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A review by semeyers
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
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