Cloud Cuckoo Land

A Novel

By: Anthony Doerr

Narrated by: Marin Ireland, Simon Jones

AudioFile Magazine’s Best Audiobooks of 2021

On the New York Times bestseller list for over 20 weeks * A New York Times Notable Book * A National Book Award Finalist * Named a Best Book of the Year by Fresh Air, Time, Entertainment Weekly, Associated Press, and many more

“If you’re looking for a superb novel, look no further.” —The Washington Post

From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of All the Light We Cannot See, comes the instant New York Times bestseller that is a “wildly inventive, a humane and uplifting book for adults that’s infused with the magic of childhood reading experiences” (The New York Times Book Review).

Among the most celebrated and beloved novels of recent times, Cloud Cuckoo Land is a triumph of imagination and compassion, a soaring story about children on the cusp of adulthood in worlds in peril, who find resilience, hope, and a book.

In the 15th century, an orphan named Anna lives inside the formidable walls of Constantinople. She learns to read, and in this ancient city, famous for its libraries, she finds what might be the last copy of a centuries-old 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. Outside the walls is Omeir, a village boy, conscripted with his beloved oxen into the army that will lay siege to the city. His path and Anna’s will cross.

In the present day, in a library in Idaho, octogenarian Zeno rehearses 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.

Anna, Omeir, Seymour, Zeno, and Konstance are dreamers and outsiders whose lives are gloriously intertwined. Doerr’s dazzling imagination transports us to worlds so dramatic and immersive that we forget, for a time, our own.

Critic reviews

"Marin Ireland and Simon Jones sparkle as they narrate this immersive time-traveling novel. They vividly deliver the stories that weave through this audiobook. A gifted mimic, Ireland performs subtle and effective emulations of Australian, Italian, and English accents. When she slows down to enunciate the classical Greek sprinkled throughout the text, her reading shimmers with meaning. Both Ireland and Jones are masters of pacing and cadence, which matters in an interwoven narrative that shifts in time from the fall of Constantinople (1450s) to present-day small-town Idaho and to a future set on a spacecraft. From accounts of myths to misbegotten environmental terrorism, Doerr's novel pulls out all the stops, and the narrators create an enduring listening experience."

Get Ready

This Is an absolutely stunning story told with great skill. About 30 to 40 minutes in as the stories build and intertwine you find yourself transported into a world no make that worlds of amazement. Enjoy. Get this book, listen to it, and love it!!

Worth the initial few hours, keep listening.

The multi focal construct is confusing and difficult to follow for the first few hours. The centrality of Diogenes’ story isn’t clear at first but then keeps recurring enough to almost become a theme. Xenon’s self loathing is pitiable, necessary? « Possum » as a nickname for the autistic character is apt. Several other names are, too, « Argo » for the ship, « Arcady Lane »(=Arcadia ), etc little wordplay with old Greek stories makes it more interesting.
Most of the characters felt stereotypical and flat.
Tying all the stories together is tricky. Maybe if I can listen through the book again it’ll be more apparent but felt pretty thin on a first listen.

Captivating book about books

An odd and captivating sequence of characters structured around ancient and futuristic books. How I would love to meet Anthony Dorr and listen to the thoughts as they come out of his mind. Stick with it and you will indeed be amazed.

Get yourself INTO this book!

This book was a nostalgic reminder of how a really great book can open up a world of adventure that you don’t want to end—it’s the reason I fell in love with reading. I’ve seen some people attempt this book but get turned off by the introductions into each of the Points of View the author laid out in the first few chapters. My advice is not to feel overwhelmed or give up. Let me try to sum up the plot in a nutshell. There is an Ancient tale called Cloud Cuckoo Land that has been passed on from generation to generation. You hear excerpts of it at the beginning of each chapter and even though it is woven into the narrative of this book, the real wonderment of superb story-telling lie in the individual characters and THEIR individual timelines. Some lived hundreds of years ago, a couple from modern times and one from the future. Each story is unique and you get sucked into their worlds and you also hear of their connection to the ancient tale. It is not hard to follow at all. I’d probably put this in my top ten favorite books and I know this is something I will read again and again.

worth the read

With so many story lines, you have your favorites & not favorites and they changed through the story. there were lots of cliff hangers and you were put through some boring liatening to get to what you wanted, but it was worth it. it is a gd sad asf read though, imo. real but sad.