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A review by richardbakare
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
3.0
“Cloud Cuckoo Land,” represents Anthony Doerr’s love letter to librarians and the mythology in storytelling. It is a tome with multiple stories and characters weaving in and out. The story arcs, character development, and themes tie together and underscore the broader message mentioned before. Doerr is an effective story, character, and plot maker. However, he needs a brutal editor to cut down his extraneous exposition and, in the case of this book, a middle portion we could have done without.
Despite the herculean effort required to read this, the multiple stories circling around a singular truth about the power of imagination to cure ills is a worthwhile one. Even if only momentarily glimpsed in the latest of sections. The structure, pacing, and meaning in this book reminded me of “Cloud Atlas” in parts. Both constructed in messy ways that distract the reader/watcher from fully taking in the experience without a way-finder and buckets of patience.
Again, despite the problems with the book, the meta-commentary on humanity, its endless striving, along with the turmoil of existence is gripping in and of itself. Doerr manages to save the book in the end and pass on a lesson on the power of language and flow of information to shape reality. In that last bit of understanding is what I think Doerr is communicating about the power of librarians. To protect and disseminate knowledge through the ages. The author indirectly suggests that we are all, in a way, librarians if we care for and share stories from one generation to the next.
Despite the herculean effort required to read this, the multiple stories circling around a singular truth about the power of imagination to cure ills is a worthwhile one. Even if only momentarily glimpsed in the latest of sections. The structure, pacing, and meaning in this book reminded me of “Cloud Atlas” in parts. Both constructed in messy ways that distract the reader/watcher from fully taking in the experience without a way-finder and buckets of patience.
Again, despite the problems with the book, the meta-commentary on humanity, its endless striving, along with the turmoil of existence is gripping in and of itself. Doerr manages to save the book in the end and pass on a lesson on the power of language and flow of information to shape reality. In that last bit of understanding is what I think Doerr is communicating about the power of librarians. To protect and disseminate knowledge through the ages. The author indirectly suggests that we are all, in a way, librarians if we care for and share stories from one generation to the next.