Cloud Cuckoo Land

I feel like I only comprehended like 40% of this book. There was a lot to take in

"Cloud Cuckoo Land follows five characters whose stories, despite spanning nearly six centuries, are bound together by their mutual love for a single book."

I feel like you do after eating a great meal at a great restaurant where all the ingredients have been carefully sourced, the recipes well-designed and the whole meal beautifully executed by the chef! Cloud Cuckoo Land is such a fascinating read and leaves the reader with so much to consider. Anthony Doerr manages to include thoughtful commentaries on almost every big issue known to humankind: love, war, slavery, poverty, dictatorship, global warming, radicalisation, and the future of the human race. No wonder it took him seven years to write it!

I loved the format of this novel. It follows the lives of five young people stretched across three periods in history, all connected by the impressive walls and literature of ancient Constantinople. For those who have opted to to listen to the audiobook, you are in for the bonus treat of having parts read by Simon Jones (aka Arthur Dent in the original 1978 radio version of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) and the rest by the very talented Marin Ireland.

With books that travers numerous storylines, I often feel unsettled and reluctant to leave one set of characters behind for another. With this book, though, I was eager to read the next installment at each stage. I felt so invested in all of them and the parts they were playing. Anthony Doerr concludes and links all the stories in such a satisfying way, slowly revealing more and more details of how the five main characters are connected to the fate of the Ancient Greek text, "Cloud Cuckoo Land". I especially loved the twist towards the ends of Konstance’s story! I also loved Seymour's parting contribution. Zeno's life story was beautiful and tragic. Omeir and Anna's lives were tough and I am so glad that I did not live five hundred years ago! I did live in Urbino in 1999-2000, however, so I also enjoyed the connections with the history of this city and can easily imagine the inhabitants of the Palazzo Ducale as collectors and preservers of Ancient Greek texts.

As a final note, I would recommend listening to Anthony Doerr’s interview with Diane Rehm (On My Mind podcast - 24 Nov 2021) where he sheds some light on some of his research and ideas behind his characters and plot. There are a few, minor spoilers, so if this might bother you then I would suggest that you leave it until you have finished the book, but I found it interesting and useful to listen while halfway through to gain a clearer insight into what I was reading.