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rincewinds_hat's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
jencunn2024's review against another edition
4.0
A lengthy and beautifully written piece about a whole lot of nonsense and love for the earth and each other. At first when you start, you wonder, “What in the world am I reading?” The book is structured so that each chapter and part covers a little bit of five different lives in different timelines. As it goes on, you begin to see how those stories and characters develop and how the intricately woven threads between them are reveled. This was a monstrous literary undertaking and was beautifully created, assembled and written by Anthony Doerr. It’s a bit kooky but is I really loved the prose. I think most people will relate to one particular story and/or character or maybe two out of the bunch but I think that is part of the author’s ingenuity. The point is to recognize our connections across time and to try and understand and even empathize with strangers now and other eras, to feel and learn what they learned and to pass what we’ve learned on to future generations. My favorite character was Konstance, the little girl in the future outsmarting all of her elders and artificial intelligence alike. She begins to study the past earth she’s never know and makes discoveries through the library and Cloud Cuckoo Land, an ancient novel within a novel rediscovered and translate that serves as the main linkage between Doerr’s stories. I also adored Aethon within the novel who is considered the fool, made me repeatedly laugh out loud, and is the original character seeking the actual Cloud Cuckoo Land, a phrase I immediately grasped by title but had never previously known it to have a real literary basis. Doerr was extremely creative to borrow the concept and create this work based on the whole premise of it being an ancient novel completely made up for this book. I personally ended up liking this book a lot, but will sparingly recommend it, mainly because it is extremely long and not very exciting. But I would recommend under any of these circumstances: if you enjoy beautiful prose; unique storytelling and usage of literary devices; philosophical commentary on society, humanism, and nature; split timelines; or reading about human connections through place, time, and space. This book left me feeling a sense of hope and promise for the future.
cjbrimmer's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and War
lexijones22's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
kim_j_dare's review against another edition
5.0
Just glorious. Doer introduces us to multiple story strands— from 15th century Greece to the present day to the 22nd century, and they seem so disparate that you wonder where in the world he’s going. But stick with it— the way he ultimately interweaves the various threads is magical.
Cloud Cuckoo Land is completely different from All the Light We Cannot See, but no less powerful.
I listened to the audio version, and would highly recommend it.
Cloud Cuckoo Land is completely different from All the Light We Cannot See, but no less powerful.
I listened to the audio version, and would highly recommend it.
aryanjoy's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
nimscancolor's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
kiannaamaya's review against another edition
5.0
i loved All the Light We Cannot See, so I wanted to give this book a try. i really loved it. i really love perspective shifts and time shifts. especially when they end up connecting at the end in a way that makes sense. Anthony Doerr does that really well and i can say he’s one of my favorite authors now!
it was quite long but i still loved it! i read this faster than some of the shorter books i’ve read recently because i was so eager to see this book to the end. it held my attention through and through.
it was quite long but i still loved it! i read this faster than some of the shorter books i’ve read recently because i was so eager to see this book to the end. it held my attention through and through.
annalaurasw's review against another edition
5.0
Since All the Light We Cannot See is one of my absolute favorite novels, I came into this with really high expectations, but I think Doerr has truly outdone himself with Cloud Cuckoo Land. Dedicated to librarians and a testament to the power of stories to ignite imagination and connect individuals across centuries, this book is a meditation on both the power and the fragility of the written word. The prose is beautiful and atmospheric, resulting in a novel that's both literary and engrossing. I'm predicting that it will be an absolute favorite I will reread over and over.
joetatum24's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars. I didn’t expect to enjoy this as much as I did. I really appreciate novels that look quite long, yet are broken up into (in this case, extremely) manageable chunks. The danger in having 5 separate stories can be that some are more interesting than others. While there is some of that here (the story way in the past was far less interesting and more monotonous, thus the 4.5 instead of 5 stars), they all had their interesting and relatable elements.
I wondered going in if this would be too on the nose about libraries and books, but I found it to be thoughtful and engaging. Each character had elements that were relatable, and I found myself really caring about all of them. The major question for novels with so many elements is whether they come together thoughtfully. I found that the ending was both touching and rewarding, generally lending purpose to each storyline. It was readily apparent that the story had been thought through. I’d definitely recommend. Also, my main criticism of Franzen’s Crossroads was “not enough gay content!” even though he’s a seemingly straight cis male author. Not here! Definitely some gay content for which I am grateful. This one looks long, and it is, but it goes by quickly, and keeps the reader engaged.
I wondered going in if this would be too on the nose about libraries and books, but I found it to be thoughtful and engaging. Each character had elements that were relatable, and I found myself really caring about all of them. The major question for novels with so many elements is whether they come together thoughtfully. I found that the ending was both touching and rewarding, generally lending purpose to each storyline. It was readily apparent that the story had been thought through. I’d definitely recommend. Also, my main criticism of Franzen’s Crossroads was “not enough gay content!” even though he’s a seemingly straight cis male author. Not here! Definitely some gay content for which I am grateful. This one looks long, and it is, but it goes by quickly, and keeps the reader engaged.