Cloud Cuckoo Land - wow

Submitted by CrochetNerd_ t3_z1tsf4 in books

I did scroll for a bit to see if anyone had made a similar post recently. Picked up Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doer on a recommendation from r/books and hoooly smokes it's so so good.

Usually I struggle with books that have more than two concurrent plot lines but this was masterfully done. How everything starts connecting up and falling into place about halfway through, I was absolutely enthralled. I kept wondering how much more could keep happening when there was so much more to read. And then the twist at the end - completely unexpected but then it felt so obvious! I just sat reading with my mouth open for the whole chapter.

Would 100% recommend to folks to read it - it can feel daunting at over 500 pages but it is very very much worth it. I'm definitely going to read it again at some point in the future because I imagine there's an absolute bucket load of foreshadowing I probably missed the first time.

Anyway, gush over. This book is great!

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Accomplished_Web1549 t1_ixcsfn1 wrote

This was on my Christmas list last year and it remains the best read I've had in the past 12 months. I'd previously read All The Light We Cannot See and I would recommend that too.

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Easy_Alternative4435 t1_ixculsj wrote

I may be the unpopular minority here, but I did not care for it. Loved All the Light You Cannot See and was really excited for CCL. I appreciate what went into writing this book and will read whatever he writes next but I was super disappointed. I should have dnf'd given the length but I was hopeful it would grab me. Anywho, glad you loved it!

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lady___eve t1_ixdtu87 wrote

I liked it overall but once the online chatroom conversations with the kid showed up and were super unrealistic, it broke my immersion somewhat and made me wonder if the 1500s setting was just as poorly portrayed. Also was bothered by how the woman narrator from the 1500s, once she >!married the farmer guy in the end, became absolutely nothing - she was barely mentioned again, only in the context of being a mother, while the husband's story and perspective continued!<. Thought it was maybe unconscious bias on the writers part. Still enjoyed the book very much overall, but ultimately left feeling like it was a lesser sort of Station 11. Need to read All the Light You Cannot See next!

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Unlucky-Horror-9871 t1_ixfui3j wrote

I’m in the minority with you, then — I absolutely did not enjoy this book at all.

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CrochetNerd_ OP t1_ixcvrd5 wrote

I'm glad you're honest about it tbf. Some books just aren't for everyone and I can respect that. I feel the same about Cloud Atlas - heard so many great things but just couldn't get on with it after multiple attempts. Fair play for sharing your opinion :)

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meatwhisper t1_ixd7xk2 wrote

I DNF'd it. Just was a drag for me to get through. But I enjoy that others have found it engaging!

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PoorPauly t1_ixdb79o wrote

I’m with you. It was fine but nothing great. All the Light We Cannot See was far and away the better work.

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dawgfan19881 t1_ixcw4oq wrote

Highly recommend. Best book I read last year

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saltyt00th t1_ixctum3 wrote

Hard agree here! It felt so special and smart and sweet to me as an emotional person who loves books and language. I would recommend the novel Babel for some similar vibes.

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CrochetNerd_ OP t1_ixcxwob wrote

There were a few times I felt myself getting a bit emotional. The author really captures the idea of how a story can transcend time and connect people who are so far away from each other. Absolutely loved it.

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Kallasilya t1_ixctdlq wrote

This book is currently sitting somewhere in my To Read pile and this post has just bumped it to the top, so thanks!

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HotpieTargaryen t1_ixcxfog wrote

One of my favorite books of the last ten years. Somehow evokes a feeling of lightness despite being weighty physically and narratively. I enjoy the excitement with which Doerr writes.

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lifeisabowlofbs t1_ixdw2d7 wrote

I felt the same way. The plot itself is heavy and depressing, but the book felt so magical and immersive, I couldn't help but be happy while reading it. It's one of those few books I can confidently say I'll be keeping for the rest of my life to reread every now and then.

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jourdanm t1_ixfw06s wrote

Came here to say the same. Absolutely love this book, for sure my fave of the last ten years.

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SadCryBear t1_ixdn8eg wrote

Absolutely loved it.

I thought it was beautifully written. Seymours story made me so sad.

An amazing book for people that love books.

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oldthunderbird t1_ixdprfm wrote

I spent a good portion of my time reading it wondering how these seemingly unrelated stories would come together. What a wonderful experience it was when that mystery began revealing itself.

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pit-of-despair t1_ixcrcxd wrote

I’m rereading that now. I like it a lot too. I definitely recommend this book.

