A review by hollyd19
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

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. 
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