Aethon approaches the goddess for the book, and she recognizes that he is not really a bird. She flees as the city falls, taking her precious copy of the Cloud Cuckoo Land folios, and meets Omeir. In her mind, she thinks about how if shes wrong about this, then shell be dead almost immediately. I made the assumption that Ilium set up the Argos experiment as a test, unbeknownst to the occupants. By the time she gets out of the Atlas and off the Perambulator, she is exhausted and hungry. Enlisted into the Ottoman troops against his will, Omeir learns that the world is full of destruction and cruelty. The corporate neglect angle is a good one. Due to the running water, the foundation there is weak and the stones near there are less stable. Determined to find it, he heads for Thessaly, a land of Magic. The Argos / Mission Year 64, Day 46 Day 276 Inside Vault One. Seymour began adding his first owls some where between 2021 and 2030 while in jail. But trust the author and you will find your reading rhythm. Zeno tells Seymour he needs to use Seymours phone (which is on the ground next to Seymour) to call an ambulance for Sharif, and the boy doesnt protest. She shares a cell with Maria, her older sister. However, shes unable to find confirmation of the feasibility of their mission and whether the technology available at the time was prepared to meet the challenge of getting to Beta Oph2. The next day, Widow Theodora comes back with deadly nightshade for all the women, saying that they will leave their bodies behind in this world. I feel like I missed a chapter! Its been patched over, but she uses her axe to attack the metal. I don't think this was because the world was uninhabitable, but because it was clearly heading that way in the long term (based on what the owls reveal in the atlas) and humankind needed to do the long term research to be able to evacuate at some point in the future. [This wasn't explicit, but there was a chapter or part of a chapter (I listened) where Seymore invites all the "kids" that were in the play to an all expenses paid trip and I think that is where the idea of the Argos is introduced to them. Chryse cuts off Annas hair to try to make her less attractive to them, but she thinks that Anna could possibly evade them, so she tells Anna to try to run. Traveling with the rest of the caravan, it takes the strength of 60 oxen to haul the cannon. He then gets back to work learning to translate Greek. Time passes. When Seymour finally loses his temper, and Bunny takes him to a doctor to put him on medication. Rachel narrates to set the scene: Its a foggy night on the island kingdom of Tyre [] and the writer Antonius Diogenes is leaving the archives [] . To me it represents the callousness of the corporate world if there is nothing to be gained financially, the product or project will not be supported. He is also in contact with Natalie Hernandez, who is now teaching high school Latin and Greek. Meanwhile, around the world, this summer has been marked by many instances of extreme weather like hurricanes and droughts and megafires in various areas across the globe. He starts off with aplomb, but over time, he gets bogged down by how hard the text is to read and how the parts were apparently rebound in an incorrect order at some point. It follows three sets of characters in different time periods who all come across a (fictional) ancient Greek tale called Cloud Cuckoo Land by Antonius Diogenes. Shes with her mother in Compartment 17, their family compartment. He sees that the new library drop-box has been painted to look like an owl. He eventually learns to cope with his disorder by wearing earmuffs and spending time alone in the forest. However, before he can, he is captured by bandits who use him to haul stolen goods to their hideout. Afterwards, Zeno adopts a dog and names him Luther. Marias vision is totally gone now, and she has difficulty speaking. With that, the goddess produces a fresh rose for him to eat to transform him back into a human. This chapter opens with an excerpt from Folio M of Cloud Cuckoo Land. At the library, he watches a video on how to use the M67. The ending of the novel brings this theme to the forefront, as Zenos relationship with the book takes on a new dimension, revealing the transformative power of storytelling to heal and unite people across time and space. Seymour spots a large rock. He smashes the classroom projector. Instead, it becomes a place with dirty water and trash. At the end of May, Maria dies. A few months later, Marion sends back a letter along with a box of papers from Zenos house. As the kids read, Zeno thinks about how he should have told Rex back when they were