All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel

Full disclosure: I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.I don't know why I waited so long to read Anthony Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See. I've loved his other books—in fact, his 2010 story collection, Memory Wall, was among the best books I read that year, so I know he's a tremendously talented writer.Maybe I hesitated because the book has already begun showing up on a number of year-end "best" lists, and lately I've had a bit of a disconnect between those the critics label as best of the year and those of which I'm most enamored. Well, I needn't have worried, because Doerr's latest is as good, and beautifully written, as I hoped it might be.In the early 1940s, the world is on the brink of war. Marie-Laure is a 12-year-old girl living in Paris with her father, a locksmith at the Museum of Natural History. Although Marie-Laure went blind at the age of six, she has a tremendous thirst for knowledge and a passion about the world around her, particularly the natural world. Ever-protective of his daughter, Marie-Laure's father built a model of their Paris neighborhood so she can navigate the streets and always find her way home.Meanwhile, in a German mining town, young Werner Pfennig is growing up with his sister, Jutta, in an orphanage. When the two discover a radio, it opens up a world of dreams and information. Werner also discovers his ability to repair and build radios, as well as his ability to grasp complicated mathematical and scientific concepts. This intelligence catches the interest of a Nazi officer, who sees that Werner is enrolled in an elite Hitler Youth school, where the fervor for perfection and rooting out inferiority begins to turn him into a person he doesn't recognize.As war closes in, Marie-Laure and her father flee Paris and head to the seaside town of Saint-Malo, where her eccentric great-uncle Etienne lives. Etienne has never been the same since the first World War, and he is unprepared for just how profoundly his life—and the lives of those around him—will be affected by Marie-Laure's presence, as well as the town's resistance to the Nazi occupation. And Werner finds himself on the front lines, as he is part of a team tracking down those using radios to subvert the Nazis.Werner and Marie-Laure's lives will intersect in a profound way, both when they are at one of their weakest moments. And this encounter will have an indelible impact on the lives of many for years to come."To men like that, time was a surfeit, a barrel they watched slowly drain. When really, he thinks, it's a glowing puddle you carry in your hands; you should spend all your energy protecting it. Fighting for it. Working so hard not to spill one single drop."This is an exquisite, wonderfully told story. The characters are tremendously vivid and came to life for me, and I found myself fully immersed in what was happening to them. Although the book unfolds slowly, I was never bored, and although I had some suspicions about how certain events would be resolved, I felt some suspense at what would happen. Doerr is truly so talented, and although the book's switching back forth between two points in time sometimes made me take a moment to re-orient myself to where I was in the plot, I enjoyed this book so, so much.If you don't need a book to move at breakneck speed, but you want a story to savor, pick up All the Light We Cannot See. This is one of those books I could see as a fantastic movie as well, but the book is so worth reading.

This is not my usual read, but I was curious after seeing it everywhere, and figured I can take a break from my YA and fantasy reads. It is a book filled with beautiful prose and imagery and poignant emotions. It’s a book that you have to take time to savor and enjoy and not rush through, and that’s exactly what I did.The book follows two children, Marie-Laure, a blind girl in France, and Werner, an orphan in Germany. Marie lives with her father in Paris in the 1930s before the war began and goes with her father to the National Museum where her father works as a locksmith. They had to leave Paris when the war began and went to Saint Malo, where her great-uncle lives. There is no parallel to the beauty of Doerr’s writing and how he brought the world alive for a blind girl. Marie’s story is heartbreaking and is a story of a child who had to grow up too early. It’s a similar story to other survivors who at the end of war never have closure, never find out what happened to her family or friends.Werner was an orphan in a mining town in Germany, along with his sister Jutta. Werner was a natural with radios and wavelengths. Some would say he was a genius, and that was how he escaped being sent to work in the mines. One official discovered his brilliance and sent him to military school. I don’t read a lot of WWII novels often, so it was depressing even see the German side of the story. Yes, they did horrible things, but from Werner’s side, you see the brainwashing of the German population, starting with young boys. Anyone that did not fit in with the ideology was eliminated or worse. Werner’s story is an example of that. He tried so hard to fit in and had to do some horrible things, and I think he could never forgive himself. I’m not saying all Germans deserve sympathy, but Werner was just as much a victim to the regime as the people of the conquered countries.The story jumped between two different timelines. It began with August 1944 then jumped all the way back to 1934 to trace the stories of these two kids. Each chapter is short and concise, and I think that’s also what made it easier for me to stop and put it down and to really take the time to enjoy it. There’re parts near the end that was very unsatisfactory, when Marie and Werner finally meet. I wish the author had done more there. I can see that the way Doerr presented it was realistic and in line with the overall tone of the story. Still, it broke my heart and left my wanting for more.Overall, I enjoyed it for a book that’s usually out of my genre and am glad I experienced it.

This book was truly incredible. I have to say that it's very well written, and I loved the characters. The characters are really complex, and you get to see all sides of them. You really feel for them, which is what a good book is all about, in my opinion.I didn’t like “All the Light We Cannot See” at first. It was very hard to follow. I downloaded the audiobook to this book, and that helped. The narrator gave all of the characters unique voices, and I had no problem following the story anymore.I became captivated by the story of the main characters, a blind French girl and the smart German boy. I was enthralled with the stories of Marie-Laure and Werner and how their lives intersected together. The book has beautiful language and descriptions, and the characters are well-developed. You can tell that the author spent some hours researching the events of Saint-Malo. And, even though it's long, the story's pacing really helps keep you reading (or listening) until the end. I think this book shows how deeply the author understands the human spirit. It's a beautiful story that takes you to places you've never been before, or maybe, to places you have been to but never really understood.“All the Light We Cannot See” is stunning and is a beautiful story that carries you to places you've never been. It is a novel full of amazingly strong characters, hero's and heroin's, old and young, that made up the resistance in France, and even some from Germany that only tried to survive.This is a must read (or listen to). I was completely immersed in the story, and I think you will be too.