Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, 5+ stars!

 

“A tapestry of times and places that reflects our vast interconnectedness…” Those are the words Anthony Doerr uses to describe this wonderful novel, and each thread in that tapestry is golden wire wrapped in color.

 

Told from the perspectives of young people, from four different centuries and centering loosely around a fictional manuscript written by an ancient Greek author, this book ties the stories of Konstance, from a space ship in the twenty second century to not only the ancient Greek, but also two teen agers on opposite sides of the siege of Constantinople in the fifteenth century, and a group of fifth graders in 2020, who wish to perform the play, Cloud Cuckoo Land, as translated by their friend,  Zeno, a Korean war veteran. With his gentle and caring hand, Anthony Doerr lets us inside the world of the disfigured, the orphaned, the lost, the mentally challenged, the single mother, the unrequited homosexual, the war veteran, and even the hopeless parents in fear for their children on a dying planet. He weaves these stories so perfectly that we don’t even realize what he’s doing until we reach the surprising, inevitable conclusion.

 

It wasn’t easy to get started in this book, nightmares of studying the Odyssey and the Iliad threatened to make me abandon it, but to say by midway I couldn’t put it down is not an exaggeration. This author is a master, and a treasure, and this book is a love letter to books and libraries through history. I loved it.

 

I received this advance copy from NetGalley and the publisher. Cloud Cuckoo Land will be released on September 28, 2021.

The School for Psychics by K.C. Archer 4*

The School for Psychics by K.C. Archer

 

Teddy is a young woman adrift.  She has some unique abilities, but she tends to use them only for personal gain, and it doesn’t take long for that to backfire.  She’s run out of options when she meets Clint Corbett and he not only gets her out of her terrifying situation, he invites her to apply to a top-secret government program called “The School for Psychics.”

As Teddy learns about the school, along with classmates with their own gifts, she also learns more about who…and what…she is.  To say it confuses her is an understatement.  Old wounds are re-opened, and her innate lack of trust emerges to cause her even more trouble, and to save her from some.

Part Avengers, part Harry Potter, Part Allegiance, this governmental – or spy, who knows? -- conspiracy sets itself apart in a few ways.  First, the characters are all college age or more…some are returning to school after years in jobs where they never quite fit. Everyone must be invited. They are twenty something plus, there is a blend of private school rules added to a young adult need for fun… including parties, substances and sex.  This is not a book for kids.

There are a lot of characters to get to know, but by the end of the book we feel bonded with them.  Something is going on at Whitfield College.  These psychics may figure it out.

I confess that I didn’t notice the “Book One” connotation at the beginning of this novel, which explains why I kept hoping for resolution of all the open questions. I didn’t get them in Book One.  For sure I will be reading future releases.  I can’t leave these young people alone! It was an easy fun read…and I’m hoping the series doesn’t go on too long.

I was invited to read this book by the publisher, Simon and Shuster, Inc. with no strings attached.

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