Status
Available
Publication
Scribner (2017), Edition: Reprint, 544 pages
Description
"From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, a stunningly ambitious and beautiful novel about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II. Marie Laure lives with her father in Paris within walking distance of the Museum of Natural History where he works as the master of the locks (there are thousands of locks in the museum). When she is six, she goes blind, and her father builds her a model of their neighborhood, every house, every manhole, so she can memorize it with her fingers and navigate the real streets with her feet and cane. When the Germans occupy Paris, father and daughter flee to Saint-Malo on the Brittany coast, where Marie-Laure's agoraphobic great uncle lives in a tall, narrow house by the sea wall. In another world in Germany, an orphan boy, Werner, grows up with his younger sister, Jutta, both enchanted by a crude radio Werner finds. He becomes a master at building and fixing radios, a talent that wins him a place at an elite and brutal military academy and, ultimately, makes him a highly specialized tracker of the Resistance. Werner travels through the heart of Hitler Youth to the far-flung outskirts of Russia, and finally into Saint-Malo, where his path converges with Marie-Laure. Doerr's gorgeous combination of soaring imagination with observation is electric. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another. Ten years in the writing, All the Light We Cannot See is his most ambitious and dazzling work"--… (more)
Media reviews
What really makes a book of the summer is when we surprise ourselves. It’s not just about being fascinated by a book. It’s about being fascinated by the fact that we’re fascinated.
The odds: 2-1
All the Light We Cannot See
Anthony Doerr
Pros: Blind daughter of a locksmith meets
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reluctant Nazi engineering whiz! What more do you want?
Cons: Complex, lyrical historical fiction may not have the necessary mass appeal. Show Less
“All the Light We Cannot See” is more than a thriller and less than great literature. As such, it is what the English would call “a good read.” Maybe Doerr could write great literature if he really tried. I would be happy if he did.
I’m not sure I will read a better novel this year than Anthony Doerr’s “All the Light We Cannot See.”
By the time the narrative finds Marie-Laure and Werner in the same German-occupied village in Brittany, a reader’s skepticism has been absolutely flattened by this novel’s ability to show that the improbable doesn’t just occur, it is the grace that allows us to survive the probable.
Werner’s experience at the school is only one of the many trials through which Mr. Doerr puts his characters in this surprisingly fresh and enveloping book. What’s unexpected about its impact is that the novel does not regard Europeans’ wartime experience in a new way. Instead, Mr. Doerr’s
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nuanced approach concentrates on the choices his characters make and on the souls that have been lost, both living and dead. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member brenzi
You know the kind of book: you get to the end of it, and you want to go back to the beginning and start over again? Uh-huh, that’s what I’m talking about. Anthony Doerr may have written the best book I will read this year. And the thing is, I finished it a few days ago and I can’t stop
"So how, children, does the brain, which lives without a spark of light, build for us a world full of light?"
Marie Laure LeBlanc is a blind twelve-year-old girl living in Paris with her father, the master of the locks at the Museum of Natural History, when the Germans seize control and begin their occupation of the country in 1940. They are forced to evacuate and make their way to her great uncle’s home in the sea side village of Saint-Malo. Her father carries with him the museum’s most prized and dangerous gem. He tries to make the world smaller for Marie Laure by building her a model, an exact replica of the town and by creating wooden puzzles for her to twist, turn and eventually crack open to reveal the surprise inside. (More about that in a bit.) Her natural curiosity and intelligence are fueled by her love for her father. And little by little she makes her way through Jules Vern’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
At the same time, in a German mining town three hundred miles northeast of Paris, seven-year-old orphan Werner Pfennig and his younger sister Jutta, are raised at Children’s House by the indomitable Frau Elena. In the land of ‘make-do’ she performs tiny miracles every day to keep her young charges healthy and productive. But Werner is an extremely bright and inquisitive child, and his interest in short wave radios and their transmissions allow him and Jutta to hear a Frenchman, talking about science. They are enthralled. At the same time Werner comes to the attention of authorities and that leads to his acceptance in the exclusive and brutal Hitler Youth Academy and eventually to the tracing of illegal radio transmissions for the Wehrmacht.
Doerr constructs his narrative in such a user friendly way that the pages flip effortlessly, each chapter only a page or two long, so that the 530 page book seems much, much shorter. As I read I was overcome by the beauty of the language and the intricate way Doerr allowed me to twist the puzzle that was the story’s plot, time and again, to reveal the surprise. Back and forth in time he led me until finally Marie Laure’s thread and Werner’s thread meet in August, 1944. Saint-Malo is fully occupied by the Germans but the allies are bombing the town and she can hear a German sergeant-major in the bottom floor of her great uncle’s house, hunting for the precious thing she has kept safe for several years. Gradually the tension that has been building for hundreds of pages comes to a brutal climax. But it’s the denouement that had me holding my breath because this author brilliantly continues the story through 2014.
Clear the boards and make room for a wonderful addition to the WWII literature because this is a keeper and very highly recommended.
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thinking about it and as time passes I can’t get over how wonderful, rich and satisfying this story is."So how, children, does the brain, which lives without a spark of light, build for us a world full of light?"
Marie Laure LeBlanc is a blind twelve-year-old girl living in Paris with her father, the master of the locks at the Museum of Natural History, when the Germans seize control and begin their occupation of the country in 1940. They are forced to evacuate and make their way to her great uncle’s home in the sea side village of Saint-Malo. Her father carries with him the museum’s most prized and dangerous gem. He tries to make the world smaller for Marie Laure by building her a model, an exact replica of the town and by creating wooden puzzles for her to twist, turn and eventually crack open to reveal the surprise inside. (More about that in a bit.) Her natural curiosity and intelligence are fueled by her love for her father. And little by little she makes her way through Jules Vern’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
At the same time, in a German mining town three hundred miles northeast of Paris, seven-year-old orphan Werner Pfennig and his younger sister Jutta, are raised at Children’s House by the indomitable Frau Elena. In the land of ‘make-do’ she performs tiny miracles every day to keep her young charges healthy and productive. But Werner is an extremely bright and inquisitive child, and his interest in short wave radios and their transmissions allow him and Jutta to hear a Frenchman, talking about science. They are enthralled. At the same time Werner comes to the attention of authorities and that leads to his acceptance in the exclusive and brutal Hitler Youth Academy and eventually to the tracing of illegal radio transmissions for the Wehrmacht.
