Cloud Cuckoo Land Summary
Anthony Doerr

Cloud Cuckoo Land Overview

In Anthony Doerr's novel Cloud Cuckoo Land, five disparate characters are bound by one common book. The fantastical story it contains enchants Konstance as a child living on a spaceship bound for a new planet. Translating the story gives the elderly Zeno new purpose and meaning. Discovering, preserving, and reading the tale to her sister, her husband, Omeir, and her children, makes Anna hopeful. Reading the story in prison, grants Seymour clarity on his past mistakes and future lives. Indeed the images and scenes contained within the book by the same name as Doerr's novel have the power to connect the characters' across oceans, skies, and generations. Doerr's complex and sweeping narrative both relies upon and subverts the traditional hero's journey model, while presenting poignant commentary on twenty-first century life. Doerr renders his narrative worlds, be they historic or futuristic, with heartfelt care and prescient wisdom. The novel explores themes including, hope, exploration, and knowledge.