloud Cuckoo Land dances between themes of fragility & resilience, hope & despair, bravery & fear. One endorsement mentioned the term “stewardship,” and that really struck a chord once I finished the book. Each character has something they are cupping tenderly like a fallen bird, trying to usher it through a complex and crumbling world.
My main critique of this book is the handling of the neuro-diverse character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Grief, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and War
Minor: Confinement, Dementia, Excrement, Gun violence, and Pregnancy
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