All the Light We Cannot See

A true contemporary instant-classic. I love this book with all my heart.

This Pulitzer prize winning novel by Anthony Doerr has been hugely popular over the past few years and has been on my TBR for some time now. From what I knew about this book I had high hopes that this story of a blind girl in Nazi-occupied France during World War II would be something that would be deeply moving and highly enjoyable.

There are some really great things about this book. Firstly our two main characters are both hugely likeable and tell us very different stories about life on different sides of the war. Firstly we follow Marie-Laure who has been blind from an early age, with her father the head of security at the Natural History Museum in Paris they find themselves fleeing Paris when it is occupied by the German's. On the other side, we follow Werner, a German orphan with an aptitude for radios who finds himself saught by Hitler Youth because of his skills and thrown into a world he finds difficult to reconcile himself with. Whilst the main story is told from their point of view Doerrr gives us some really wonderful and well fleshed out side characters such as Marie-Laure's Uncle Etienne and Werner's friend from school Frederik. They are characters you sympathise with and want to succeed. Being a World War II story the risk for everyone is always high and this means emotionally you are engaged and fearful for them throughout. Mainly we alternate back and forth between chapters from Marie-Laure's and Werner's perspectives throughout the timeline of the war. The chapters are very short, generally, only a few pages and this means you tend to fly through the narrative quite quickly and find yourself engaged very early on in the story.

For me though, there was something just not quite there with this book. I think it was the fact that for 85% of this book our two main characters sit in complete isolation to one another. Their stories are independent and don't really intertwine. We are hopeful that they will intercept at some point but we are not sure about when they will and whether the meeting will be a positive one for all involved. I felt a little bit unmoved when they did meet, it was all over a little too quickly and didn't provide that gut-wrenching emotion I wanted to have after investing so much in the rest of the book. I wanted it to be epic, this is a Pulitzer prize winner after all, it must be amazing. Right? It just wasn't. It was only just okay. It was like waiting throughout the whole book for a pay off you just knew must be coming and then finding yourself shortchanged.

This book had huge promise, it had a brilliant historical landscape with which to work and at times Doerr makes magnificent use of this to tell very moving stories about life during the war for both those who were occupied and the German boys who found themselves thrust into war. I just needed his characters to meet a little sooner and for their meeting to have the same emotional pull as the rest of the book. For that reason, I'm only giving this one 3 out of 5 stars. It was a good book but I thought I'd rave about it after and to be honest, it was only okay for me.

This book took forever to get into. The characters never really developed and the epilogue was unsatisfying at best.

OMG, I'm so happy! My mom bought this to me today, or well, it arrived today, and she bought it in hard cover and everything, and I'm so happy and excited and maybe want to cry!!!!!

My favorite WW2 book since Atonement; does the “mixed-timeline historical fiction” genre very well; excellent sense of scientific wonder in the dawn of the radio era.

Hard to describe how many times I stopped reading to say, “That's a gorgeous paragraph.” I don't understand the few critiques I've heard that “nothing happens,” because I was racing to the end to discover the plot arc.

Pretty as a picture, highly recommended

Tough to review. There's no doubt this is a fantastic book. Beautifully written, palpable characters, fantastic backdrop. I can see why it's recieved so many accolades.
But all that said, I didn't find it enjoyable to read.
It took a while to figure out why. Even while reading it I'm thinking to myself “This is so good”, but at the same time wondering why I'm bored and looking forward to the next book.
Finally I think I nailed it. Nothing really happens. It's all set in amongst the background of a lot happening, but other than hearing about it, there's not much that really goes on with the characters that so much time has been spent making us love.
This feels like all the parts of a fantastic book that happen BETWEEN the major plot points.
I spent the majority of this book waiting for something to happen, and when it doesn't it feels like there no payoff for the time invested in these characters.
Maybe this is what literary fiction is about. I can see why people may like it. It's life through the eyes of others.
But books are a form of entertainment. This wasn't entertaining to me, and I couldn't wait to start a new book.

Beautiful historical story about t Marie-Laure and Werner whose life cross paths during WWII. Wonderfully written, incredible characters.Well detailed and interesting. Loved the little French words here and there. The short chapters were a great idea but felt the book was a little bit too long, still a 5/5 novel.

Ugh guys I don't even know where to start with this review. I guess I should probably start with I buddy read this book with Jen from @bookscoffeechocolate over on Instagram in the last round of the Tome Topple Readathon. If it wasn't for her I probably would have DNFed this book because I wasn't into it at all. I got to a point in the book where the only reason I kept reading it was because I was interested in how things would end with each of the characters.

This book switches between past and present and also switches between a few different characters POV. It felt like it was all over the place and I had a hard time keeping up with how much time was passing by and who was talking. It was all just way to much for me.

I didn't have a connection with any of the characters and like Jen said I just felt detached. The ending seemed rushed to me and I would expect for a book like this to bring out some emotions in me but it didn't.

I did like how descriptive the author was because I was really able to visualize what was being talked about. The only other some what positive thing I can say about this book is that it drew me in just enough for me to want to find out how things worked out for the characters in the end.

Overall this was just an ok read for me but I would say if you like Historical Fiction and you don't struggle with all of the switching back and forth you will probably enjoy this book.

Such an amazing book. The ending was not what I was expecting (or hoping for) and it breaks your heart a bit. But I guess that's the point, war rarely ends well and this is one small example of how horrible WW2 was for just a couple of average kids.

This book is haunting.

