Last Updated on March 21, 2022
Resident Janet Neer’s review of Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr [New York: Scribner, 2021], is scheduled for Tuesday, March 15, 2022 at 7 PM in the Auditorium.
The curious title of this novel was inspired by The Birds, a work of Aristophanes, the Greek playwright. Anthony Doerr creates his own version of a similar play by an imaginary writer, Antonius Diogenes, and words from the title are used as touchstones throughout his intertwining stories.
The author has created five plot lines set in the past, present and future (not necessarily in that order!) Constantinople in the fifteenth century, Lakeport, Idaho in the present and an interstellar ship, The Argos, decades from now are the backdrop for the development of the main characters. Four children in their teens and one man in his eighties are immersed in the challenges of their times. Sources of resilience and hope in the face of vividly- described peril are revealed as we become acquainted with each character.
Anna and Omeir, in their teen years, have dramatically different experiences of Constantinople. Teen Seymour and 80-year-old Zeno Ninis participate in activities at the Lakeport Public Library, which has an ideal librarian named Marian. Konstance, aboard The Argos, interacts with her unique environment, complete with an observant Alexa-type companion.
The dedication of the book is “For the librarians then, now and for the years to come.” The author honors books, writers and readers of stories that live beyond their time. For his characters, imagination, curiosity, creativity and compassion are interwoven as threads of connection, even when other pathways are not apparent.
Doerr’s extraordinary writing moves quickly through a 622-page reading experience. He touches on the genres of fable, science fiction, historical fiction, war story and romance within one novel.
One of the main characters mentioned above, Zeno Ninis, is able to translate the Greek inscription from an ancient wooden chest containing cypress tablets. It reads, “Stranger, whoever you are, open this to learn what will amaze you .”
The message conveys Doerr’s invitation to read this remarkable novel.
Author Anthony Doerr was awarded The 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for All the Light We Cannot See. The above novel was a 2021 finalist for The National Book Award.
Resident Janet Neer is a retired Clinical Social Worker, who worked for many years with children and adolescents.
Janet Neer and Ellyn Loy, Book Review Coordinators