Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

56 reviews

jamanji's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I enjoyed reading this book every step of the way. The writing is masterful and the author’s ability to manipulate the plot and intertwine two seemingly unrelated lives into one is remarkable.

**SPOILER ALERT**

I did not expect the ending, especially Werner’s death. it was surprising and abrupt that one of the main characters was killed in one simple sentence. The irony of his death at the hands of German machinery when he himself was a slave to German machinery was not lost on me. I did obviously hope for a happy ending for Marie and Werner (why didn’t he just take off his damn uniform), but I guess it’s more poetic this way.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Cancer, Death, Genocide, Rape, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Vomit, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War

naomiannerie's review against another edition

adventurous emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Murder, and War

kfrickle's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

2.0

Honestly, I enjoyed the book at the beginning. Then toward the middle, it started to get into details that were too much for me. (Sexual Content) I did like the main characters, Werner and Marie, which is why I continued on with the book. I would say that there are some content warnings (minor descriptions on rape, and child death). It went down hill for me, and overall it was just not a book for me. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Rape

kirchnerkd's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and War

Moderate: Bullying and Abandonment

Minor: Cancer and Death of parent

lazza's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I initially found it really hard to get into and initially confusing but once I got about 100 pages in it picked up and I enjoyed it a lot more

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Rape, Terminal illness, Violence, Religious bigotry, and War

Moderate: Antisemitism

san_dra's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Mental illness, Rape, Terminal illness, Grief, Murder, and War

Minor: Ableism, Cancer, and Abandonment

ella_ruby's review against another edition

I really liked what I did read specifically the almost lyrical and highly descriptive style of writing. I actually completely forgot about it but want to read all of it in the future

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Violence, and War

Moderate: Cancer, Confinement, Death, Terminal illness, and Medical content

Minor: Genocide, Racism, and Antisemitism

lisbethleftwich's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, and War

Moderate: Cancer, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Terminal illness

amjone12's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Grief, and War

Moderate: Death, Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Animal death, Cancer, and Rape

lucyatoz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr is an sweeping epic of storytelling. Marie-Laure LeBlanc has been blind since she was six. Her father is the locksmith at the Museum of National History, and to help her find her way around Paris, he has built her a wooden model, complete with miniature house and storm drains. When the Nazis invade France, they flee Paris to Saint Malo, a port town in Brittney, to the home of her Great-Uncle Etienne, a survivor of World War I, and his housekeeper, Madame Manec.  

In almost alternate chapters, we also learn the story of Werner Pfennig, a German orphan. His father died in the mines and he too is destined to work there, until he find an old broken radio and his life changes forever. He is recruited and sent away to school where he develops his skills in triangulating radio signals. The lives of Marie-Laure and Werner are intertwined in a single day and it is a deeply moving story that the rest of the novel builds towards. 

I had a copy of this novel on my bookshelf and listened to it on BorrowBox. I read this for prompt 25, an author "everyone" has read except you, for the 52 Book Club Reading Challenge 2024.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Violence, Abandonment, and War

Minor: Cursing