And, then immediately we have to read about 5 people’s childhood till adulthood. My main problem with this kind of hopeful characterization was that initially we are introduced to them when they are all grown up. And, for that fragile link we had to read the boring lives of Anna & Omeir in the 1400s. There is only a fragile link which connects them to the larger picture. The book would have been better without them. Now, contrasting this to the one I did not care for – Anna & Omeir. A young girl alone in a spaceship trying to find the meaning of her existence & what has been her home since birth. But, it felt like the author was finding scraps & bits to connect all these stories.Ībout the characters, let me start with my favourite Konstance. Too much, isn’t it? If all these connected beautifully towards the end, I would have enjoyed it.

And then, there is a fourth story line which aspires to connect all the others, which is essentially the story within the story of Cloud Cuckoo Land where we meet Aethon. The third story line is set a few years in the future where we meet 14-year-old Konstance. There is another story line in the 1400s Constantinople where we meet Anna & Omeir. In Cloud Cuckoo Land, the first story line is in present day 2020 Idaho where we meet Xeno & Seymour. But, putting 6 characters across 3 story lines in a 600-page book seems a tad much. Martin & a few more have done it brilliantly. Writers like Brandon Sanderson & George R. Only probably 5% of the writers will be successful in getting away with it & especially if it’s a series. I feel that no matter how excellent a writer is, they should not keep more than 2 or 3 perspectives & parallels. ~~MULTIPLE CHARACTERS ACROSS MULTIPLE STORY LINES~~ Before you read this, I want to tell you all that I had rated Anthony Doerr’s ‘All the Light We Cannot See’ at 5/5 stars & had loved it beyond love! So, it pains me that I could not love or even like this one. It was a disappointment, but I am glad that I am finally done with it. On a whim, I decided to finally read Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. HI Readers! Happy Sunday! As you know, I have a big pile of TBR.

Cloud cuckoo land goodreads