prisoners together about his feelings for him. By now, Maria cannot walk and her legs are discolored. She reaches out for the handle on the drop box. Please share your theory and research! He hurriedly tries to repeat her ritual (of undressing and rubbing himself with an ointment, etc.). Libraries play a central role throughout the novel, both as sanctuaries for children and as stewards of knowledge. before he finally finds Cloud Cuckoo Land. The four-paragraph version: Cloud Cuckoo Land is about a book and how it manages to survive across time. This chapter opens with an excerpt from Folio of Cloud Cuckoo Land. At some point after its "launch" Ilium possibly dissolved or diminished as an entity, and/or climatic conditions caused an apocalyptic setback in society's functioning capacity. Finally, Marian suggests that he take a time-out to help out with the kids instead, and she brings over a group of 5th graders (Rachel, Alex, Olivia, Natalie and Christopher). Another disagrees, saying that Diogenes was interested in notions of pseudo-documentarianism, which is why he made up a tale and claimed it was a true transcription he discovered. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. When they go through villages, he binds her wrists and tells people of how he was went home after battle with her as his reward. Hillary takes Zeno up to their flat. Maher, a young oxherd, comments that fear of the thing will be more powerful than the thing itself.. He teaches her the Greek alphabet. Right now, we dont know who The Bishop is, though it seems like Seymour is hoping this person can get him out of this mess. Zeno Ninis is an octogenarian. When he gets old, Luther passes away, and Zeno adopts another dog, which he names Nestor the king of Pylos. Anna tries to reassure her, but the thought of it scares her, too. Argos was simply a intergenerational feasibility study or trial run to see how they would fare in these circumstances. Zeno is a shy child, orphaned after his father is killed in World War II, who goes on to serve in the Korean War. The mother then learns that her husband has died on his way home shes told that his horse mustve slipped in the river. In Argos in Mission Year 65, Konstance looks at the schematics for Argos and understands that it was always just a feasibility study or trial run about intergenerational survival. As the trips to the priory continue, she admits to herself that perhaps there is a part of her that enjoys the process of stealing the manuscripts. In this section, Aethon-the-donkey is about to be killed by the bandits for being a useless donkey, but a miller offers to buy him instead. Omeir's family is driven out of the village since the villagers believe they boy is demonic and caused his father's death. In Chapter 15, in present day, Seymour goes upstairs, but Zeno and the kids are hiding. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. . He recalls the sign on the door when he walked in advertising the Cloud Cuckoo Land performance. It flings a thousand-pound stone balls across the field. When the man starts to frown at his partially-unzipped backpack, Seymour panics and pulls out his pistol. By now, Constantinople looks farther away, but everywhere else is darkness. Zeno goes on dates with women to keep up appearances. The Argos / Mission Year 64, Day 21 Day 45 Inside Vault One. By now, there are 33 units built on the Edens Gate property. Before he can, one of the phones taped to the bombs (which will detonate the bombs on the fifth ring) starts to ring. In February 2019, Janet shows Seymour a video of a slight man carrying an assault rifle who goes by the moniker the Bishop. These chapters jump from character to character, switching perspectives throughout. Marian the librarian reads to him about owls from various books, like an ornithology journal. Bunny leaves him at home alone since she has to go to work, and she promises to check on him mid-day. She knows that the crew was told that they were sedated and sealed inside for launch, but now Konstance knows there never was a launch. Cloud Cuckoo Land is a 2021 historical and speculative fiction novel by Pulitzer-prize winning author Anthony Doerr. Seymour is sent to prison, where he works to compile Zenos translations of Cloud Cuckoo Land as penance for his actions. As everyone does needlework, Anna helps to fetch things. In present day, 7-year-old Anna is the youngest person at the convent. When Seymour is 6, Bunny inherits her great-uncles manufactured double-wide house in Lakeport, and they move in there. Later, Hillary writes to him informing of Rexs death. Along the way, he has many adventures (transformed into a donkey, captured, escapes, transformed