The story of Beta2 let the entire crew 'slip the trap'. This guide uses the original Scribner publication of the book by Simon and Schuster. 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. Zeno as assigned to gather wood, despite his forearm still being injured. He then feels Athena gripping onto his belt with her teeth, pulling him towards home, and he heads back carefully. In 2018, Seymour has grown into an ardent student environmentalist. In Chapters 3 - 4, the book flashes back to various characters' childhoods. He doesnt know if that means Rex made it or was killed somewhere. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. This escape mirrored Aethons desire to leave the heavens and return to the imperfect Earth, and it was a plot addition devised by a little girl who became Konstances ancestor, bringing the story full circle.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'wroteabook_org-banner-1','ezslot_2',128,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-wroteabook_org-banner-1-0'); At the heart of the ending is the character of Zeno, a young Syrian refugee who embarks on a perilous journey to find hope and solace amidst the chaos and destruction of war-torn Aleppo. " Stranger, whoever you are, open this to learn what will amaze you " wrote Antonius Diogenes at the end of the first century C.E.and millennia later, Pulitzer Prize winner Doerr is his fitting heir. She sees lines of words written in Greek welcoming her in. Konstance has the Atlas take her to Nannup and she scours Backline Road for a farm like the one she saw in her fathers video. They end up living a happy life together, both enjoying Annas copy of Aethons story. Seymour invites the former fifth graders (Christopher, Olivia, Alex, Rachel and Natalie) up for an all-expenses paid three-day resort vacation in Lakeport. As Zeno leave, he is filled with regrets. Learn more by clicking here. He ends up shoving the book in the fireplace. They are at the part of the story where Aethon reads the goddesss book. Spoiler warning: these summaries contains spoilers. In Argos in Mission Year 65, after Konstance escapes the vault, she uses a makeshift axe to break through the exterior of Argos. In this section, Aethon goes to the goddess to ask to read the book. At school, the kids learn about Sybil, a machine that performs a wide range of tasks and contains the collective wisdom of the human species. In the courtyard of the palace, he tells tells the guard that he has come with a gift for the learned men of this place. At one point, Konstance exits the Atlas and takes off her Vizer to see that her mother gone. In later years, Anna continues to recite parts of the story to the boys. As the days pass, Omeir notices how much more dejected Tree and Moonlight seem with each passing day. In the Library, Jessie Ko reads up on pandemics. Flowers explains that they are all a bridge generation, helping to prepare their descendants to someday reach Beta Oph2, which has an atmosphere similar to Earths and has liquid water and forests of some type. In the ending, this imagery takes on added significance as the characters grapple with the repercussions of their choices and the devastating impact of human actions on the planet. 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.) By now, the kids are acting out the scene of Aethons transformation into a donkey. Throughout the narrative, the contents of Cloud Cuckoo Land is interwoven in bits and pieces. When they get to Seymours place, an old man waves to them. It tells story of Aethon, a man who goes looking for a "utopian city in the sky" called Cloud Cuckoo Land. In 2021, Seymour is now in a medium security prison where he spends his time on the computer learning to code. Pastor White helps Zeno get a job working for the county highway department. After Annas death, Omeir takes her book to ensure its survival. Meanwhile, Zeno has been struggling unhappily with his translations. He teaches her the Greek alphabet. Today, she gets spotted by a boy her age named Himerius who is known as a troublemaker. The answer is 592 Earth years. They cut down the forest nearby. In this section, Aethon provides an answer (saying he knows nothing, and the owls agree that is the right answer), and the gates to Cloud Cuckoo Land swing open. With her axe and seeds, she takes off her biosuit helmet when it hits 0% oxygen. She gets another cleaning job and waitresses at night. What does Cloud Cuckoo Land represent for each of them? Zeno gets Rexs attention later by quoting Zenodotus (first librarian at the library at Alexandria), which Rex recognizes. It turns out to be a small island. In this section, the goddess asks Aethon about his desire to return home. This chapter opens with an excerpt from Folio of Cloud Cuckoo Land. 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. Zeno almost has his hands the phones when one of the phones in the bag starts to ring. She tells Anna to leave tonight. Ask the Author. Theyre interrupted briefly by the sound of a gunshot coming from downstairs. In the video, the man talks about the consequences of climate change and it ends with a link that says join us. She gets a new worksuit, and she gets pancakes made with real flour to eat for breakfast as a treat. Twelve-year-old Anna, an orphan, lives inside the formidable walls of Constantinople in a house of women who make their living embroidering the robes of priests. The preface explains how Aethons journey to find Cloud Cuckoo Land takes him through the folklore worlds of virtually every culture. In Mission Year 61, on Konstances 10th birthday as well as her Library Day (the day she gets introduced to the library). This chapter opens with an excerpt from Folio of Cloud Cuckoo Land. The least-equipped and least-trained men (such as Omeir) are being sent in first to soften the citys defenses. Whenever Anna is sent to the market, she visits Licinius and brings him bits of food or drink. Going forward, she sees that in this area hidden within the drop box, it is February 20, 2020 and that she is at the Lakeport Public Library. He talks about how after Aethon-the-donkey made his escape, he went searching for a rose. There are two attempts to stitch up his cleft palate, but neither attempt is successful. Your email address will not be published. But trust the author and you will find your reading rhythm. Instead, he spends his time looking for videos of the Bishop online. By mid-September, the kids have suggested that Zeno transform Cloud Cuckoo Land into a play for them to perform. 