Doerr constructs his narrative in such a user friendly way that the pages flip effortlessly, each chapter only a page or two long, so that the 530 page book seems much, much shorter. As I read I was overcome by the beauty of the language and the intricate way Doerr allowed me to twist the puzzle that was the story’s plot, time and again, to reveal the surprise. Back and forth in time he led me until finally Marie Laure’s thread and Werner’s thread meet in August, 1944. Saint-Malo is fully occupied by the Germans but the allies are bombing the town and she can hear a German sergeant-major in the bottom floor of her great uncle’s house, hunting for the precious thing she has kept safe for several years. Gradually the tension that has been building for hundreds of pages comes to a brutal climax. But it’s the denouement that had me holding my breath because this author brilliantly continues the story through 2014.
Clear the boards and make room for a wonderful addition to the WWII literature because this is a keeper and very highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member Whisper1
Rarely is there a book so well written as this. The crisp, clear images jump off the page into your heart. This is well deserving of the honors received. It is so beautiful that it is difficult to write a review that would do justice.
The setting is World War II. Marie Laurie is young and blind.
Enter the Nazi's, bent on finding the exquisite diamond, hunting down and imprisoning Marie Laurie's father. The builder of tiny cities for Marie Laurie, when he is forced to leave her, he hides the rare diamond inside a tiny replicate of the city.
With the background of the ever powerful Nazi regime, we learn in alternate chapters that a small boy, Werner, who is very talented in fixing radios, is forced into a Nazi training school for boys.
It is through the two children we feel the ever encroaching, invasively dangerous Nazi's who destroy all in their path. The beauty of the writing allows the reader to feel the panic of Werner as he watches the barbarity of actions performed at the expense of the boys who reside in the camp, and then, as Werner assists the Nazi's with radio transmissions to hunt down those they deem a potential threat.
As Marie Claire longs for news of her father, through her feelings and thoughts we learn of bombings, fire and the ability of the Nazi's to threaten and terrorize through intimidation. Slowly, with the stealth of a python snake, the Nazi's find their prey and slowly, at their will, squeeze and take breath, and life.
The book is three tiered, beginning with the treat of Nazi invasion, the actual invasion which strips people of their livelihood, their sanity and thiet lives, then the final chapters we watch as Hitler can no longer win and we see the desperation as all is crumbling away. As Hitler falls, those who remain are left to rebuild their lives.
Powerful in rendering emotion, location and the desperate need to live and hope that loved ones are still alive, this is a story that will remain long after the last word is read.
Excellent!!! FIVE STARS
The setting is World War II. Marie Laurie is young and blind.
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When Paris is overtaken by the Germans, she and her father flee to a walled in city and are housed with her uncle. The uncle is a neurotic recluse who never leaves the house, he is paralyzed by his memories. Her father was the keeper and maker of the keys at a natural history museum in Paris. When he flees, he takes with him a very rare jem. Three duplicate like jems are sent out of the museum. Each person carrying the jem has no knowledge of the validity of what they hold.Enter the Nazi's, bent on finding the exquisite diamond, hunting down and imprisoning Marie Laurie's father. The builder of tiny cities for Marie Laurie, when he is forced to leave her, he hides the rare diamond inside a tiny replicate of the city.
With the background of the ever powerful Nazi regime, we learn in alternate chapters that a small boy, Werner, who is very talented in fixing radios, is forced into a Nazi training school for boys.
It is through the two children we feel the ever encroaching, invasively dangerous Nazi's who destroy all in their path. The beauty of the writing allows the reader to feel the panic of Werner as he watches the barbarity of actions performed at the expense of the boys who reside in the camp, and then, as Werner assists the Nazi's with radio transmissions to hunt down those they deem a potential threat.
As Marie Claire longs for news of her father, through her feelings and thoughts we learn of bombings, fire and the ability of the Nazi's to threaten and terrorize through intimidation. Slowly, with the stealth of a python snake, the Nazi's find their prey and slowly, at their will, squeeze and take breath, and life.
The book is three tiered, beginning with the treat of Nazi invasion, the actual invasion which strips people of their livelihood, their sanity and thiet lives, then the final chapters we watch as Hitler can no longer win and we see the desperation as all is crumbling away. As Hitler falls, those who remain are left to rebuild their lives.
Powerful in rendering emotion, location and the desperate need to live and hope that loved ones are still alive, this is a story that will remain long after the last word is read.
Excellent!!! FIVE STARS
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LibraryThing member hemlokgang
A very nice book. Standard metaphors, (i.e. the blind seeing the most), are used to find the light in the darkness of WWII and its well known atrocities. Stolen youths, orphaned children, love despite all odds, and the survival instinct are standard themes, written about with an elegant prose.
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However, I think that the converging storyline structure was not well implemented and became confusing along the way, probably because there was jumping not only between characters, but also back and forth in time. I must admit to being bored and that it bogged down for quite a while in the middle. So overall, very nice is the best I can muster for this very popular novel. This one will probably do better as a film than as a novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member lit_chick
2014, Simon and Schuster Audio, Read by Zach Appleman
“You know the greatest lesson of history? It's that history is whatever the victors say it is. That's the lesson. Whoever wins, that's who decides the history.” (Ch 30)
Young Marie-Laure, who lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of
In a mining town in Germany, Werner grows up with his younger sister, both orphans. He finds and is enchanted with a crude radio he finds, and will later become an expert at building and repairing the instruments – a talent which secures him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth. Participating in special assignments to track the resistance, Werner becomes increasingly aware of the human cost of his intelligence. Eventually, he will travel to Saint-Malo on assignment, where his story and Marie-Laure’s will converge.
All the Light We Cannot See is a remarkable read: as haunting and stark in its portrayal of the human costs of war, as it is beautiful in its portrayal of intimate relationships. I highly recommend!