into a fish, eaten by a sea creature, transformed into a crow, etc.) Cloud Cuckoo Land, the latest novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anthony Doerr, is a beautifully woven tapestry of interconnected stories that span across time and space, interweaving the lives of different characters through the ages. Omeir is startled to see that he has knocked out a young Greek girl. As he starts second grade, Seymour gets even more into owls. There are people starving and garbage everywhere. Pastor White continues to spend time at Mrs. Boydstuns house. Meanwhile, Anna reads the story of Ulysses by candlelight at night. Zeno hears the commotion downstairs. She glad that the goatskin codex is safely with her instead of burning up in the fire. Zeno sees that the man has carved some lines in a mix of English and Greek onto the back of the wooden lid. He was killing trying to protect children at the library from a terrorist. His point of contact is someone going by "Mathilda". The ending of the Cloud Cuckoo Land reveals that the Argos was a seed pod waiting for Earth to cycle back to a safe climate. Finally, when thats done a test run is set up. Carefully, he separates out the leaves and lets them dry. With Sharifs help in in organizing the necessary documents, Zeno gets to work on translating the text. He gets captured by the Chinese (allied with the North Koreans). Sybil's core is housed in Vault One. CLOUD CUCKOO LAND by Anthony Doerr RELEASE DATE: Sept. 28, 2021 An ancient Greek manuscript connects humanity's past, present, and future. When he tries to reach for her sack, she screams. Omeir thinks sadly about Moonlight as a happy calf, playing with his brother. Anna continues to meet with Himerius on foggy nights to get manuscripts from the priory. On May 27, Maria dies. This chapter opens with an excerpt from Folio of Cloud Cuckoo Land. He talks about how more carbon in the air means bigger fires, bigger storms and worse floods. She tells Zeno that she thinks that two of these folios are out of place. The book becomes a source of comfort and escape for Zeno, providing him with a refuge from the harsh realities of war and a means of connecting with others who share his passion for literature. However, its unanimously accepted that the story begins with Aethon drunkenly watching a performance of Aristophaness comedy The Birds, resulting in his belief that Cloud Cuckoo Land is a real place. Finally, on December 21, 1970, Zeno gets a letter back from Rex Browning. During the siege of Constantinople in 1453, she must accept that her city is not infallible. Even before the public could get their hands on it when it was finally released in late September of 2021, Cloud Cuckoo Land had already been longlisted for the National Book Award for Fiction . On each page of the book, one side is airy and happy and the other side is death. On Qaanaaq, Anna lives in a 49-person village. It is a long journey to Urbino, but he arrives there in the autumn. Meanwhile, Sharif lets Seymour know that he needs medical attention. Mrs. Boydstun continues to worsen and eventually passes away. It describes how some old manuscripts, notably a goatskin codex, had long been considered illegible (its pages fused into a solid mass due to to water damage, mold, and age) but new scanning technologies have allowed them to extract the text. Konstance asks to be let out, and once again Sybil refuses. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Anna is 54 when she passes away, on a lovely day in May surrounded by her sons. She recognizes the name Rachel Wilson from the list its her grandmother. When Seymour is 27, hes doing his work when he realizes one of the flagged areas is in Lakeport. Soon, Zenos father is spending time with Mrs. Boydstun, and they spend more and more time at her house. Not Argo's but what happened to the world, and it appears it was not an environmental thing persay. Grandfather insists that Omeir is just a boy, but the servant says that his true nature will show in time. Tonight, she helps him to plant a seed in the farm. And as always, I wish you happy reading! He also shows them how they can access the scanned version of the library via the owl drop box in the Atlas. He also gets a job with Ilium Corporation -- he looks over their scan of Earth and flags "objectionable content" (such as homeless people, demonstrators, graffiti, etc.) They eventually have six sons, though three die. In May 1971, Zeno makes the trip to London. Reader Q&A, In present day in the library, Seymour heads upstairs after hearing the thudding noise coming from above, and he goes into the Childrens section. She sharpens on end of a leg