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). She sees the intersection near the light-blue building and the owl drop box outside it. 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. In 2014, Eden Reality starts construction in the area that Seymour lives in. However, upon inspection, she sees that this parchment is cheap and likely of little value. In Constantinople, there are worries that the new boy sultan of the Saracens is planning on capturing the city. Zeno finishes fifth grade, and the war ends. They want to take Omeirs oxen with them, and they need Omeir to go with them to drive the bulls. Translation by Zeno Ninis.. When he gets old, Luther passes away, and Zeno adopts another dog, which he names Nestor the king of Pylos. Manage Settings An owl greets him at the gate, saying that before he can enter, they must first ensure that he truly is a bird. Follow along on Goodreads, or keep in touch via the newsletter. Seymour ended up pleading guilty to all the charges, and received a sentence of 40 to life. They contained him, but then he ended up killing himself with sleeping pills. Anna takes the opportunity to run to the city walls. It also notes that this translation is by Zeno Ninis. The road from the testing ground to Constantinople stretches 140 miles. He and Blewitt are captured by the Chinese (who are allied with the North Koreans) and marched north with other prisoners. By now she has been isolated for 276 days. As a neurodivergent child, Seymour does not fit in. She points out that if Diogenes was writing to his dying niece that the point of a story is that is gets passed on, then he wouldnt have Aethon stay in Cloud Cuckoo Land. There are people there photographed mid-stride, and they pass by them as they explore a city and its streets. After exploring the complex, she realizes there is no launchpad or rockets. All the plots are connected through the Cloud Cuckoo Land folios, a fictitious Ancient Greek story that follows Aethon as he endeavors to find a utopia known as Cloud Cuckoo Land. Eventually, Mrs. Boydstun passes away as well. When selling these books to mysterious Italian buyers, she learns the value of preserving old stories and the risk of allowing a select few to exclusively possess books. Zeno asks how theyre detonated, and Seymour truthfully tells him that he can detonate them via either of the two phones that are taped to the bombs, on the fifth ring. The goddess encourages Aethon to keep reading so that he can be free from desire and death. Konstance falls asleep, and when she wakes she finds that her father is equipping her with a suit and an oxygen hood that hes been making out of a plastic curtain in their compartment. It turns out to be Omeir, who did not realize she was a young girl. When Konstance is 7, she sneaks out when her mother is sleeping to visit Farm 4, where her father, Ethan, is working. Then, Seymour hears a series of thuds coming from upstairs. He worries about his family and about how they will survive without him and the bulls, especially since the soldiers ate most of their food stores. He finds her book, and he wonders if it is a book of witchcraft. It describes part of the voyages of a man named Ulysses, and Anna is transfixed by its exotic and vivid descriptions. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr is a historical science fiction novel published in 2021. In 2020, when Seymour sets off his bomb while the kids are rehearsing, Zeno grabs the bomb and runs to an empty area to save the kids, killing himself. Konstance asks to be let out, and once again Sybil refuses. and places it in the chamber as well. He sets up traps in the forest, but they continue to be empty. The story of Beta2 and Aethon's tale served as a powerful tool to ease the maddening circumstances of the characters' lives and prolong their existence. There, she can access the Atlas which contains a walkable, freeze-framed version of the entirety of Earth. Meanwhile, Omeir decides to abandon his post and heads home on foot. By now, she has taken most things of value from the priory, but she manages to find a goatskin codex. Then, in the Atlas (which represent a scan of the Earth from 7 or 8 decades ago which is many decades after 2020), she finds the same street intersection from the picture. The Argos / Mission Year 65, Day 325 Inside Vault One. The Argos / Mission Year 65, Day 325 Day 340 Inside Vault One. When it gets late, she puts on her bioplastic suit, tucking her book in with it. This marvelous book is like an astrolabe or an armillary sphere; a navigation instrument engineered to discover the world. 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. Then, he hears sirens. One day, Seymour discovers videos of a militant climate activist. Unlike the other tidily organized farms, Fathers is messy and chaotic. Konstance uses the time to explore her father's boyhood home via the Atlas. Seeing the pictures of the bodies, Zeno feels something surging in him, and he feels that the books is radioactive or illegal. When she reaches the outermost layer, it seems completely dark, but then she realizes shes not being sucked towards it or freezing, so she was right. Sybil refuses to let her out for her own safety. 