“You know the greatest lesson of history? It's that history is whatever the victors say it is. That's the lesson. Whoever wins, that's who decides the history.” (Ch 30)
Young Marie-Laure, who lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of
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Natural History where he works, goes blind when she is six, and her papa builds her a perfect miniature of their neighbourhood so she can memorize it and navigate her way home independently. When she is twelve and the Nazis occupy Paris, father and daughter flee to Saint-Malo, where they will live with Etienne, her reclusive great uncle. With them, they carry with them what might be the museum’s most valuable – and most dangerous – jewel.In a mining town in Germany, Werner grows up with his younger sister, both orphans. He finds and is enchanted with a crude radio he finds, and will later become an expert at building and repairing the instruments – a talent which secures him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth. Participating in special assignments to track the resistance, Werner becomes increasingly aware of the human cost of his intelligence. Eventually, he will travel to Saint-Malo on assignment, where his story and Marie-Laure’s will converge.
All the Light We Cannot See is a remarkable read: as haunting and stark in its portrayal of the human costs of war, as it is beautiful in its portrayal of intimate relationships. I highly recommend!
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LibraryThing member cuentosalgernon
This novel is both a page-turner and an exquisite and well-written novel, something you don’t find too often. Throughout its over 500 pages it manages to engage you with its beautiful prose and imagination. It follows the story of Marie-Laure, a French blind girl, and Werner, a German orphan boy
This is the first book I’ve read by Anthony Doerr, but after the rewarding experience I’m looking forward to reading some more.
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who loves gadgets, a story spanning from 1934 until the present, flipping back and forth in each chapter. And as the reader suspects from the beginning, the lives of the two main characters finally cross, and they will find out that in fact their lives had also intertwined in the past through some old radio broadcasts crucial in Werner’s life. And although the war is the background for most of the novel, the story focuses in the characters and manages to flesh them out, not only Marie-Laure and Werner, but also quite a few of the characters around them: Marie-Laures’ father and great-uncle, the housekeeper, the nazi von Rumpel obsessed with finding a precious diamond… And I particularly enjoyed the wonderful use of Jules Verne’s novel “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea”.This is the first book I’ve read by Anthony Doerr, but after the rewarding experience I’m looking forward to reading some more.
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LibraryThing member tututhefirst
From the publisher: Marie-Laure has been blind since the age of six. Her father builds a perfect miniature of their Paris neighbourhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. But when the Nazis invade, father and daughter flee with a dangerous secret. Werner is a German orphan,
Here is a war story told from the perspective of two young people - almost too young to be directly involved when the war begins. The blind french girl is on the one hand so dependent on others to show her the way -- at least until she memorizes the way on her own; the young German is so determined not to have to go down into the dark, claustrophic bowels of the earth as the miner his father did. He'll do anything to avoid that darkness.
Each is dealing with darkness from a different standpoint: he is trying to avoid darkness, and she is doomed to live within it. Both of them find light and life from music and from sound. She is evacuated to St Malo where she lives with an uncle who, although a recluse, is building and hiding radios. The German boy too, displays an expertise in building and operating radios, and eventually is rescued from having to go to the mines.
Doerr tells their stories, along with several auxiliary plot lines, in alternate chapters from each youth's point of view. The story is easy to follow, the tension builds quickly, and the inexorable march toward the inevitable makes this a true page turner.
In my case, I was able to "read" this book the same way Marie-Laure would have -- with my ears. The audio version, produced by Simon and Schuster, and and narrated by Zach Appelman, really enables the reader to experience life exactly as young Marie-Laure did. The descriptions of how she "saw" things, how she counted her steps, listened for creaking boards, and was able to tune into radio broadcasts was well portrayed, and perfect for the audio format. I am especially thankful that the producers did not attempt to articulate sounds Marie-Laure heard in her head. It was left to the reader's imagination to furnish that sensory experience.
I don't want to give away the ending of the story. It is realistic, beautiful, heart-rending. This is a book worth reading in any format. It's certainly the best 2014 Fiction I've read so far this yea
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destined to labour in the same mine that claimed his father's life, until he discovers a knack for engineering. His talent wins him a place at a brutal military academy, but his way out of obscurity is built on suffering. At the same time, far away in a walled city by the sea, an old man discovers new worlds without ever setting foot outside his home. But all around him, impending danger closes in. Doerr's combination of soaring imagination and meticulous observation is electric, as Europe is engulfed by war and lives collide unpredictably.Here is a war story told from the perspective of two young people - almost too young to be directly involved when the war begins. The blind french girl is on the one hand so dependent on others to show her the way -- at least until she memorizes the way on her own; the young German is so determined not to have to go down into the dark, claustrophic bowels of the earth as the miner his father did. He'll do anything to avoid that darkness.
Each is dealing with darkness from a different standpoint: he is trying to avoid darkness, and she is doomed to live within it. Both of them find light and life from music and from sound. She is evacuated to St Malo where she lives with an uncle who, although a recluse, is building and hiding radios. The German boy too, displays an expertise in building and operating radios, and eventually is rescued from having to go to the mines.
Doerr tells their stories, along with several auxiliary plot lines, in alternate chapters from each youth's point of view. The story is easy to follow, the tension builds quickly, and the inexorable march toward the inevitable makes this a true page turner.
In my case, I was able to "read" this book the same way Marie-Laure would have -- with my ears. The audio version, produced by Simon and Schuster, and and narrated by Zach Appelman, really enables the reader to experience life exactly as young Marie-Laure did. The descriptions of how she "saw" things, how she counted her steps, listened for creaking boards, and was able to tune into radio broadcasts was well portrayed, and perfect for the audio format. I am especially thankful that the producers did not attempt to articulate sounds Marie-Laure heard in her head. It was left to the reader's imagination to furnish that sensory experience.
I don't want to give away the ending of the story. It is realistic, beautiful, heart-rending. This is a book worth reading in any format. It's certainly the best 2014 Fiction I've read so far this yea
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LibraryThing member Cariola
I have to admit that it took me a long, long time to engage with this novel. The first half is incredibly slow-moving, and, while I did end up liking the book, it could have had the same effect if it had been about 150 pages shorter. In addition, while I love stories with multiple narrators, the
The novel's two main characters are Werner, a German orphan with a talent for radio electronics, and Marie-Laure, the blind daughter of a French museum's lock master, both of whom are about 13 years old when the chronological story begins. When Werner's aptitude is uncovered, he ids taken from the orphanage and his sister, Jutta) and placed in a Hitler Youth school where his talent will be developed for use in the war. Initially thrilled to have an opportunity better than working in the mines, Werner ignores the twinges of his conscience and follows all orders--even those that ultimately destroy his best friend.