and uses the parts to fashion a homemade axe. He waits until he believes the library is empty, though we all know that Zeno, the kids and Sharif are inside. In Argos in Mission Year 65, after Konstance escapes the vault, she uses a makeshift axe to break through the exterior of Argos. Ask the Author. One of them mentions a lost Greek tale called Cloud Cuckoo Land by Antonius Diogenes, which is about Aethon, a shepherd, who undertakes a journey to a utopian city in the sky. This chapter opens with an excerpt from Folio of Cloud Cuckoo Land. After asking the Library for records about Zeno Ninis, Konstance learns that Zeno was a Korean war vet who was a prisoner-of-war. Seymour sees the clouds and trees decorating the stage. Today, Konstance notices that Ezekiel Zeke Lee, a boy slightly older than her, seems to be feeling unwell. This. Its a three hour bus ride from Lakeport. The next day, they see one of Kalaphatess servants quickly pack up the valuables and load them on a donkey. The novel centers around an Ancient Greek codex that links characters from fifteenth-century Constantinople, present-day Idaho, and a twenty . She then flies out the window and into the night. She also mentions that Natalie Hernandez, one of the kids from that day, is studying Latin and Greek in college. He ends up shoving the book in the fireplace. Someone with the screen name of Mathilda in the Bishops ranks is assigned to correspond with Seymour. As the other kids go to play a game, Konstance decides to visit Thessaly in the Atlas. Anna is nearing the end of the story, though the pages are deteriorated there and often illegible. In late August, forest fires in the area make the outside air hazardous, and children are kept inside. Sybil then announces Quarantine Level Two (All non-medical personnel to their compartments, no exceptions, which lasts for two months). like. Even though it should just dissolve into pixels like everything else in the Atlas, she feels something real and solid there. She sees a video of him as a 12-year-old boy explaining why he should be allowed on the Argos mission. Her mother is concerned by this since the knows they were selected for this mission for the higher cognitive reasoning and suppressed imaginative faculties. He regained it by donating silver to buy a blessing at the shrine of the Virgin of the Source, where drinking from the holy well restored his vision. Later that night, her father returns (he was able to leave since hes essential personnel) to their compartment and says that everyone is going to be eating printed food from their compartments for a while to decentralize meals. The plot of . Zeno and Seymour meet in 2020 when an attempted act of environmental terrorism by Seymour goes awry. When Zeno was seven, he and his Papa moved from Northern California to a small cabin a mile away from Lakeport, Idaho since Papa had been hired install a saw for a lumber company. Alone in Vault One, Sybil informs Konstance that she is healthy, but she is not permitted to leave. This chapter opens with an excerpt from Folio of Cloud Cuckoo Land. She sees an account describing amazing things like a city in the clouds and a donkey near the sea. The person walks on stage, but still doesnt see them. In this section, Aethon-the-donkey bemoans being beaten by the robbers and forced to carry the saddlebags up the mountains away from town. Finally, Bunny starts to feel hopeful about life. The Argos, depicted as an ark to preserve all of lifes knowledge, served as a seed pod waiting for Earth to cycle back to a safe climate. In her father's hometown, she sees people clamoring for water near a water truck as men with guns shoot at the crowd. She asks her father why Sybil would let mother leave the compartment, but her father doesnt answer. Diogenes says he did not invent the story, but instead instead discovered it in an ancient tomb in Tyre, inscribed upon twenty-four cypress-wood tablets. The characters are: Anna and Omeir in and around 15th-century Constantinople; Zeno and Seymour whose plots converge in 2020; and Konstance, who lives in the future. Cloud Cuckoo Land certainly carries with it a significant connection to human psychology and how we are affected by nature and the environment (both the good and the bad). A few weeks later, Konstance turns 14. Zeno then refocuses on learning and translating Greek. Inside the archers turret, surrounded by rubble, is a fresco painted on the southern wall (perhaps painted by a bored or lonely bowman). The Lakeport Public Library / February 20, 2020 6:39 PM. Before she leaves, Licinius gives her three quires (collection of papers). Flowers gives her the tour. When Konstance is 7, she