Cloud Cuckoo Land is a historical/science fiction by Anthony Doerr.

In 15th-century Constantinople, Anna, a young girl who is a terrible seamstress with a thirst for reading manages to learn to read ancient Greek. When one of her sisters in the monastery falls sick, she starts to steal ancient manuscripts from an abandoned monastery to sell them to Italian scholars for money. Just before the monastery is destroyed in the war, Anna finds a codex bound by leather skin. It turns out to be the folios of Cloud Cuckoo Land by Antonius Diogenes; a Greek tale of Aethon, a foolish shepherd who leaves home on a journey to find a “utopian city in the sky”.

In 2020, Zeno Ninis is preparing a group of kids in the library for the upcoming play Cloud Cuckoo Land which he translated from the centuries-old, crumbling folios of the same book. While Seymor, a troubled teenager sits outside the library in his car, with a bomb in his backpack.

In 2146, mission year 65 of the Argos – a ship heading towards a new home for humanity, Konstance is alone inside a vault for almost a year now. After a plague killed everyone on the ship, her only companion is Sybil, an artificial intelligence unit with an all-encompassing knowledge of humankind. Konstance recalls a story that her father used to tell her and jots the bits and pieces of it on the paper that fills the floor of the vault. The story of Cloud Cuckoo Land.

Spanning six centuries, Cloud Cuckoo Land tells the story of these characters bound by a single book, passing from one century to the next, touching their lives in an irrevocable manner.

How did it make me feel?

The Narrative

Cloud Cuckoo Land went straight into my favorites list! I knew I was going to like it because I have been a fan of Anthony Doerr’s All The Lights We Cannot See (  read my review here ). But I was not expecting this! Cloud Cuckoo Land is an example of master storytelling. How it creates this fictional Greek tale and weaves it into the past, present, and future is absolutely a treat for the readers. It so beautifully advocates the power of the story, and the journey of that story through time, that in my opinion there can be no better experience for you as a reader than the one this book provides. It makes you proud to be a reader, to be a part of this world of words and phrases and imagination and magic. I cannot say enough about Cloud Cuckoo Land. I’ve gone a bit Cuckoo over it 😉

Audiobook Narration

Narrators: Marin Ireland, Simon Jones

I am so grateful that the narrators kept the beauty of this book alive. If the audiobook is this good, I cannot wait until I can hold this book in my hands and re-read it.

The Characters

I cannot pick and choose here. Author Doerr has given an excellent foundation for all of these characters. It has made them vivid. From the people to even the animals that make an appearance in this story, every soul is filled with animation. And I absolutely loved them!

Would I recommend it?

Do I need to say more? Absolutely yes! If you’re a fan of historical fiction that fills you with all kinds of emotional, wonderful, and magical feelings, Cloud Cuckoo Land is definitely for you. Like author Doerr puts it, “Stranger, whoever you are, open this to learn what will amaze you.”

Get your own copy from Amazon. If you prefer the Audiobook, it is free with Amazon Audible Trial right now and you can find it here. If you use my link to buy, I may get a small commission at NO additional cost to you! It will help me keep my blog running! 🙂 Thank you for your support!