When the Germans invade Paris, Marie-Laure and her father flee to the seaside town of Saint-Malo, where her reclusive great-uncle Etienne lives. Her father may carry with him the museum's most valuable jewel, a large diamond known as the Sea of Flames--or he may be carrying one of four replicas of the diamond. For me, the Saint-Malo chapters were the most engaging in the book, mainly because of the well-developed characters and relationships.
Into the mix comes a cancer-ridden German officer charged with finding and bringing back to Berlin the treasures of the France--including the Sea of Flames.
That's all I will say about the plot, aside from the fact that, as one would expect, these characters inevitably come face-to-face with one another. I might have rated this book a bit higher if my expectations had been a little lower, and if the exposition chapters hadn't been quite so plodding. Still, All the Light We Cannot See is a worthwhile and at times very moving book.
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use of multiple narrators AND switching back and forth in time made it unnecessarily convoluted. On the basis of comments from LT friends who said the book got much better after the first half or so, I stuck it out to the end. While I can't say that All the Light We Cannot See will be one of my top reads of the year, on the whole, I was glad that I stayed with it.The novel's two main characters are Werner, a German orphan with a talent for radio electronics, and Marie-Laure, the blind daughter of a French museum's lock master, both of whom are about 13 years old when the chronological story begins. When Werner's aptitude is uncovered, he ids taken from the orphanage and his sister, Jutta) and placed in a Hitler Youth school where his talent will be developed for use in the war. Initially thrilled to have an opportunity better than working in the mines, Werner ignores the twinges of his conscience and follows all orders--even those that ultimately destroy his best friend.
When the Germans invade Paris, Marie-Laure and her father flee to the seaside town of Saint-Malo, where her reclusive great-uncle Etienne lives. Her father may carry with him the museum's most valuable jewel, a large diamond known as the Sea of Flames--or he may be carrying one of four replicas of the diamond. For me, the Saint-Malo chapters were the most engaging in the book, mainly because of the well-developed characters and relationships.
Into the mix comes a cancer-ridden German officer charged with finding and bringing back to Berlin the treasures of the France--including the Sea of Flames.
That's all I will say about the plot, aside from the fact that, as one would expect, these characters inevitably come face-to-face with one another. I might have rated this book a bit higher if my expectations had been a little lower, and if the exposition chapters hadn't been quite so plodding. Still, All the Light We Cannot See is a worthwhile and at times very moving book.
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LibraryThing member ursula
The author interweaves two people's lives, Werner (a German orphan) and Marie-Laure (a blind French girl), in this novel. From the first chapter, where we find both characters in the same German-occupied city in France under bombing by the Allies, we know that they will have some sort of
I think that based on story alone, this could have been a 5-star read for me. Unfortunately, it wasn't. I thought the writing was studied and overly-polished, which had me focusing more on that than the story. Partially this happened because I was extremely bored by the first third of the book. I understand the reasons for wanting to go back in time and give full portraits of both Marie-Laure and Werner, but I found it mostly tedious, particularly the chapters about Werner. He just wasn't very interesting to me, and I didn't feel like he came alive as a child. Marie-Laure's blindness was handled well, showing both her capacity for self-assurance and the unique vulnerabilities she had. The exact resolution of the story kept me guessing, which was nice.
It was definitely a real page-turner once I got past the boring beginning. However, I had to knock down the rating for that because even though it got a lot better, I found the beginning *very* yawn-inducing, to the point that I considered abandoning the book entirely.
Recommended for: fans of the slow burn, sentimental types, people who like the movie Titanic.
Quote: "Radio: it ties a million ears to a single mouth."
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interaction with each other. Doerr then takes us back into each of their earlier lives and leads us back to that point of intersection, and beyond.I think that based on story alone, this could have been a 5-star read for me. Unfortunately, it wasn't. I thought the writing was studied and overly-polished, which had me focusing more on that than the story. Partially this happened because I was extremely bored by the first third of the book. I understand the reasons for wanting to go back in time and give full portraits of both Marie-Laure and Werner, but I found it mostly tedious, particularly the chapters about Werner. He just wasn't very interesting to me, and I didn't feel like he came alive as a child. Marie-Laure's blindness was handled well, showing both her capacity for self-assurance and the unique vulnerabilities she had. The exact resolution of the story kept me guessing, which was nice.
It was definitely a real page-turner once I got past the boring beginning. However, I had to knock down the rating for that because even though it got a lot better, I found the beginning *very* yawn-inducing, to the point that I considered abandoning the book entirely.
Recommended for: fans of the slow burn, sentimental types, people who like the movie Titanic.
Quote: "Radio: it ties a million ears to a single mouth."
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LibraryThing member neddludd
Possibly the most damning review of a book is to walk away from it before finishing. In this work, I made it to page 377 (of 530). Two factors induced me to cease reading. The book is incredibly repetitive; one wonders if the author is not trying to illuminate the predictable and ultimately boring
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functions we engage in day after day. The work is suffused with extreme gloom, as if it had a fatal disease. Each of the character's has their own cross to bear, and each must bear the load throughout the entire book--or at least until where I stopped caring. The randomness and brutality of the war engulfs all; but so does the First World War to a man who has become so fearful that he cannot leave his room. Another character is blind, while a third has an unexplained cancer. Readers glimpse the potential of these men and women, and watch as that potential is wasted in the evil that is the world at war. The occupation of France endured for four years, and readers feel as if they spent every day there. The Russian front is telescoped but is the scene of death after death after death. The main characters have no one with whom to communicate other than the readers, and it becomes tiresome and heavy lifting. The quality of the writing is fine; but even that annoys, since we experience scene after scene with only minor variations from prior encounters. I am unclear as to why this book was such a huge bestseller. Show Less
LibraryThing member RandyMetcalfe
Marie-Laure is the young, blind daughter of the Master of Locks at the Museum of Natural History in pre-WWII Paris. Werner is an orphan growing up in a mining town in Germany. About 500 pages later their paths are going to cross in St. Malo on the coast of France. Meanwhile there are miles to go,
In its tone and tenor, this is really a YA novel. So it may be a bit surprising that it won the Pulitzer. It is written in a clear filmic style — short, one scene, chapters of about a page and a half in length. Then a quick cut to another character’s point of view. The tension remains high throughout. And you really can’t get bored. There isn’t time. But it is so self-consciously filmic — almost like it is really a “treatment” for a film, preferably directed by Spielberg — that you may find it tiring.
