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elisacarlene's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Animal cruelty, Violence, Mass/school shootings, War, Ableism, and Animal death
Minor: Dementia and Death of parent
nat_2610's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Anthony Doerr has done it again. I already loved "All The Light We Cannot See" but "Cloud Cuckoo Land" is even better. The writing is as lyrical and descriptive and beautiful without being so purple it takes you out of the story. Doerr is an exceptional storyteller and I took my sweet time reading it, because I didn't want it to end.
It takes us from times long past and almost forgotten into a possible, bleak kind of future. There is a clear warning in these pages of what we leave behind for those who come after us.
It is also the story of a girl and a boy that are born into less than fortunate circumstances, who manage to find their way in life despite everything that is thrown into their path.
In present day it shows us a man who finds some sort of redemption when he thought his life didn't account to much and a teenager who is sourrounded by people that want to push him into a mold in which he just won't fit.
It takes us from times long past and almost forgotten into a possible, bleak kind of future. There is a clear warning in these pages of what we leave behind for those who come after us.
It is also the story of a girl and a boy that are born into less than fortunate circumstances, who manage to find their way in life despite everything that is thrown into their path.
In present day it shows us a man who finds some sort of redemption when he thought his life didn't account to much and a teenager who is sourrounded by people that want to push him into a mold in which he just won't fit.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: War and Blood
20sidedbi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Holy shit. This is the best book I've... ever? read. I ugly cried at the end. So beautiful, so heartwrenching, so powerful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Homophobia, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Torture, Mental illness, War, Ableism, Animal death, Gaslighting, Grief, Violence, Gun violence, Abandonment, Death, and Racial slurs
kllyholt's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
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
5.0
This was exquisite.
The audiobook took a moment for me to get into because of all the changes in characters viewpoints and time jumps- but holy shit, it was worth it.
The audiobook took a moment for me to get into because of all the changes in characters viewpoints and time jumps- but holy shit, it was worth it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Gun violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Ableism
friendly_neighborhood_grandma's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.75
I listened to this as an audiobook. It is the kind of book the I loved the more further i got in the book. it is very unique and interesting in it's structure. I would recommend to people who like historical fiction, future past and "present" masterfully intertwined. it is a nice read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Ableism, Colonisation, Misogyny, Classism, Death of parent, Grief, War, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Self harm, and Miscarriage
relf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I like Anthony Doerr's writing and really enjoyed his previous book, All the Light We Cannot See. Cloud Cuckoo Land is another set of interlacing stories that connect in the end, but these seemed even more contrived. In present-tense short narrative chapters, we follow an elderly Idaho man--with flashbacks to his service in the Korean War; a present-day troubled Idaho teen who becomes an eco-terrorist; a medieval girl in besieged Constantinople; a medieval Bulgarian farm boy drafted to serve in the siege; and a girl from the near future on a multi-generational space voyage whose mission is to establish a settlement on a very distant planet. Loosely connecting the stories is an ancient--even to the medieval characters--Greek manuscript, Cloud Cuckoo Land, telling the (made up by Doerr) adventures of a shepherd who turns into a donkey. The value of stories and of libraries, and of people who don't quite fit in, runs through the book, perhaps a bit heavy-handedly. I enjoyed the stories and Doerr's prose for the most part, and perhaps that's enough recommendation for a book. What I found hard going: the spaceship story--I'm just not a sci-fi or post-apocalypse fan; the environmental stuff, because that topic already fills me with dread; and the suffering of various animals.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Homophobia, War, and Ableism
jayisreading's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
2.0
Doerr was far too ambitious with this novel and bit off more than he could chew. I really wanted to like this one, especially as someone who enjoys sprawling novels with different plotlines and characters that all come together in a unique fashion. In addition, there was something akin to a love letter to books and environment that existed in this novel, which… yes, I also love. And then, there’s the fact that Doerr writes beautifully, and as someone who loves lyrical prose, you would think all these components would result in me singing about how wonderful of an experience it was to read Cloud Cuckoo Land.