I had seen this book receiving rave reviews. I read the back. Another WWII story? What can possibly make this any different. Oh, the girl is blind? Is that why the reviews are so high? How does a blind girl survive a war?

To find out, you need to pick up the book. When you do decide to read this, devote time for it. It can be heavy, but it is strangely beautiful. It reminded me of The Book Thief mixed with The Pianist. Yes, both of those also took place during WWII, but it goes deeper than that. There's an innocence to Marie that was similar to Liesel from The Book Thief. The writing style was also similar. Unlike the book thief, there is the story of survival. That is where The Pianist comes in to play. Marie must find a way to survive. Against all odds, she must.

There is also a magical stone that Marie's father believes will keep her alive. Unforunately, it means everyone around her will attract an unfortunate fate. That aspect was slightly strange in a WWII setting, yet also worked. Was it really magical, or was it just a story that helped a girl make sense of the world around her? Was the stone at fault, or was it just a trinket (like a stuffed doll) for comfort.

This is not a major adventure story, but a solid fiction piece that deserves the awards it has been given. Think of The Pianist and The Book Thief. If you're interested in something similar, pick this up.

واقعا ایرادی توش ندیدم خیلی زیبا بود.

Filled with real characters, poetic language, and overall an immensely beautiful, emotional and immersive read.

Written so well, and really gives a great image of two different lives during WW2. Shows the humanity that can and will prevail when we speak out for our beliefs.

“Open your eyes and see what you can with them, before they close forever”

What a journey! What an incredible, heartbreaking, beautiful and bittersweet journey! Poetry disguised as prose - the phrase that comes to mind while reading this book. Strangely, I felt the same while reading The Book Thief, another beautiful story set in those grim years of World War II. What is it about wars that is so fascinating to authors - maybe the atrocities that are committed, the inevitable doom that casts its shadow over both the perpetrators and the victims, or maybe how despite living in the worst of times imaginable to them, people manage to survive but however brave they are, war leaves a black hole in their hearts that can never be filled.

All the characters are incredibly well-written, especially Marie-Laure LeBlanc, who I think is probably the most beautiful character ever written. The disruptive non-linear narration only adds to the beauty where chapters flow into one another forming a giant interwoven web of stories that manage to shake you from the core.

I'll leave you all with a quote from the book -

“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. We act in our own self-interest. Of course we do. Name me a person or a nation who does not. The trick is figuring out where your interests are.”

Doerr has wrapped a gift in this story. The quick pacing and well developed characters draw you into the story. At once tragic and heartening, you follow two children, Marie-Laure and Werner, as they grew up before and during WW2. Their lives touch in unexpected ways, and they are never the same. This is a remarkable story of human goodness and beauty.

I would recommend this story to anyone over the age of 14. There are some themes related to war and loss that I don't think younger readers would appreciate or understand.

Beautiful writing but I was ultimately left emotionally unsatisfied by the lack of depth of moments of human connection in a setting that should have been brimming with them.

I found this a little slow paced but I still loved it

I can completely understand why this book won the Pulitzer Prize. A very intriguing story that is beautifully written.

3.5. 3.75? that feels silly. i guess i'm just not sure what to do with this book yet.

Utterly beautiful and heartbreaking, this book had an odd effect on me: I spent more than a week just sad for the poor German people. A book that opens my heart this wide is a good book.

FIRST FICTION STORY THAT REALLY MAKES YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THE NAZIS DID. Others have tried to explain it but before reading this you can't truly know, truly feel, what it was. Not only “The nazis are bad” but a story that makes you understand it.
YOU HAVE TO READ IT,.

This book was beautiful. I had to skip a small piece of chapter 11 and there are some curse words/foul language–these are expected in such a time period and it makes the book more honest and not rose-colored. It is not to excess or more than one would expect. The perspectives of people surrounding all of the main characters shows you something you would not expect and would not have thought of otherwise. I think I may remember these words after every time I hear Clair de Lune. Such an important piece of history to see from different perspectives. Absolutely beautiful.

Beautiful, lyrical and harrowing. The overly perfumed prose can be overwhelming at times but I loved the story wholeheartedly.

A compelling, honest, emotional story full of complex characters, vivid imagery, and visceral, meticulously crafted writing.

I had the pleasure of a visit to Saint-Malo in 2011. I was on a mission to see the Bayeux Tapestry and was discussing with my sister that my wife and I planned a visit to not only the famous embroidery but also the D-Day beaches and Mont Saint-Michel. My sister suggested Saint-Malo for a couple of nights and to say that it was a pleasant stay would be an understatement. We had fine sunny days, warm weather and food to delight. I got myself the ubiquitous Breton pullover, we visited the nearby seaside town of Dinard and went and explored the nearby town of Dinan. The Emerald Coast was truly emerald as we left. When there I found it unimaginable that in the lifetime of many that this fantastic part of France was the centre of some of the fiercest fighting in WW2 and that 80% of Saint-Malo was destroyed.

With that I picked All the Light We Cannot See up at an independent book and coffee shop I occasionally drop into that tends to specialise on local Brisbane authors. This was not the normal book they held so when I asked why I was told that they thought is so good that had carried a few copies. I read the 1st few pages and there was Saint-Malo standing out at me. “The memories” I thought. With that I grabbed a copy.

To say I have enjoyed this fantastic read would be an understatement. A beautifully told bitter sweet tale that had me turning pages late into the evening. I am sure that this will stand the test of time. I have no doubt that way into the future people will be picking this up and being enthralled.