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Cloud Cuckoo Land

By: Anthony Doerr
Narrated by: Marin Ireland, Simon Jones
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Publisher's summary

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
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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

What listeners say about Cloud Cuckoo Land

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Wow! Brilliant!

The best book I've listened to in a long time and I am certain I will revisit Cloud Cuckoo Land in the future. It has everything - myth, history, philosophy, sci-fi, sexuality, ecology and it's also an exciting story with lots of drama as well as unexpected twists and turns. I was captivated and intrigued from the very first chapter. The breadth and depth of this novel is astounding and yet the various characters are instantly relatable and the reader cares about them and about what happens to them. The threads linking the different narratives across continents and centuries is ingenious! The narration does justice to the beautiful writing. Although I didn't want it to end, the conclusion was very satisfying. I strongly recommend a trip to Cloud Cuckoo Land!

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A memorable tale

A tale so ludicrous, so incredible - absolutely brilliant! Beautifully narrated by Marin Ireland and Simon Jones.

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Stunning.... feel like starting it again right away

Anthony Doerr is a maestro. His word weaving is masterful and the story is captivating. The narration is clear and draws one into the place and time ... highly recommended

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Absolutely sublime

Took a while to get into it but once hooked, I couldn't put it down. Multi-layered.

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What a wonderful book!

Brilliantly original. Epic in its scope yet the characters remain real, tender and memorable. Highly recommended.

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Mesmerising

Beautifully crafted story line and character portrayal and the weaving through each story of Diogenes’ tale

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An important, deeply thoughtful & satisfying book

This book is one of those novels that stitches together a number of stories but it is so much more. From the broad expanse of human history, down to the microscope of a fascinating social history, the book is part science fiction, part historic fiction, part fantasy. If is about how humans both build and destroy. The most intrinsic of truths that life is a paradox.
The book is both a great pleasure and something that warrants thought and discussion.
Hello Simon Jones! You have grown so as a talent since the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Marin does a superb job as well.
However, it is not a book you can listen to with one ear. It is a work that requires and deserves your full attention.
Oh and the ending does not disappoint.

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better than reading it myself

The audio book is better than reading it myself as I cannot read or speak ancient Greek.

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Brilliant!

Enjoyable, the voices added to the story. Engaging, smart, rare in its combinations of ancient past through to futuristic. I am going to start it all over again right away!

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I loved it

What a lovely adventure to listen to. I knew nothing about it but a friend mentioned it on Facebook so I decided to listen to it.

I’m sure I will listen to it again someday.

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