It took me a little over a month to get through this tome, which I thought was at least 300 pages too long. As much as I love beautiful writing, I need things to happen to really appreciate that beautiful writing. When things happened in Cloud Cuckoo Land, it was wonderful. Other times, though, it made reading feel like an absolute chore. I felt like there was a little too much self-indulgent writing that was happening. Relatedly, Doerr barely—and I cannot emphasize “barely” enough—pulled off the intertwining stories at the end. Each timeline and their respective plotlines had their flaws, but I thought the one that took place in the present was by far the strongest and most interesting. The plotlines that took place in the past were somewhat engaging but not all that interesting. Meanwhile, the plotline that took place in the future was interesting but not at all engaging. (This is to say, Doerr should not venture into sci-fi writing, because I don’t think he would be very good at it.) All of them had beautiful writing, but your mileage varied on how much impact any of it had on the story (raising the question, what actually was the story). And, speaking of impact, I found the codex excerpts at the start of chapters rather tiring after a while. It didn’t leave much of an impression on me, especially because it rarely tied to the actual chapter content.
It took me a little over a month to get through this tome, which I thought was at least 300 pages too long. As much as I love beautiful writing, I need things to happen to really appreciate that beautiful writing. When things happened in Cloud Cuckoo Land, it was wonderful. Other times, though, it made reading feel like an absolute chore. I felt like there was a little too much self-indulgent writing that was happening. Relatedly, Doerr barely—and I cannot emphasize “barely” enough—pulled off the intertwining stories at the end. Each timeline and their respective plotlines had their flaws, but I thought the one that took place in the present was by far the strongest and most interesting. The plotlines that took place in the past were somewhat engaging but not all that interesting. Meanwhile, the plotline that took place in the future was interesting but not at all engaging. (This is to say, Doerr should not venture into sci-fi writing, because I don’t think he would be very good at it.) All of them had beautiful writing, but your mileage varied on how much impact any of it had on the story (raising the question, what actually was the story). And, speaking of impact, I found the codex excerpts at the start of chapters rather tiring after a while. It didn’t leave much of an impression on me, especially because it rarely tied to the actual chapter content.
Something else to scrutinize about this book is how an autistic character is represented. While it is not explicitly stated by Doerr that Seymour is autistic (and I don’t know why he shied away from this…), the fact that he is vilified and turned into a bit of a "troubled child” caricature left a bad taste in my mouth.
This is making me realize that I may have to revisit All the Light We Cannot See, which I enjoyed when I read it way back when. I wonder if something changed or it just ended up that Cloud Cuckoo Land was a miss. Whatever the reason, I just know I won’t be getting many hours back that was spent reading this book.
This is making me realize that I may have to revisit All the Light We Cannot See, which I enjoyed when I read it way back when. I wonder if something changed or it just ended up that Cloud Cuckoo Land was a miss. Whatever the reason, I just know I won’t be getting many hours back that was spent reading this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, War, Death, Violence, Confinement, and Ableism
Moderate: Bullying and Animal cruelty
Minor: Rape and Homophobia
erinwolf1997's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, War, Mass/school shootings, Death, Gun violence, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Ableism and Bullying
orchidlilly's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Really, truly, spectacular. This is such a beautiful interwoven story spun across multiple lifetimes. It was delightful to see how each life connected with the other. Each character feels tangible and real, they all have so much depth and personality. Each plot-line is gripping and it is impossible to not feel for the characters. Seymour especially, I think, is beautifully written. His mental illness is incredibly accurately done, and he is never once demonized for it. Each character, despite their actions, kind or otherwise, is written and treated with respect and empathy. It's such a beautiful tale of humanity and kindness and struggle, and all of it is portrayed with such well researched nuance and intelligence. Definitely one of the best books if you want to feel something that is neither fully happy nor sad, but a cathartic combination of both.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Misogyny, Violence, Emotional abuse, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Abandonment, Cursing, Death, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Racial slurs, Body shaming, Death of parent, War, Gun violence, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Religious bigotry, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Torture
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Islamophobia, Pedophilia, Classism, Colonisation, Kidnapping, Slavery, Alcohol, Dementia, Drug use, and Excrement
bg_oseman_fan's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
i liked “All The Light Wr Cannot See,” but i loved this book. i don’t think i’ll ever be able to stop talking about it. i just finished it and i already want to read it again. the themes are so complex and so present in the story. the characters lives and journeys connect and diverge thematically in such interesting ways. truly a timeless tale that should be among the modern classics of literature if it isn’t already. it reads so cohesively even as your journey through time and space and POVs. if you can’t love this book, i truly am sorry for you. such a joy to read. i would recommend to literally anyone, anywhere, anytime.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Rape, Animal death, Pregnancy, Trafficking, Xenophobia, Confinement, Death, Islamophobia, Slavery, War, Violence, Ableism, Suicide, and Terminal illness