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Adelaide_Farmington t1_ixdw4y2 wrote

I enjoyed it but really wished they’d fleshed out the ending of the futuristic timeline. It left me with so many questions!

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CrochetNerd_ OP t1_ixe2lbo wrote

I do agree with this - I feel like there must have been more that happened between konstance doing what she did and where she ended up (sorry for vague, want to avoid spoilers!) but I still really loved it

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Psychology-onion-300 t1_ixeynr6 wrote

lmao I saw cloud cuckoo land in the title and my first thought was the lego movie

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bc6619 t1_ixelhfn wrote

I got this as a Christmas gift last year, thought it was OK, but not great. Glad you enjoyed it.

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rudebish t1_ixeoyh8 wrote

Ok.

I love all the light we cannot see (one of my favourite books) but have tried this book several times.... And I keep losing interest by chapter 3 or 4. I know, it's a bit early to abandon a book but when does it actually get better?

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morty77 t1_ixeyqse wrote

I've already gushed about this, but my book club LOVES this book. We are a group of librarians and English teachers, so we are a little biased. Lol

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Lisassin t1_ixfrln7 wrote

I LOVE this book. I’ve read it twice and went to see Anthony Doerr at a talk/book signing. He’s a fascinating dude.

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peakbookreviews t1_ixfwi96 wrote

I thought it was a good book but damn it could’ve been about 300 pages shorter and still got the point across just as well 😂

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Vicious_Circle-14 t1_ixgivhg wrote

Absolutely amazing book. Probably my #1 favorite now. I can’t get over how incredible this book is.

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papadjeef t1_ixejaib wrote

I just looked this book up on my library's catalog. I feel like they should have put spoiler tags on one of the very surprising subject index entries:

>Interstellar travel -- Fiction.

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ReaderWalrus t1_ixfp92a wrote

I’m pretty sure you learn about Konstance and the Argos in the first chapter, if not the prologue.

The real spoiler would be >!that there isn’t any interstellar travel.!<

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otmike70 t1_ixfm8up wrote

Excellent novel. Check out David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas if you haven’t already.

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Code_Monkeeyz t1_ixfo2od wrote

I’m sorry, I thought we were going to talk about a banjo tooie level.

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MainwarringOfCynira t1_ixfprvk wrote

I feel stupid now because I never heard of this as a book. Didn’t realize it was a novel.

I just thought it was the place from the Lego Movie and never caught the reference.

I have now been enlightened

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Joescranium t1_ixfws39 wrote

Absolutely loved this book. In my top 5 of all time. I tell everyone, who will listen, to check it out!

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Liath-Luachra t1_ixg0552 wrote

Storygraph recommended this book to me, I had never heard of it but put it on hold at the library anyway. I’m glad I did because I absolutely loved it

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nedhow t1_ixg50g6 wrote

Best of 2022 for me.

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clemjonze t1_ixghstq wrote

Yes! I’ve been recommending this book too! Amazing read.

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Calamity_Jesus t1_ixgjx8z wrote

I finished the audiobook today. I loved it, even though I'd strongly suspected the twist from the beginning. >!The layout. The insect sighting. The gravity. The lack of windows or any interest in mapping the changing stars. The 'too fast for communication' yet still clearly going well below light speed. They were all clues.!< The different voices and accents in the audiobook are both well done and betray a few convergences of the stories a little earlier than the prose.

While I don't expect a book like this to be universally praised, I was shocked to see how divisive the takes are. Very few folks were just mildly amused with it. I did notice a theme where negative review's didn't finish it (and I'm someone who will DNF a book I'm not enjoying with little hesitation, no hate). It's definitely a lot of unrelated buildup that starts clicking together like a mystery novel in the final chapters, so quitting early just means no payoff.

The characters' trials and suffering were interesting and engaging for me, but the events unfolding in the Idaho library were what got me hooked enough to stick with getting into the characters.

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Initial-Orange-7198 t1_ixgn1vd wrote

Wow indeed. I finished it last week and I enjoyed it a lot. I loved how masterfully constructed it was and how the different small things from those various plot lines came together. Maybe it wasn't perfect, but still one of top reads this year for me! :)

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Bookman32 t1_iyc1byx wrote

Loving it so far. It’s brilliant, and I’m not saying that because I know Tony. I thought ATLYCS was his magnum opus. Wrong. I can already tell-and I’m not at the halfway marker yet—but this is going to be the book that puts him in the canon. This will be taught for years to come, which is fitting if you think about it. Can’t wait to finish.

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