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A review by joetatum24
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
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.