sneaks out when her mother is sleeping to visit Farm 4, where her father, Ethan, is working. Meanwhile, the motel Bunny works at closes down, and she loses her job. She seems unstable and Omeir realizes that she must we weak from hunger. Bunny takes Seymour to a doctors office. The party is loud and flashy, and Zeno feels overwhelmed and out of place. In the present day, a group of fifth-graders in Lakeport, Idaho, are rehearsing their version of Diogenes' work, "Cloud Cuckoo Land," at the local library. The second day, however, he gets caught in a frightful storm. Seeing the domed building at its center, Konstance realizes that Argos is not a ship at all. Konstance ends up staying in Qaanaaq, living in a village that consists of 49 people. In Chapter 5, in present day, Seymour has shot Sharif, and the police have arrived outside at the library. Back upstairs, Zeno tries to make sense of what he saw downstairs. Konstances life aboard the Argos is fraught with existential dread when she learns that she will never live long enough to reach the spaceships destination. As Zeno reflects on all the times he wishes he'd been braver or taken more risks, he decides to head downstairs, revealing his presence to Seymour. In the future, Konstance's father tells her the story of Cloud Cuckoo Land (Konstance's grandmother was one of the children that Zeno saved). Kalaphates drags Maria by the hair, and Marias head smashes against a stone step. After Konstance's mother dies, her father puts Konstance in a makeshift biosuit, he forces their way out of the compartment, and then he takes Konstance plus a bunch of supplies to Vault One. At school, Seymour tries to behave, but he hates his desk, which is warped and screeches when he moves. Join in our commitment to the arts. She passes away when she is 54. The morning of February 20th, Zeno feels like hes six years old again as he buzzes in excitement seeing the completed set for Cloud Cuckoo Land. They believe it is a plague that started in a sealed disc, but dont know why it suddenly started spreading or how its being spread. Even as a young boy, Seymour understands what is the matter with him. [I don't think they knew they were on Earth. It serves as an embroidery house run by Master Nicholas Kalaphates. You have got me really curious now! She watches the sunrise. Not enough to spoil my enjoyment of the whole book, but it left me with a niggling annoyance. Before they part, Rex reminds Zeno that he has a knack for translating and to keep working at his Greek. AS soon as he sees the sign, Seymour knows that there will be construction or at least more people, which does not bode well for him given that he knows that noise is what sets him off. Thank you for helping me realize I didnt miss a chapter. When he awakes, he sees its 4:42 PM and that hes been asleep for the last 15-20 minutes. Konstance then travels to Qaanaaq, the location where the crew of the Argos had been stationed before departing. Zeno's father died in WWII when he was young. He talks to various people. Instead, he remembers that this was a comedy meant to comfort a dying girl. After that, he was left in the care of his father's girlfriend, Mrs. Boydstun. Seymour also stops taking his medication. The Argos / Mission Year 64, Day 1 Day 20 Inside Vault One. As he remembers Zeno, he feels dizzy (something has gone wrong inside him), falls off his treadmill and breaks his wrist. Flowers explains that this data isnt being updated, instead the Atlass version of Earth is based on imaging done before the Argos departed. I believe the Argos is in the future as Rachel's grandchild. Zenos journey is shaped by his love for a cherished book, also titled Cloud Cuckoo Land, which he carries with him throughout his perilous journey. Doerr is an American author, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his novel All the Light We Cannot See, and recipient of numerous other literary awards. Before dark, Widow Theodora sends Anna to fetch caper buds (a plant) outside. Seymour comments that that man hates him and Bunny and wants them to sell their property so more houses can be built. Following the sound, she finds an old man, a tutor, reading from a book with four boys listening on. Things continue to go well. In present day (in 2020), Seymour is a 17-year-old environmental activist who tries to set off a bomb at the local library. At the end of April, Anna looks out to see that the priory on the rock is on fire. In May 2019, the new childrens librarian Sharif shows him an article entitled New Technologies Uncover Ancient Greek Tale Inside Previously Unreadable Book. The plan would require the help of Bristol and Fortier, the two prisoners