Of course just because this is a YA novel doesn’t mean that bad things don’t happen. They do. And some of them are truly awful. But awful in a way that would really look good in a cinema. (That’s maybe too harsh; they would also look good on TV.) I longed for more seriousness, less contrivance of plot, less blatantly heart-tugging characters. But I suppose that would simply have been a different book. And the author would be in his rights to suggest that I ought to go read that one instead. Perhaps I will. And maybe you’ll join me. Because for now, despite the accolades, this one is not recommended.
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so to speak, and lots of twists. But the pages will turn, and quickly. So quickly that you’ll be surprised at how you’ve been swept along and swept up in the all too evident emotions of that most dangerous time.In its tone and tenor, this is really a YA novel. So it may be a bit surprising that it won the Pulitzer. It is written in a clear filmic style — short, one scene, chapters of about a page and a half in length. Then a quick cut to another character’s point of view. The tension remains high throughout. And you really can’t get bored. There isn’t time. But it is so self-consciously filmic — almost like it is really a “treatment” for a film, preferably directed by Spielberg — that you may find it tiring.
Of course just because this is a YA novel doesn’t mean that bad things don’t happen. They do. And some of them are truly awful. But awful in a way that would really look good in a cinema. (That’s maybe too harsh; they would also look good on TV.) I longed for more seriousness, less contrivance of plot, less blatantly heart-tugging characters. But I suppose that would simply have been a different book. And the author would be in his rights to suggest that I ought to go read that one instead. Perhaps I will. And maybe you’ll join me. Because for now, despite the accolades, this one is not recommended.
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LibraryThing member jmchshannon
The historical details within All the Light We Cannot See are stunning in their exactness and the care with which Mr. Doerr uses them within his story. One could use the story in place of a map of Paris’ Fifth Arrondissement or the streets of Saint Malo because they are so meticulously described
In All the Light We Cannot See, Mr. Doerr takes his time telling Marie-Laure’s and Werner’s stories. They unfold slowly and methodically, carefully building setting, mood, and tone to weave the story around readers and fully ensnare them into its drama and tension, something he achieves with aplomb. Marie-Laure and Werner are two unfortunate souls who are tested and forged in the heat of war. Theirs is a powerful story in which the lines of right and wrong, guilt and innocence blur as readers get to know and understand them. All the Light We Cannot See is a story of perseverance, innocence lost, strengths found, and truths discovered. It leaves readers contemplative as to the intricacies and damage to mind, body, and soul war wreaks on people. More importantly, it leaves readers hopeful that even in the very worst of times, humanity’s innate goodness can and will prevail.
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and precise. Similarly, Mr. Doerr develops his characters so carefully and thoroughly that readers internalize their emotions. The growing mental trauma within Werner and Marie-Laure’s increased fears are particularly potent as the story progresses even though these changes occur slowly. However, this care and attention to detail makes the entire cast so realistic. Of greatest importance though is the fact that Mr. Doerr is mindful not to make this a story a condemnation of one side or the other. All of the characters, no matter how important or minor, are just victims of the circumstances and times in which they live.In All the Light We Cannot See, Mr. Doerr takes his time telling Marie-Laure’s and Werner’s stories. They unfold slowly and methodically, carefully building setting, mood, and tone to weave the story around readers and fully ensnare them into its drama and tension, something he achieves with aplomb. Marie-Laure and Werner are two unfortunate souls who are tested and forged in the heat of war. Theirs is a powerful story in which the lines of right and wrong, guilt and innocence blur as readers get to know and understand them. All the Light We Cannot See is a story of perseverance, innocence lost, strengths found, and truths discovered. It leaves readers contemplative as to the intricacies and damage to mind, body, and soul war wreaks on people. More importantly, it leaves readers hopeful that even in the very worst of times, humanity’s innate goodness can and will prevail.
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LibraryThing member mtbearded1
Having spent a great deal of time earning a PhD in 20th Century French Literature, a study that thrust me deeply into the politics of World War II France, I have trouble passing up any book that treats that period. I have met some of my favorite authors that way, Joanne Harris's Five Quarters of
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the Orange comes to mind. In All The Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr joins the group. This is a powerful novel, grabbing this reader's attention from the first and holding it all the way through the rather long novel. Not that it feels like a long novel, but it is a heavy book to hold for hours on end. The story of two children, a young German orphan and the blind daughter of a Parisian museum employee, travels back and forth across time and space as their individual stories develop, and eventually intertwine. The horror that was occupied France is fully present in this novel, but Doerr also makes us see that sometimes the Germans were victims as well. How can a country press its fifteen year old boys into military service? Heartily recommended to all who are drawn to World War II narratives, and to the awakening of young minds. Show Less
LibraryThing member BookBarmy
This WWII blockbuster opens with two riveting story lines. Werner, an orphan German teen is recruited by the Nazi’s for his invaluable radio engineering skills, and Marie-Laure, a blind French girl – separated from her adoring father in war-torn France. Right from the beginning, the reader
The novel also has some captivating scenes, all beautifully written. There’s Marie-Laure reading aloud from her braille edition of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, there’s the ominous agenda inside Werner’s exclusive Nazi training school, and then, if you’re like me, you’ll hold your breath as messages are passed along, hidden in freshly baked bread, and then secretly broadcast from a short-wave radio hidden in the attic of a crumbling house perched on the edge of the sea. Everything is there — all the elements of a well-written and exciting WWII adventure.
And so you settle in, cup of tea in hand and eagerly start reading…and reading…and reading — through 178 chapters. Yes, you read that right — 178 chapters!
Therein lies the first problem — 178 short chapters, many only a few pages, which jerk the reader back in forth in time, often with no clue to the year. The choppy chapters and abrupt time jumps are not only confusing, they actually prevented me from really sinking into the story. One reviewer, knowing that Mr. Doerr is a much better writer than this, surmised his editors insisted on shuffling the timeline. The format did feel gimmicky and like an afterthought. I’d go even further, I think those same editors also insisted on chopping the novel into short chapters to cater to today’s 140-character-tweet-text-snapchat-attention-span readers (That just wrote itself in the throes of my rant – like it?).
