findthosedreams's review
5.0
Darn you, Anthony Doerr, in your back flap author's portrait smiling smugly like you know what you've done while I blow my nose and try to figure out how to get on with my life after all the pages are gone!
The feels! THE FEELS!
The feels! THE FEELS!
sierradummitt's review
5.0
I don’t know where to begin with this book.
Beautiful, heartbreaking, and raw are the words that immediately come to mind.
The story was like nothing I’ve ever read before, the conflict truly unimaginable. How could I have read from the perspective of a teen boy in the hitler youth and still ended up rooting for him, feeling despair for him, and hoping for him?
WW2 books always gut me, but this one seemed to truly do the trick.
I want to mention that the writing was spectacular. I’m not sure how the author did it but the characters felt like true friends, family, and enemies.
I loved this book. This is one I’ll be recommending for the foreseeable future.
Beautiful, heartbreaking, and raw are the words that immediately come to mind.
The story was like nothing I’ve ever read before, the conflict truly unimaginable. How could I have read from the perspective of a teen boy in the hitler youth and still ended up rooting for him, feeling despair for him, and hoping for him?
WW2 books always gut me, but this one seemed to truly do the trick.
I want to mention that the writing was spectacular. I’m not sure how the author did it but the characters felt like true friends, family, and enemies.
I loved this book. This is one I’ll be recommending for the foreseeable future.
ks92's review
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
franki7's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
marywag08's review
5.0
It's easy to focus on the "extraordinary" people of WWII-- the heroes, the people who performed extraordinary feats, those who brought horrible atrocities on others, ect. Doerr decided to write from the POV of the million of "ordinary" people-- those who may not have performed acts of heroism, but rather lived to endure the war. Marie-Laure is a young, blind Parisian girl who escapes to Saint-Malo with her father, a locksmith from the Natural History Museum. What she doesn't realize is that her father carries a unique gem rumored to make it's holder immortal while bringing death to those around them. Concurrently, a young German boy unsure of his feelings toward the Reich finds himself in the elite ranks of the Hitler Youth after his skills in radio transmissions and repair are discovered among the top echelon of the Nazi Party. Despite being surrounded by the most devoted young Nazis (and thus presumed to be one of them), Werner continues to question what he sees around him and never seems to define his feelings toward the party. This beautiful tale depicts the fear and uncertainty that defined the time while also highlighting the simple acts that helped bring down the Reich.
ldegough's review against another edition
5.0
This book was great! It took me a while because, A), this book is over 500 pages, and B), I've been busy. But I really did enjoy it, and I can see why it won the Pulitzer Prize!
I loved the importance of radio. The radio really tied Marie-Laure and Werner together, which I thought was really cool!
The ending seemed a little sudden, but I liked it that way. It felt realistic somehow.
The only thing that I think could have been improved was the length. This book could have been much shorter. But it's still a five-star read the way that it is!
- Lacie
I loved the importance of radio. The radio really tied Marie-Laure and Werner together, which I thought was really cool!
The ending seemed a little sudden, but I liked it that way. It felt realistic somehow.
The only thing that I think could have been improved was the length. This book could have been much shorter. But it's still a five-star read the way that it is!
- Lacie
robbiezk's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sylviebrekke's review against another edition
3.0
i’m conflicted on this book. on one hand, the writing was absolutely beautiful. there were so many amazing quotes. the prose is really what makes this book worth reading. but that was really the only thing i liked about this book. i struggled to get through this and for a lot of it, until about the last 150 pages, i was so so bored. i never really connected to any of the characters. not a bad book by any means, just one that i wasn’t able to enjoy as much.
rlwertheimer's review
5.0
Fantastic, intense. Learned much about WWII I hadn't known. Incredibly compelling characters. Beautiful writing.