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. They eventually make camp underneath a stone overhang. In his pocket, he also has a Beretta 92 semiautomatic pistol. One night, a traveler passes through. She thinks about how shed been warned that she should leave some offerings for the revenants (spirits) that winter, but hadnt heeded those warnings. He often sees Trustyfriend there. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. Theres also a preface that notes that the story consists of 24 folios, the exact order of which is debated by scholars. After Anna dies, Omeir deposits Anna's damaged-but-treasured book (Cloud Cuckoo Land) in the library of the ducal palace in Urbino. This chapter opens with an excerpt from Folio O of Cloud Cuckoo Land. "You and I will never reach Beta Oph2, dear, and that is a painful truth. Seymour is a neurodivergent child who befriends a great grey owl he names Trustyfriend. She knows that the Italian traders believed the ancients had written accounts of fantastic lands theyd visited, so she probably thinks that what this is right now. She has Konstance practice using the librarys resources by asking her to figure out how long the journey to Beta Oph2 will take. She also bought some new electronics with the extra cash she had, though Seymour points out they dont have the Wi-Fi setup to use most of it. When Patti complains about Seymour plugging his nose as she eats, Mr. Bates orders Seymour to sit next to her during lunch. 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. The Golden Ass is not made-up, in case any one is wondering. That night, Zeno thinks that with regards to his translation hes gotten too bogged down in things being overly precise and finding clever allusions. He reluctantly agrees, though he warns he that shell never learn it. The various English translations of the text are largely boring or too fragmented. However, Chryse gives Anna some food and tells her that she, if anyone, can outsmart and outrun the invaders. Anna reassures him that the paper theyre written on still has some value. As with before, Maria temporarily feels better for a day and then feels worse again. He finds comfort in the forest outside their home, especially with his beloved Trustyfriend. A few days later, Omeir and his mother take some coins and buy a castrated bull and a weak donkey. These structural divisions are inspired by the 24 remaining folios of Antonius Diogenes's antiquated tale, Cloud Cuckoo Land, a fictional text integral to Doerr's plot. Seymour hasnt seen Janet since he smashed in the RV and bolted. Aethons tale, originally told to his dying niece, was a way to evade death and slip the trap of mortality. Right before the final assault, Anna flees the city on a rowboat. When she asks about his mother, Zeno runs off. Mrs. James Corwin Ilium scammed the original Argos crew into joining the "mission", which was actually just an earthbound prototype for possible future space travel. From there, he's sold to a miller. The book is a puzzle. The Saracen camp outside Constantinoples walls buzzes with activity in preparation for the attack tomorrow night. Seymour thinks about all their unpaid bills and how his medicine alone costs $119 a week, but she reassures him itll be okay. The preface describes how Diogenes unabashedly borrowed from a well-known picaresque story called The Golden Ass by Apuleius, about a mean who unwittingly transforms into a donkey. A few years later, in Mission Year 64, one of Konstance's classmates falls ill and dies from an unknown illness. She puts a hand out and feels that it is raining. However, instead of transforming back into him, Aethon feels himself transform into a fish, The Lakeport Public Library / February 20, 2020 5:27 PM. The second week of April, they finally reach the outside walls of Constantinople. When he finally becomes a bird, he flies high into the cosmos and discovers Cloud Cuckoo Land. He talks to various people. With that, the goddess produces a fresh rose for him to eat to transform him back into a human. He spends a lot of time with Rex, who teaches him Greek. One day, a widow named Mrs. Alma Boydstun beckons Zeno over to her porch, offering him cookies. His placement of the bomb indicates that his intended target is Edens Gate Realty (and not the library). I made the assumption that Ilium set up the Argos experiment as a test, unbeknownst to the occupants. 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 . Required fields are marked *. Seymour wonders how they couldve gotten there so quickly, but then he sees that the man on the floor (Sharif) has earbuds in. She also finds Zenos translation of the folios. Before they part, Rex reminds Zeno that he has a knack for translating and to keep working at his Greek. See the archives. This chapter opens with an excerpt from Folio P of Cloud Cuckoo Land. There are people starving and garbage everywhere. He later learns that Rex had a heart attack and died. They are greeted by Sharif, the childrens librarian. And where were the people behind the spacecraft experiment? A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. In the goatskin codex, Anna has found a copy of part of Cloud Cuckoo Land by Diogenes. He starts walking away on foot. Finally, the innkeepers maid, Palaestra, suggests that at midnight, he should try crouching behind the keyhole of the innkeepers wifes bedchamber, where she stores all sorts of magical equipment. She later learns that Licinius was once a tutor to a wealthy family, but had to flee when the Saracens captured his town. He is shipped back to the United States where hes questioned about his imprisonment. It rings and then hangs up, and Seymour assumes that means the message has been received. She spends her time wandering through a simulation of Earth, known as the Atlas, in the ships virtual library. As Seymour waits for the Bishop to respond, he wonders if the message was received and what the Bishop will do. Outside the city walls, Omeir's oxen both die from overexertion. She dashes over and takes the roasted bird. By September, collection agencies are calling Bunny daily. She's able to buy multiple blessings, but they don't work (since holy water is just mercury mixed with water). She drops down onto the ground outside, confirming that she's on earth, in Qaanaaq. Its now 5:38 PM. Flowers then shows Konstance the Atlas in the library. 