Now we come to the second problem, "All the Light We Cannot See" starts out beautifully written and compelling, but then it just seems to fall apart — rather it just never comes together. Werner’s and Marie-Laure’s paths, while coming teasingly close, never really converge. And when they do finally intertwine, they are only together for 10 pages towards the end. Then fast forward 30 years and the book ends not with a bang but with a whimper (my apologies to T. S. Eliot).
The novel won Pulitzer Prize, earned many glowing reviews and many weeks on the bestseller lists. Perhaps I missed something magical in my reading of this book. Maybe it was my mood. Whatever the reason, I was underwhelmed and sadly disappointed upon finishing this novel.
A digital review copy was provided by Scribner via NetGalley.
See all my book reviews at BookBarmydotcom.
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knows that the lives of these two potentially fascinating characters will intersect.The novel also has some captivating scenes, all beautifully written. There’s Marie-Laure reading aloud from her braille edition of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, there’s the ominous agenda inside Werner’s exclusive Nazi training school, and then, if you’re like me, you’ll hold your breath as messages are passed along, hidden in freshly baked bread, and then secretly broadcast from a short-wave radio hidden in the attic of a crumbling house perched on the edge of the sea. Everything is there — all the elements of a well-written and exciting WWII adventure.
And so you settle in, cup of tea in hand and eagerly start reading…and reading…and reading — through 178 chapters. Yes, you read that right — 178 chapters!
Therein lies the first problem — 178 short chapters, many only a few pages, which jerk the reader back in forth in time, often with no clue to the year. The choppy chapters and abrupt time jumps are not only confusing, they actually prevented me from really sinking into the story. One reviewer, knowing that Mr. Doerr is a much better writer than this, surmised his editors insisted on shuffling the timeline. The format did feel gimmicky and like an afterthought. I’d go even further, I think those same editors also insisted on chopping the novel into short chapters to cater to today’s 140-character-tweet-text-snapchat-attention-span readers (That just wrote itself in the throes of my rant – like it?).
Now we come to the second problem, "All the Light We Cannot See" starts out beautifully written and compelling, but then it just seems to fall apart — rather it just never comes together. Werner’s and Marie-Laure’s paths, while coming teasingly close, never really converge. And when they do finally intertwine, they are only together for 10 pages towards the end. Then fast forward 30 years and the book ends not with a bang but with a whimper (my apologies to T. S. Eliot).
The novel won Pulitzer Prize, earned many glowing reviews and many weeks on the bestseller lists. Perhaps I missed something magical in my reading of this book. Maybe it was my mood. Whatever the reason, I was underwhelmed and sadly disappointed upon finishing this novel.
A digital review copy was provided by Scribner via NetGalley.
See all my book reviews at BookBarmydotcom.
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LibraryThing member oldblack
I decided to read this because (a) my boss recommended it, (b) it had a 4.3 star rating in LT. It just goes to show how different my tastes are than the average LT reader (and my boss!). I see no particular merit in this story, apart from the fact that it took me away from a mundane environment as
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I walked to work - for 15 hours. Obviously I had the audiobook version - and I had a few problems with the narrator, too. She was good at dramatising the text, and probably had a good French accent (I'm ignorant), but she spoke some English words in some pretty unusual ways! ("wrongly" I would have said, but I am not really confident enough of my own knowledge to be so bold as to say that). This seemed just like another war story to me (aren't we over that?), but with a rather hard to believe story & legend about a large gem added on top. Oh yes, and the blind girl factor - I'm guessing that's what appealed to the LT readers? I would have to say, however, that none of the characters was particularly well developed - this is almost entirely a plot-driven novel. And I'm more of a character person than a plot person. I like books about which others complain that the story doesn't go anywhere. I suppose the other possibly appealing aspect of this book is the way the author runs parallel stories and approaches the conclusion from different times in a way that reveals the story at an appropriate pace and with suitable mystery. The story is tied up at the end in a way that is probably appropriate to the rest of the book but I'm sure is also one reason for its high rating - people tend to hate stories having anything left unknown. Show Less
LibraryThing member chrisblocker
Stories centered around the second World War have become trite. Yeah, I said it, and that probably makes me an insensitive jerk in some way. But really, the story of WWII has been so rehashed and watered down that it is a huge surprise when an author paints the story in a different light than we've
Given my feelings toward WWII lit, it's not a surprise I had such polar sentiments when I learned of Doerr's latest novel. I really love Doerr's writing, but could he pull off such a novel without descending into the conventional western tale? Largely, I think he pulls it off. That's not to say that All the Light We Cannot See doesn't pull occasionally from the bag of Allied stock footage, but overall he makes the story real and original.
All the Light We Cannot See teeters a line of being over sentimental, but for me it never crossed that line. Maybe it did in the concluding chapters, but by that point I was a believer. Overall, Doerr was wise in deciding when to terminate a scene, when to let the reader feel without manipulation. Aside from the drama that may be too much for some readers, Doerr writes perfectly. The characters are distinct and memorable; I felt for them as though they were real and they'll stick with me for some time. The writing is lush and the scenery is painted so vividly that I feel as though I have visited these cities. The many different threads all come together in a way that is satisfying and logical. The story is told in such quick, alternating chapters that the novel never slogs despite its length. The pacing is near perfect and the story is riveting without becoming overly worked. And the use of objects—I love how masterfully Doerr utilizes objects throughout the story. If any writing instructor is looking for a novel to use for an objects-based lesson, I recommend this one. Oh, and the science broadcasts for children—did anyone else wish they could hear those broadcasts in their entirety? The voice was so perfect, the text so fascinating. If they do not already exist, someone needs to write scientific books for children told in that voice. (And if they do exist, someone let me know what they are.)
All the Light We Cannot See is going to be successful and I'm really happy for its author. 2014 has been a great year for literature (see also Mira Jacob's The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing, Cynthia Bond's Ruby, Karen Gettert Shoemaker's The Meaning of Names, as well as others I have yet to read), but Doerr's latest novel will likely be the most well-received and widely acknowledged of the year's literary choices. If you're one to read award winners and those “best of year” books, this one will be one to take note of now.
