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miastegner's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
took me a while to feel oriented in the story but once I was familiar with all the characters & the timeline it got way more engaging!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Violence, Gun violence, and War
Minor: Homophobia, Suicide, Vomit, Pregnancy, Slavery, Bullying, and Excrement
nodogsonthemoon's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, War, Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Blood, Death of parent, Animal death, Death, and Chronic illness
Minor: Rape, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Mass/school shootings, Pregnancy, and Violence
cianarae's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Mental illness, Confinement, Murder, Gun violence, and Death
Moderate: Dementia, Miscarriage, and Death of parent
Minor: Slavery, Animal death, and Pregnancy
semeyers's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I was hesitant to pick this book up after DNFing All the Light We Cannot See in 2020. But, it was my Book Club's pick and the premise seemed right up my alley so I gave it a chance. I'm glad I did! I enjoyed this book. It was the perfect blend of storytelling and intrigue with a little dash of a sci-fi element thrown in there. I was glued to this book and stayed up way too late several nights in a row to finish it as quickly as possible.
Reading other reviews, I am seeing that many criticisms about the book center on the lengthy descriptions. This is something that bothers me as well, but I honestly did not notice it in this book. The descriptions were definitely more than was needed to simply set the scene, but it didn't overwhelm or irritate me. Each of the characters have such a connection to where they are that I felt we were just getting an idea of their feelings for their city, the nature, their space.
I also enjoyed the premise. I loved the weaving in of the fictional Cloud Cuckoo Land story and seeing more and more links between it and the characters. I loved the juxtaposition of the different time periods, including the two separate wars hundreds of years apart. It was a unique read for sure.
My criticisms lie in the amount of characters and the ending. There were so many characters that, despite the novel being over 600 pages, you spent only a short amount of time with each character. It was hard to truly feel connected to them and sometimes I would just be getting into a portion of the novel and boom end of chapter. The novel was also a slow burn, which is fine, but when the ending came, it came quickly. I was really craving more information and more of a resolution for one of the characters at the end (view spoiler). The book focused on climate change a bit and I was glad to see there was an accurate focus on it, especially after reading Migrations which felt very unrealistic.
Overall, highly recommend this book! May even be worth a shot if you are not usually a fan of the author.
Reading other reviews, I am seeing that many criticisms about the book center on the lengthy descriptions. This is something that bothers me as well, but I honestly did not notice it in this book. The descriptions were definitely more than was needed to simply set the scene, but it didn't overwhelm or irritate me. Each of the characters have such a connection to where they are that I felt we were just getting an idea of their feelings for their city, the nature, their space.
I also enjoyed the premise. I loved the weaving in of the fictional Cloud Cuckoo Land story and seeing more and more links between it and the characters. I loved the juxtaposition of the different time periods, including the two separate wars hundreds of years apart. It was a unique read for sure.
My criticisms lie in the amount of characters and the ending. There were so many characters that, despite the novel being over 600 pages, you spent only a short amount of time with each character. It was hard to truly feel connected to them and sometimes I would just be getting into a portion of the novel and boom end of chapter. The novel was also a slow burn, which is fine, but when the ending came, it came quickly. I was really craving more information and more of a resolution for one of the characters at the end (view spoiler). The book focused on climate change a bit and I was glad to see there was an accurate focus on it, especially after reading Migrations which felt very unrealistic.
Overall, highly recommend this book! May even be worth a shot if you are not usually a fan of the author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, War, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Rape, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Abandonment, Torture, Xenophobia, and Pregnancy
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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