who are in charge of loading the empty drums to be taken to Pyongyang. She finds Himeriuss skiff and rides out in it. and in which Pisthetaerus, a middle-aged Athenian, persuades the worlds birds to create a new city in the sky to be named (Nephelokokkygia) or Cloud Cuckoo Land Wikipedia). Certainly the technology of The Atlas & The Perambulator were introduced at this meeting. In class, she gives a presentation about the snowdrop flower (from back on Earth, but her teacher chides her because her presentation was supposed to be about biogeographical indicators on Beta Oph2. To do so, they have a riddle for him to solve, The Lakeport Public Library / February 20, 2020 5:41 PM. Despite everyones warnings, Aethon embarks on a journey to find the utopia. She urges Himerius to she the foreigners that text. Bookshelf 'Cloud Cuckoo Land' Review: Slipping the Trap A celebration of a great book's power to free the mind from the confines of time, place and circumstance. Sybil starts to restrict Konstances access to the Library so that Konstance will be forced to return to her lessons, which she has been neglecting. She escapes the ship and creates a life for herself on Earth, and with her she takes her homemade copy of Zenos translation of the Cloud Cuckoo Land folios. This section describes Aethon-the-crow at the gates of Cloud Cuckoo Land. The book begins by introducing the five main characters and Aethons story, as fictitiously discovered by the real-life Greek philosopher Diogenes. The next morning they have class virtually in the Library. As Rex talks about rediscovering ancient lost texts, Zeno daydreams about Rex and Hillary getting into a fight and Hillary leaving. There, he presents them with copies of Cloud Cuckoo Land (which he had printed based on Zeno's translations). In 2057, Seymour is 58 and is now on work-release. She asks the Library to show her a picture of Lakeport Library in Lakeport, Idaho on February 20, 2020. Three weeks later, Zeno's release is negotiated, and he is sent back to the United States. The Quick Recap and Chapter-by-Chapter Summary for Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr are below. Next to her, a machine named Sybil gently instructs her to eat, though she declines. She is working in her container garden with her son next to her who is paging through her handwritten version of the Cloud Cuckoo Land book, composed of bound sackcloth. In 2021, Seymour is now in a medium security prison where he spends his time on the computer learning to code. After many days of exploring, she finally locates a red house with a flagpole that has a small wooden owl perched on its base. Learn more by clicking here. In "Cloud Cuckoo Land," the world may be falling apart but everything and everyone must come together. Cloud Cuckoo Land reveals that the Argos was a seed pod waiting for Earth to cycle back to a safe climate, and the power of storytelling and the preservation of stories served as a means to ease the maddening circumstances of the characters lives and prolong their existence. Right before the final assault, Anna flees the city on a rowboat. They continue to travel together, and he no longer binds her wrists. Meanwhile, Zeno is an old man who is at the library afterhours, leading a group of kids in a rehearsal for a performance of Cloud Cuckoo Land. In Mission Year 61, on Konstances 10th birthday as well as her Library Day (the day she gets introduced to the library). Neat trick if you can do that in 9 years. As he eats them, she asks about his father. When Omeir asks what is being constructed there, hes told that it will be the Destroyer of Cities, a thunder catapult that will change history forever. This chapter opens with an excerpt from Folio of Cloud Cuckoo Land. This guide uses the original Scribner publication of the book by Simon and Schuster. Very interesting - great catch, I didn't notice that. She sees that she has traveled only a few miles up the coast. It is destroyed by Lord Business's army and falls in pieces into a giant Lego ocean. As Seymour does the job, he finds hes good at it, and his supervisors give him glowing reports. She has been in the room continuously for nearly a year. Then, he starts to travel, asking some people if they recognize the image on the snuffbox. Zeno hires a carpenter for set construction. This chapter opens with an excerpt from Folio P of Cloud Cuckoo Land. This is the challenging and ambitious aspect of the read. He spends his nights recovering the "objectional content" images and hiding them back in the Atlas, accessible when someone touches the images of various owls. Littered around the room, Seymore sees items like a kids parka and snow boots.