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come to expect. Maybe that's not entirely true. There are many great accounts of WWII with only small amounts of propaganda sprinkled in. But there are so many Hollywood-style stories where the Germans are all heinous bastards and the allied forces are wonderfully perfect heroes who save the universe from the dark force in a style that rivals the best (or the worst, depending your perspective) epic space operas. Sprinkle in a Disney ending and you've got a bestseller.Given my feelings toward WWII lit, it's not a surprise I had such polar sentiments when I learned of Doerr's latest novel. I really love Doerr's writing, but could he pull off such a novel without descending into the conventional western tale? Largely, I think he pulls it off. That's not to say that All the Light We Cannot See doesn't pull occasionally from the bag of Allied stock footage, but overall he makes the story real and original.
All the Light We Cannot See teeters a line of being over sentimental, but for me it never crossed that line. Maybe it did in the concluding chapters, but by that point I was a believer. Overall, Doerr was wise in deciding when to terminate a scene, when to let the reader feel without manipulation. Aside from the drama that may be too much for some readers, Doerr writes perfectly. The characters are distinct and memorable; I felt for them as though they were real and they'll stick with me for some time. The writing is lush and the scenery is painted so vividly that I feel as though I have visited these cities. The many different threads all come together in a way that is satisfying and logical. The story is told in such quick, alternating chapters that the novel never slogs despite its length. The pacing is near perfect and the story is riveting without becoming overly worked. And the use of objects—I love how masterfully Doerr utilizes objects throughout the story. If any writing instructor is looking for a novel to use for an objects-based lesson, I recommend this one. Oh, and the science broadcasts for children—did anyone else wish they could hear those broadcasts in their entirety? The voice was so perfect, the text so fascinating. If they do not already exist, someone needs to write scientific books for children told in that voice. (And if they do exist, someone let me know what they are.)
All the Light We Cannot See is going to be successful and I'm really happy for its author. 2014 has been a great year for literature (see also Mira Jacob's The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing, Cynthia Bond's Ruby, Karen Gettert Shoemaker's The Meaning of Names, as well as others I have yet to read), but Doerr's latest novel will likely be the most well-received and widely acknowledged of the year's literary choices. If you're one to read award winners and those “best of year” books, this one will be one to take note of now.
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LibraryThing member catzkc
I really thought this was going to be a 5 star book for me. But then again, my tastes tend to run counter to those of the award panels. At the very least, I think this is the first (and probably will be the only ever) Pulitzer Prize book I’ve managed to finish.
There are other books that have
The book could have been drastically improved by removing the entire plot device involving the stone. Really, WWII was bad enough without needing to throw in a jewel-hunting villain.
The one good thing this book has going for it is Wermer’s story. It is unfortunately unusual to have a book involve a German boy’s point of view, especially in the years leading up to the war. The author did a good job of showing how a boy at that time can be enfolded into the Nazi system, yet still allow us to empathize with him. I find that one of the most intriguing aspects to this part of history – how normal German people got caught up and swept along with the Nazi storm.
There are other books that have
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managed to more acutely describe the impact and horrors of the war on civilians. The author attempted to convey these, but there was only one scene where he was somewhat successful (Vienna). For the most part, I just kind of felt like so much of the dangers and daily hardships they endured were just kind of glossed over. So much of how he wrote it (at least everything Marie-Laure experienced) could fit right into a Disney movie.The book could have been drastically improved by removing the entire plot device involving the stone. Really, WWII was bad enough without needing to throw in a jewel-hunting villain.
The one good thing this book has going for it is Wermer’s story. It is unfortunately unusual to have a book involve a German boy’s point of view, especially in the years leading up to the war. The author did a good job of showing how a boy at that time can be enfolded into the Nazi system, yet still allow us to empathize with him. I find that one of the most intriguing aspects to this part of history – how normal German people got caught up and swept along with the Nazi storm.
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LibraryThing member Limelite
Here is a novel that reminds us why fiction and literature are vital to humanity.
All the Light We Cannot See is a profound and poignant study of the tests, triumphs, and also the destruction of the human soul under grim persecution perpetrated by the Nazis. Most horrifying is to read how their
Overriding all, Doerr builds an atmosphere of ratcheting tension and impending doom followed by their inevitable realization that makes the reader want to turn away, avert the eyes. Even though the book is beautifully written, often lyrical, full of artistry when manipulating time and chronology, masterful in how ultra-short chapters are counterpoised against writing that slows down action to its minutest breath, it is primarily an important book that should and must be read.
At the end of the novel, years after the horror of war is over and as she is nearing the end of a long life, Marie-Laure muses while sitting on a Paris park bench next to her 12-year-old grandson. "Every hour, she thinks, someone for whom the war was memory falls out of the world."
Without books, without readers, thus we forget.
All the Light We Cannot See is a profound and poignant study of the tests, triumphs, and also the destruction of the human soul under grim persecution perpetrated by the Nazis. Most horrifying is to read how their
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indifferent brutality was applied alike to their own Aryan children as it was to their French enemies, and (to them) the insignificant Jews. Beneath the cruel heel of the hobnailed boot, Nazis indiscriminately crushed opposition, individuality, and independence real and imagined.Overriding all, Doerr builds an atmosphere of ratcheting tension and impending doom followed by their inevitable realization that makes the reader want to turn away, avert the eyes. Even though the book is beautifully written, often lyrical, full of artistry when manipulating time and chronology, masterful in how ultra-short chapters are counterpoised against writing that slows down action to its minutest breath, it is primarily an important book that should and must be read.
At the end of the novel, years after the horror of war is over and as she is nearing the end of a long life, Marie-Laure muses while sitting on a Paris park bench next to her 12-year-old grandson. "Every hour, she thinks, someone for whom the war was memory falls out of the world."
Without books, without readers, thus we forget.
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LibraryThing member snash
An excellent book about choices, about the lure of curiosity and learning to provide meaning, about the repercussions of horror as well as being a suspenseful story. The prose seemed a little sparse to me and it was bit less psychological than it could have been.
LibraryThing member suballa
It is 1934 and Marie-Laure is just 6 years old when she loses her sight. Her father, the principle locksmith for the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, teaches her well how to adjust to her blindness. As she grows, Marie-Laure’s curiosity and intelligence blossom even as the threat of a
It is 1934 and 8 year old Werner Pfennig and his sister Jutta are living in an orphanage in Germany. Their favorite pastime of building and fixing radios, and listening to broadcasts from all over Europe, becomes increasingly difficult as the Nazi party begins to censor what German citizens are allowed to listen to. Before they are completely cut off from the outside world, Werner and Jutta see and hear enough to be frightened of what their country and countrymen are becoming. As Werner gets closer to his 15th birthday and his obligatory job in the local mine, an opportunity arises that will change his life forever.
