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Cloud Cuckoo Land

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Cloud Cuckoo Land

By: Anthony Doerr
Narrated by: Marin Ireland, Simon Jones
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About this listen

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER AND NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST‘A dazzling epic of love, war and the joy of books’ Guardian

‘There is magic in this place … You just have to sit and breathe and wait and it will find you’

Fifteenth-century Constantinople. Present day Idaho. The future, and humanity’s last hope.

Across time and space, five young dreamers are bound by a single ancient text. Together, they tell a story of a world in peril; of the power of words, of resilience, and of hope against all odds.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of All the Light We Cannot See returns with a heart-breaking, magnificent epic of human connection and a love letter to storytelling itself.

‘Wonderment and despair, love and destruction and hope – all find their place in its sumptuously plotted pages’ Observer

‘Ingenious, hopeful and totally absorbing’ Financial Times

‘This engagingly written, big-hearted book is a must-read’ Daily Mirror

©2021 Anthony Doerr (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Medieval Metaphysical & Visionary Science Fiction Space Opera World Literature Funny Heartfelt Thought-Provoking Witty Middle Ages Survival Resilience

Critic Reviews

‘Sets him comfortably alongside Tolkien, Rowling and David Mitchell, and he is a much more elegant writer than two of thoseCloud Cuckoo Land is an impressive achievement and a joy to read. Serious novels are rarely this fun.The Times

‘There is a kind of book a seasoned writer produces after a big success: large-hearted, wide in scope and joyous. Following his Pulitzer winner All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr’s Cloud Cuckoo Land is a deep lungful of fresh air – and a gift of a novelGuardian

‘A paean to stories as a source of sustenance and solace, and to the sweetness of our shared terrestrial home, Doerr’s narrative is buoyant with humanity and it’s author’s palpable pleasure in inventionDaily Mail

A humane and uplifting book for adults that’s infused with the magic of childhood reading experiences. Cloud Cuckoo Land is ultimately a celebration of books, the power and possibilities of reading New York Times

Cloud Cuckoo Land is a fascinatingly ambitious tale that’s worth the seven year waitStylist

‘Pulitzer Prize-winner Anthony Doerr’s new novel traverses time and space, unifying his characters through a text written by Diogenes in the first century AD. Cloud Cuckoo Land begins there and sweeps through the millennia in a huge, imaginative arc that celebrates the outsiders, the writers and the keepers of books. An ultimately hopeful and life-affirming novel about the essence of love, literature and artIrish Independent

‘This is a dazzling epic of love, war and the joy of books – one for David Mitchell fans’ Guardian

Wonderment and despair, love and destruction and hope – all find their place in its sumptuously plotted pages’ Observer

All stars
Most relevant
What an imagination! Such a clever book and so beautifully written. I have to admit I wasn't sure about it to start, but after a couple of chapters I was hooked. I loved the different storylines, connections and resolution. The narrator was excellent. I'm really going to struggle to find something to captivate me as much as this book did.

Absolutely brilliant!

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Do not be put off by the multiple
settings of this book, separated by place and time. We are in the hands of a master story teller. The connections that unfold as the novel progresses make for many breathtaking moments. Doerr treats all his major characters with tenderness - even the most flawed of them. Characters experience the often painful dawning of insight about their own situation and purpose, and some go on to find redemption. One ancient book - ‘Cloud Cuckoo Land’ - is never far beneath the surface of these stories, even if at first we cannot see it. And in case this sounds all very cerebral, there is plenty of tension and excitement - Doerr loves to leave us with a cliff hanger as he switches from one tale to another! Marin Ireland’ narration is excellent, and Simon Jones’s very different tone makes made more sense to me as the novel progressed. Highly recommended!

Moving and absorbing

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Very clever writing. Highly engaging, with quality narration.
The stories feel a little disconnected early on, but gracefully the whole narrative comes together. Recommend.

Clever book with interwoven stories

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What a story (stories). Beautifully imagined and with wonderful, complex, characters.
I just admit, I wondered what on earth I was listening to to begin with, and it took me a while to become invested in the storylines throughout, but I really enjoyed it once I felt I knew the characters.
If you have the time and patience, it's well worth a listen.

Beautiful, complex and imaginative.

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There is much truth and wisdom woven into this superb work which spans time and space.
Must read!

Imaginative triumph.

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