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Mary Ann Ryan
I much prefer Cloud Atlas, and Doerr had to have been influenced. Structural similarities abound, from the variety of characters separated in space in time yet linked by the birthmark in one and book in the other. More connections include corrupt corporations and machines/ devices that distract and deceive. I have to say the resemblances took away my enjoyment of Cuckoo, bur not completely. Cloud Atlas remains an incredible work that the film tarnished.
Craig
The only thing that is similar is the word "Cloud" in the title; they are nothing alike. I loved them both.
Ed Bernard
They are both brilliant, in my opinion, but this one has characters that are more emotionally rich, the structural derring-do is more important in Cloud Atlas, and the writing styles are more similar for each era in this novel than in Cloud Atlas. Another book that fits this approach, one that is far less well known but no less brilliant, is called The Maze at Windermere by Greg Smith -- in that one, the stories are united by a place, Newport Rhode Island, across several centuries. I only know about it because the author was my daughter's creative writing instructor at Carleton College!
Oliver Recommends
I read both and loved both. Although there are some superficial similarities - both novels are told in multiple POVs and span vast time periods (and, oh, have the word 'cloud' in the title) I find them to be completely different in voice and subject matter. The one thing that unites them is that they were both written by master storytellers.
Kathy
Yes. Atlas was wondrous and Cuckoo was a slog until more than half way through when a pattern finally emerged. Both are beautifully written incredibly challenging. I loved one and liked the other.
Dabney
Yes. This one is far more accessible and less theoretical.
Ruth Featherstone
I loved 'Cloud Atlas' but couldn't get through Cloud Cuckoo Land. It felt like too much of a slog and I didn't have the time and patience to push through.
Jo
Yes, I read both and unfortunately didn't like either. Wish I could say otherwise-.
Julie O'brien
I've read both. Cloud Cuckoo Land was much better than Cloud Atlas, in my opinion. The themes and overall imagery were much more powerful in CCL.
Nife Glisten
they are the same book but with different fonts
Bob Martin
I've read both and I think both are terrific. I liked "Cloud Atlas" more, but I know a lot of people who couldn't get through it. The multiple linked stories spanning past to future is something they both share. I think "Cuckoo" is a little more down to Earth. I think both of them also got better as they went along.
Blair H. Smith
I really struggled with Cloud Atlas, and finished out of a sense of duty. I loved this one, and felt enriched for having read it. There are similarities in the fact that there are several different stories, but in this one they are told in parallel, all are seen through to the end. I loved this, and wished I hadn't started Cloud Atlas
Rachel Reynolds
Interesting comparison. I'm about halfway through and I think I like this better than Cloud Atlas. Both are good but Cloud Cuckoo Land is (for me) much easier to read.
Gill Mathews
This is so much better than Cloud Atlas - which i gave up on half way through. Much better characters, more interlinked (eventually!) stories, and a meaningful theme.
Kate Horton
Yes and I'd echo the comments below - both great books, but this one is probably less experimental than Cloud Atlas in its writing style, so more accessible overall. I loved both.
Whitney Despain
Yes. For me, Cloud Atlas felt like work at times, but I enjoyed it in the end. I found Cloud Cuckoo Land much more accessible and enjoyable to read.
Zina
Indeed, a lot. As others point out, there are differences (not the least being that the conections and patterns are a lot more straightforward, and the stories of different characters are all written in the same genre), but it really very much reminds of Cloud Atlas.
Nathan
So much imitation I was curious if there was a copywright infringement! lol
Closet Rebel
After Cloud Atlas not sure if I could take reading another Cloud book! I may give it a try.
Jacqueline Lehrer
I've read both. Imho they are both great. However, the tone in Cloud Atlas shifts so some sections were more intriguing than others. Cloud cucko land by contrast seemed to be more even impressive considering the change settings...
Susan P.
Read both and loved both!
Jeff
I've read both. Cuckoo is one of the best books I've ever read. Cloud Atlas was very good but probably not "one of the best ever". However, one of the funniest things I've ever read was the chapter in CA where an Englishman's brother(?) has consigned him to a mental hospital out of spite. ~15 years after reading it, I still remember laughing out loud with tears rolling down my cheeks.
Lisa Hayward
This answer contains spoilers…
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Reader57
Yes, I thought the same thing, though this one was a bit easier to connect the dots.
Brett
I haven’t read Cloud Cuckoo yet, but as soon as I read the description I thought it sounded like Cloud Atlas, and I found it odd they both had “cloud” in the title.
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Aug 15, 2024 11:52AM · flag