Cloud Cuckoo Land
Cloud Cuckoo Land is an absolutely beautiful story and exceeds Anthony Doerr’s writing in his previous Pulitzer Prize-winning book, All the Light We Cannot See. I really have no words that can fully express how wonderful this epic story is, as I was left completely speechless as I turned the final page. Trying to review this epic story is like trying to review Homer’s Odessey. You just cannot do it. It is a story all must read and travel through on their own. This book is pure genius!
Synopsis: Thirteen-year-old Anna, an orphan, lives inside the formidable walls of Constantinople in a house of women who make their living embroidering the robes of priests. Restless, insatiably curious, Anna learns to read, and in this ancient city, famous for its libraries, she finds a book, the story of Aethon, who longs to be turned into a bird so that he can fly to a utopian paradise in the sky. This she reads to her ailing sister as the walls of the only place she has known are bombarded in the great siege of Constantinople. Outside the walls is Omeir, a village boy, miles from home, conscripted with his beloved oxen into the invading army. His path and Anna’s will cross.
Five hundred years later, in a library in Idaho, octogenarian Zeno, who learned Greek as a prisoner of war, rehearses five children in a play adaptation of Aethon’s story, preserved against all odds through centuries. Tucked among the library shelves is a bomb, planted by a troubled, idealistic teenager, Seymour. This is another siege. And in a not-so-distant future, on the interstellar ship Argos, Konstance is alone in a vault, copying on scraps of sacking the story of Aethon, told to her by her father. She has never set foot on our planet.
What appealed to you the most in this story?
The full cast of characters captured my heart and attention from the very first chapter. Doerr created a cast of children who are all different yet the same in their innocence. I wanted to be a part of each of their lives as they lived through trials, heartache, love, loss, and everything else life serves up. They were all so sweet and brave.
How many POV are there and time periods?
There are five POVs in three different times. And in between fragments about Aethon who wants to be a bird because he’s searching for the perfect world: cloud cuckoo land.
It took me a bit to get all those POVs and different times straight, but as soon as I did, I found myself completely captivated and wanting to read more. I was addicted to each character’s story and just had to know what was going to happen to them next. I wanted to be with Anna, then with Omeir, I wanted to go back to Anna, but I also wanted to keep reading about Zeno and Seymour, and desperately about Omeir, I wanted to know badly what Konstance was doing up in space, and then I longed to be back with Zeno or Seymour, or both, and with Anna and Omeir as well, but I didn’t want to leave Konstance, so I kept reading frantically, and ..., and ... Well, you just have to read it yourself to find out!
This is a chunky book. Were you intimidated by it?
I’m not someone who gets intimidated by thick books. Erin and I took the whole month of November to read this ingenious story. We went in with to goal of reading 25-35 pages each day, and this was the best thing we could have done. Since we read slowly, we were really able to savor the story and fully absorb it all as we went. I think it also allowed for a deeper connection to the characters and all they were experiencing.
How was the pace?
Steady and at times fast paced. I was hooked from the very beginning. Even though I was taking my time to read this book there were days where we accidently read 50-100 pages in one sitting. Each time I picked up this book, it was like time came to a standstill and I was sucked into the story.
Do you recommend this book?
Yes! This book is going to be another Pulitzer winner and I urge you to read it! Cloud Cuckoo Land is a journey through the centuries for everyone who loves reading, who wants to learn, wants to dream, and wants stories to be shared time and time again. This story is so grand, and still so small and so incredibly personal; I loved every page.