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. Their algorithm automatically flags certain images, but they need to be manually verified. By now, there are 33 units built on the Edens Gate property. 10 months ago. As she finishes reading, she thinks about the place the Italians had described of a library that could contain every text ever written. He wonders if she summoned them with her book. He then asks that she bring him a rose to transform him. When she wakes, the moon is out. Omeir thinks sadly about Moonlight as a happy calf, playing with his brother. "Cloud Cuckoo Land" is told in a series of manuscripts that has survived through the centuries by the sheer will of those to whom the story has touched - and which over the centuries ends up . He waits until he believes the library is empty, though we all know that Zeno, the kids and Sharif are inside. In the dress rehearsal, the kids act out finding a book in the sarcophagus and beginning to read from it. When Seymour is 22, as a good behavior innmate, hes given an opportunity to work for the Ilium Corporation by manually identifying objectionable images like homeless people, obscene graffiti, demonstrators, etc. These manuscripts had been storied for centuries at the ducal library in Urbino and then had been moved to the Vatican library. Rex would be Peisetarios (translated as Trustyfriend) and Zeno would be Euelpides (translated as Goodhope). In December, they go to a thrift store to look for pieces for costumes. Carefully, he separates out the leaves and lets them dry. Soon, they ask to speak to Anna. When he looks at the book, Zeno has sexual feelings, but he feels they are wrong (probably partially because he knows they are mens bodies), which is why he throws away the book. To do so, they have a riddle for him to solve, The Lakeport Public Library / February 20, 2020 5:41 PM. When he tries to reach for her sack, she screams. However, hes able to enter the library freely, so hes planting it there. 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. He is harnessed to a wheel where his task is to walk in circles to turn a stone that will grind up wheat and barley. Zeno Ninis is an octogenarian. I love. Konstance thinks she sees an ant, but Sybil (the machine) insists that its impossible on Argos. He tells the owl about his troubles at school and how the other kids think hes weird and scary. Based on this, we know that the kids are doing some type of performance of the story Cloud Cuckoo Land by Antonius Diogenes, which was referenced in the prologue. Marias vision seems to clear a little and she feels better for a few days, but soon her vision blurs and her headaches return. Two weeks later, she returns. His task is made more difficult because he doesnt know Rexs unit or commanding officer. Instead, it becomes a place with dirty water and trash. Sybil then announces Quarantine Level Two (All non-medical personnel to their compartments, no exceptions, which lasts for two months). Anna thinks that perhaps she needs to drink more holy water. The Greek tale was likely. This chapter opens with an excerpt from Folio K of Cloud Cuckoo Land. The children help Zeno to figure out that the tale ends with Aethon returning home to pass on his story (since the text is illegible toward the end). They continue to hide the manuscript in the old tree trunk, checking on it to ensure it is dry and safe. The children marvel at the sight, and Rachel remarks that it looks like Cloud Cuckoo Land. They demand that Omeir (and his two bulls, Tree and Moonlight) report to capital at Edirne to join in the upcoming war efforts as part of the Saracen army. All of these characters are united through the centuries by a storyCloud Cuckoo Land, a fable written by Antonius Diogenes in ancient Greece about a shepherd who stumbles upon a play and, mistaking the city of the gods on stage for a real place, sets out to find it and live there. Konstance soon learns that Zeke Lee has died. 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. However, he then sees Marian headed back to the library. Even though it should just dissolve into pixels like everything else in the Atlas, she feels something real and solid there. By the winter, Zeno is still in the prison camp. Konstance is a 14-year-old girl sitting in a circular room with no apparent exit. 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). In the middle of the night, he thinks about his mother saying come back to us and his own mind telling him to just go home. He stops taking his pills. She reaches out for the handle on the drop box. Her father runs Farm 4, and he recites to her the story of Cloud Cuckoo Land. One of the sophomore girls who attended the meeting, Janet, offers Seymour a ride home. There are parts that are vibrant and exciting, but others that are darker, dealing with cities being burnt and enslavement and so forth. [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.