All the Light We Cannot See is the mesmerizing story of Marie-Laure and Werner and their struggle to survive in a world at war. On opposite sides but so very alike, both are thrust into situations that they cannot control and their palpable fear and frustration can be keenly felt. Doerr’s writing is nothing short of perfect. I was absolutely captivated by this novel and I now consider it one of my top 10 favorite novels of all time.
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world war looms. When Hitler and his army begin their attempt to dominate Europe, Monsieur LeBlanc must flee Paris with Marie-Laure ahead of the impending invasion. It is 1934 and 8 year old Werner Pfennig and his sister Jutta are living in an orphanage in Germany. Their favorite pastime of building and fixing radios, and listening to broadcasts from all over Europe, becomes increasingly difficult as the Nazi party begins to censor what German citizens are allowed to listen to. Before they are completely cut off from the outside world, Werner and Jutta see and hear enough to be frightened of what their country and countrymen are becoming. As Werner gets closer to his 15th birthday and his obligatory job in the local mine, an opportunity arises that will change his life forever.
All the Light We Cannot See is the mesmerizing story of Marie-Laure and Werner and their struggle to survive in a world at war. On opposite sides but so very alike, both are thrust into situations that they cannot control and their palpable fear and frustration can be keenly felt. Doerr’s writing is nothing short of perfect. I was absolutely captivated by this novel and I now consider it one of my top 10 favorite novels of all time.
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LibraryThing member khiemstra631
Here's the best book that I have read so far in 2015. It's set mostly at the end of World War II in occupied France. The book features a blind French girl and a German orphan who ends up fighting in the German army. Both characters basically alternate telling the story. Really fascinating!
LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
The most intriguing thing about this novel is not the plot line, or the historical elements (though these are great) but all the layers Mr. Doerr uses. There are radios, and blindness, and myths, and models and museums - all used as real things but also suggesting symbolic meanings and connections.
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For instance, Marie Laure is physically blind, but many of the other characters are metaphorically blind - afraid to see what is really happening around them. One thing the author did so well was to create a sense of the madness of the war where reality and propaganda are clearly unrelated to each other. Like all great books, this one left me looking at the story from multiple angles, trying to capture all the different facets of this gem. Show Less
LibraryThing member TooBusyReading
When I thought the world didn't need any more WWII novels about loss and survivors, when I thought all that should be said had been said, along came this beautiful book.
The writing and the characters are wonderful and had depth. I even had sympathy for a young German soldier, seeing the world
There are orphans and good fathers, traitors, and a whole cast of characters that were occasionally hard to keep straight, but the payback was well worth the effort. Lives intersected, souls were bared, and bits of natural history added another interesting layer as did descriptions of city models.
Among other story lines, this is a story of a father's love for his daughter.
Yet another war story, but this one managed to put itself head and shoulders above so many others.
The writing and the characters are wonderful and had depth. I even had sympathy for a young German soldier, seeing the world
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through his eyes. I couldn't see the world through Marie-Laure's eyes because she was blind, but her descriptions of sounds, of what she noticed that most of us do not, was lyrical.There are orphans and good fathers, traitors, and a whole cast of characters that were occasionally hard to keep straight, but the payback was well worth the effort. Lives intersected, souls were bared, and bits of natural history added another interesting layer as did descriptions of city models.
Among other story lines, this is a story of a father's love for his daughter.
Yet another war story, but this one managed to put itself head and shoulders above so many others.
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LibraryThing member ardvisoor
Some books has a characteristic taste. This is one of them.
Doerr mix the details with a poetic sensibility that long to the last page.This book finds its way into the reader heart and soul.
Doerr mix the details with a poetic sensibility that long to the last page.This book finds its way into the reader heart and soul.
LibraryThing member Zumbanista
I found this Pulitzer Prize-winning novel a slow and sometimes tiresome read. I do give it full marks for an original storyline and eventual bringing together of the two principal characters, Marie-Laure and Werner. The peripheral characters were nicely fleshed out in most cases. Somehow the book
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didn't move me and I didn't enjoy the search for the Sea of Flames gemstone and other elements of magical realism. Also, I wasn't sure if the epilogue or modern section was altogether necessary. All The Light We Cannot See wasn't one of my favorite books this year, although I'm aware many other readers found it to be brilliant. Show Less
LibraryThing member imtanner2
So beautifully written! I can't wait to go back and read this one again.
Awards
National Book Award (Finalist — Fiction — 2014)
Dublin Literary Award (Longlist — 2016)
Pulitzer Prize (Winner — Fiction — 2015)
Audie Award (Finalist — Fiction — 2015)
The Morning News Tournament of Books (Finalist — 2015)
Alex Award (2015)
Ohioana Book Award (Finalist — Fiction — 2015)
Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award (Winner — 2015)
Indies Choice Book Award (Winner — Adult Fiction — 2015)
Grand Canyon Reader Award (Nominee — Teen — 2017)
Dayton Literary Peace Prize (Runner-Up — Fiction — 2015)
Colorado Blue Spruce Award (Nominee — 2016)
Maine Readers' Choice Award (Finalist — 2015)
Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction (Finalist — Fiction — 2015)
Golden Archer Award (Nominee — 2018)
Australian Book Industry Awards (Shortlist — 2015)
Idaho Book of the Year Award (Winner — 2014)
Booklist Editor's Choice: Adult Books (Fiction — 2014)
NPR: Books We Love (2014)
Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year (Literary Fiction — 2014)
The New York Times Best Books of the Year (Fiction — 2014)
Christian Science Monitor Best Book (Fiction — 2014)
Historical Novel Society Editors' Choice (Literary)
Booklist Top of the List: Best of Editors' Choice (Adult Fiction — 2014)
Notable Books List (2015)
Great Reads from Great Places (Idaho — 2015, 2016, 2017)
Los Angeles Public Library Best of the Year (Fiction — 2014)
Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List (Selection — 2015)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Adults (Selection — 2014)
Reading Olympics (High School — 2024)
Language
Original language
English