Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

11 reviews

janicecm's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.0

The storyline of the movie is quite different than the book, and I prefer the way to book ends. 

That said, I found the way the story bounced in time during the war to be confusing, and would have much preferred it to be linear. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

ottercorg's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

2.5

I will begin by saying that were it not for the frequent change in POV keeping my attention, I would not have finished this book. It took me, without exaggeration, 400 pages to finally "get into it." I also kept going because I'd heard such amazing things, and I wondered when they'd arrive.

I feel that the writing style is good, I think the characters are well developed, and the story is moving and real. But...I just didn't like it very much. Maybe if I'd read it without hearing the hype, I wouldn't be rating it so low, but it's hard not to be disappointed.

Getting it off my TBR after it sat there for so long feels good, and trying more historical fiction feels good, I just didn't have a very good time in the process.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, and Classism

sierrabowers's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.75

I did like this book, but it was a slow read, and I struggled with how I felt about one of the main characters. I didn’t like what he was doing but at the same time, I knew he had no choice, and ultimately was very sad at what ended up happening. It’s not often that a book can shock me, and this one SHOOK me at the ending. Overall, I liked it but I wouldn’t reread and I wish it would have had an underlying subplot to make it more interesting. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and War

caromon's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer

Moderate: Child death, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Antisemitism, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

dinklydoo's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Sexual assault, Blood, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

kim_lommaert's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Racism, Torture, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Murder, and War

Moderate: Genocide, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

Minor: Gun violence, Infertility, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Alcohol

erebus53's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

Another book club read, and I'm glad I was put onto this one, as I otherwise wouldn't have bothered with it. This is a beautifully woven tale of .. uhm, nerds in World War II.

Werner is a snow-haired German lad who was orphanned by the mines of the Reich. As a curious child he develops himself into an electrical engineer who specializes in fixing radios, and is noticed by a German general who forwards him for advancement in an elite military school.
Marie-Laure is the daughter of keymaster of the French museum. She develops cataracts and goes blind as a child, and her father crates a scale model of her neighbourhood as a tactile map for her to learn her way around.
When the war starts, Marie-Laure and her father flee to her uncle's house, and Werner is a radio engineer for Hitler's army.

This story is told with deep emotional resonance, and using all sorts of literary quirks that focus on themes of light and darkness, sounds, sensation, fear and bravery, morality, logic and puzzles, knowing and learning, art and music, the love of nature, and of people. I love the descriptions of things like disappearing in fog– that it's about vanishing into whiteness rather than shadows.  The descriptions are visceral and evocative as well as clever.

This is a story of survival, of war, of fear and bloodshed, and it doesn't pull its punches. It certainly answers, in a humane way, questions about how people can do inhuman things in war, and the toll it can take on families.

I found the going slow, and occasionally tense, but also full of whimsy and beauty in contrast.
Well worth the read.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Antisemitism, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Bullying, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Classism

melancholymegs's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Antisemitism, and War

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

cutepatzie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I am not a fan of war books. But this was surprisingly amazing. I enjoy it so much. It's a heavy book, especially if you were born in Europe. And you can understand the fear, violence, and brutality of war. The story was amazingly written. Just a great book. And also love the representation of a blind person in book. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Antisemitism, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and War

crisi_books's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-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

5/5 stars just for my tears and how attached I was to these characters and their stories.

I would not have read this book if not for my English Literature class, and honestly...I don't regret a thing. This is a book I will be thinking about for months and maybe even years to come.

All the Light We Cannot See is such a lovely, devastating book about humanity and care. Doerr's (sometimes overbearing) attention to detail is enrapturing and kept me hooked for hundreds of pages, and the way he has crafted all these characters is so masterful, as well as the more philosophical questions and concepts he discusses. Marie-Laure and Werner don't share many moments in the book, but their connection is immediate, and their stories intertwine so wonderfully. Each character matters, and each has their own flaws and characteristics that make the story just that more enriching and human. However, I can see how people might find this book boring or too slow, and I agree! I just think that everything else in this book overshadows that and it leaves only a significantly good impression in my brain.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, and War

Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Confinement, Drug use, Gun violence, Blood, Excrement, Antisemitism, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Addiction and Rape