kiwikahuna's review against another edition
4.0
A book written during the World War II about a blind French girl (Marie) and a German soldier (Werner) and how their paths cross over decades.
rosiekempf's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
smadams's review against another edition
3.0
Beautifully written story -- especially from the perspective of Marie Laure, one of the main characters, who is blind. Doerr also did well painting in shades of gray around the subject of war, so that you really saw the human in the act.
But I couldn't help feeling as I read on that I wanted more. I wanted more to happen. And I especially wanted more interaction between the two point of view characters. It took over 3/4 of this long book for them to meet, and then it was a short meeting. It would have been interesting to plum the depths of a relationship there between a young German soldier and a young French girl. It didn't have to me a romance--I'm not asking for that--but something a little more would have been nice.
At this point in my life, I'm reading for emotional connection. Beauty only goes so far. And this, while it was full of gorgeous and admirable writing, didn't quite hit home the way it could have.
But I couldn't help feeling as I read on that I wanted more. I wanted more to happen. And I especially wanted more interaction between the two point of view characters. It took over 3/4 of this long book for them to meet, and then it was a short meeting. It would have been interesting to plum the depths of a relationship there between a young German soldier and a young French girl. It didn't have to me a romance--I'm not asking for that--but something a little more would have been nice.
At this point in my life, I'm reading for emotional connection. Beauty only goes so far. And this, while it was full of gorgeous and admirable writing, didn't quite hit home the way it could have.
andrearenee42's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-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? Yes
5.0
alyssabc's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
readingwithhippos's review against another edition
3.0
How about a nice, cozy story about WWII to keep you warm this winter?
Clearly, I don't know how to promote books about war. It always feels to me like war fiction is a tough sell. “Want to read about other people's lives going horribly wrong without the comfort that none of it ever happened in real life? Have I got the book for you!”
Still, All the Light We Cannot See and titles like it continue to sell well and garner attention. It's a National Book Award Finalist this year, which is what led me to prioritize it on my to-read list. And I liked the book—particularly the twisty narrative that flits at will between characters and time periods, and the plucky and resourceful girl at its center.
Marie-Laure, blind since the age of six, lives in Paris with her locksmith father. When they escape town ahead of the advancing Germans, they take with them one of the greatest treasures in the world, an enormous diamond salvaged from the Museum of Natural History where Marie-Laure's father works.
Seemingly unconnected to Marie-Laure and her father is young Werner, growing up in a German orphanage. He has a budding interest in radios and electricity, and his aptitude catches the attention of the Nazi party. He is recruited and trained to apply his technical skills to identifying and apprehending resistors, a job that makes him increasingly uncomfortable. It also eventually leads him to Marie-Laure, a fateful meeting that serves as a turning point in both their lives.
Despite the endearing Marie-Laure and the mystery surrounding the stone, this is still a book about war. Unspeakable things happen, not just to innocent people, which would be bad enough, but to children. What redemption there is to find is tempered with a heavy, pervading sense of grief and loss. The language may also pose some difficulty, as Doerr has the peculiar habit of describing the landscape and surroundings in lush detail while purposefully obscuring key plot points, a choice that may have been an attempt to create ambiguity but which I just found frustrating.
So I recommend this one with some trepidation: it's well-written and prompts meaningful reflection, but if you primarily read to escape, this book is no sunny island resort. Pack a veiled black hat and leave your bikini at home.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
Clearly, I don't know how to promote books about war. It always feels to me like war fiction is a tough sell. “Want to read about other people's lives going horribly wrong without the comfort that none of it ever happened in real life? Have I got the book for you!”
Still, All the Light We Cannot See and titles like it continue to sell well and garner attention. It's a National Book Award Finalist this year, which is what led me to prioritize it on my to-read list. And I liked the book—particularly the twisty narrative that flits at will between characters and time periods, and the plucky and resourceful girl at its center.
Marie-Laure, blind since the age of six, lives in Paris with her locksmith father. When they escape town ahead of the advancing Germans, they take with them one of the greatest treasures in the world, an enormous diamond salvaged from the Museum of Natural History where Marie-Laure's father works.
Seemingly unconnected to Marie-Laure and her father is young Werner, growing up in a German orphanage. He has a budding interest in radios and electricity, and his aptitude catches the attention of the Nazi party. He is recruited and trained to apply his technical skills to identifying and apprehending resistors, a job that makes him increasingly uncomfortable. It also eventually leads him to Marie-Laure, a fateful meeting that serves as a turning point in both their lives.
Despite the endearing Marie-Laure and the mystery surrounding the stone, this is still a book about war. Unspeakable things happen, not just to innocent people, which would be bad enough, but to children. What redemption there is to find is tempered with a heavy, pervading sense of grief and loss. The language may also pose some difficulty, as Doerr has the peculiar habit of describing the landscape and surroundings in lush detail while purposefully obscuring key plot points, a choice that may have been an attempt to create ambiguity but which I just found frustrating.
So I recommend this one with some trepidation: it's well-written and prompts meaningful reflection, but if you primarily read to escape, this book is no sunny island resort. Pack a veiled black hat and leave your bikini at home.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
21jaeharlan's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-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? Yes
4.25
that_roxanne's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
isabellarobinson7's review against another edition
4.0
Rating: 4 stars
I really like this book! As soon as I started All the Light We Cannot See, I felt like I was reading The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, which I am not complaining about because I really liked that book too. It did take me awhile to get into this book though, and I found it really confusing how the time kept jumping all over the place, from the 1930's to 1944.
MAJOR SPOILER:
Spoiler
I was so sad when Werner died, he was defiantly my favourite character. I loved how he had white, white hair and he was always recognized for it (it reminded me of Rudy who was always referred to as the boy with hair the colour of lemons) and that he loved science despite the other people around him making fun of him for it.One of the most frustrating thing for me as a reader was that
Spoiler
by the time that Werner and Marie-Laure's stories finally intersected, they only spent one day together before they were separated again! I just wanted them to be with each other as friends or significant others or whatever, I didn't really care! I just wanted them to be together and it would make the whole lead up (which was a whole decade or something) so worth it.Spoiler
Werner's sister met Marie-Laure at the end of the novel.The writing was a real highlight for me in this book, how the narrator remained apart from the characters while still maintaining a strong connection with each and every one of them. Anthony Doerr's descriptions were so in depth and wonderfully done, and coming from a person who usually likes dialogue more than anything else in a book, that means they really were that good.
I also really like the cover. Like, look at it: [bc:All the Light We Cannot See|18143977|All the Light We Cannot See|Anthony Doerr|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1451445646l/18143977._SY75_.jpg|25491300]