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All the Light We Cannot See

Anthony Doerr

Start date: November 1, 2016

Finish date: November 30, 2016

Discussion: Monthly Group Reads

Why we're reading this: Novembers topic/theme is disabilities/abilities.
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What Members Thought

Oct 21, 2013 Chris Blocker rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 10-star-reviews

Stories centered around the second World War have become trite. Yeah, I said it, and that probably makes me an insensitive jerk in some way. But really, the story of WWII has been so rehashed and watered down that it is a huge surprise when an author paints the story in a different light than we've come to expect. Maybe that's not entirely true. There are many great accounts of WWII with only small amounts of propaganda sprinkled in. But there are so many Hollywood-style stories where the German Stories centered around the second World War have become trite. Yeah, I said it, and that probably makes me an insensitive jerk in some way. But really, the story of WWII has been so rehashed and watered down that it is a huge surprise when an author paints the story in a different light than we've come to expect. Maybe that's not entirely true. There are many great accounts of WWII with only small amounts of propaganda sprinkled in. But there are so many Hollywood-style stories where the Germans are all heinous bastards and the allied forces are wonderfully perfect heroes who save the universe from the dark force in a style that rivals the best (or the worst, depending your perspective) epic space operas. Sprinkle in a Disney ending and you've got a bestseller.

Given my feelings toward WWII lit, it's not a surprise I had such polar sentiments when I learned of Doerr's latest novel. I really love Doerr's writing, but could he pull off such a novel without descending into the conventional western tale? Largely, I think he pulls it off. That's not to say that All the Light We Cannot See doesn't pull occasionally from the bag of Allied stock footage, but overall he makes the story real and original.

All the Light We Cannot See teeters a line of being over sentimental, but for me it never crossed that line. Maybe it did in the concluding chapters, but by that point I was a believer. Overall, Doerr was wise in deciding when to terminate a scene, when to let the reader feel without manipulation. Aside from the drama that may be too much for some readers, Doerr writes perfectly. The characters are distinct and memorable; I felt for them as though they were real and they'll stick with me for some time. The writing is lush and the scenery is painted so vividly that I feel as though I have visited these cities. The many different threads all come together in a way that is satisfying and logical. The story is told in such quick, alternating chapters that the novel never slogs despite its length. The pacing is near perfect and the story is riveting without becoming overly worked. And the use of objects—I love how masterfully Doerr utilizes objects throughout the story. If any writing instructor is looking for a novel to use for an objects-based lesson, I recommend this one. Oh, and the science broadcasts for children—did anyone else wish they could hear those broadcasts in their entirety? The voice was so perfect, the text so fascinating. If they do not already exist, someone needs to write scientific books for children told in that voice. (And if they do exist, someone let me know what they are.)

All the Light We Cannot See is going to be successful and I'm really happy for its author. 2014 has been a great year for literature (see also Mira Jacob's The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing , Cynthia Bond's Ruby , Karen Gettert Shoemaker's The Meaning of Names , as well as others I have yet to read), but Doerr's latest novel will likely be the most well-received and widely acknowledged of the year's literary choices. If you're one to read award winners and those “best of year” books, this one will be one to take note of now. ...more

29 likes · Like · see review

May 06, 2014 JanB rated it liked it

Shelves: book-club

3.5 stars
I'm conflicted because I would rate the first half as 2 stars and the last half 4. It had a very slow start and the random skipping forward and backward in time (for no discernible reason) was confusing. The short chapters, sentence fragments, overly descriptive flowery language, and an abundance of metaphors are a personal dislike of mine. If you like this style then you will enjoy the book. Obviously, based on ratings, many people do. I could easily have abandoned the book in the fir ...more

29 likes · Like · see review

Aug 08, 2014 Stacey rated it it was amazing

4.5 What a lovely novel and the writing was beautiful.

16 likes · Like · see review

Dec 17, 2013 Wendy rated it really liked it

Shelves: jul-14

I thoroughly enjoy historical fiction relating to World War II and "All The Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr is on my list of favorites.
This novel tells the story of Werner Pfennig, an orphan boy in pre-World War II Germany and Marie-Laure Leblanc, a blind girl living in Paris with her father. One is motivated by a deep love of science while the other is consumed by the enchantment of books. Each of their stories are very moving and even more so once they meet.
This is a long book but well w ...more

9 likes · Like · see review

Nov 04, 2014 Melissa Rochelle rated it really liked it

Shelves: library, historical-fiction, ebook, war, read-2015

While some may not like stories that jump back and forth between time/place/people, I do. And this isn't really that complicated, we meet Werner and Marie-Laure as the Allied forces begin bombing Saint-Malo. Both are in precarious positions, Werner in a basement of a hotel and Marie-Laure, who is blind, alone in her six-floor home. Then we jump back in time to pre-war days when both were young, Werner in an orphanage with his sister and Marie-Laure in Paris with her father. The story goes back a ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 10, 2015 Jim Townsend rated it really liked it

An excellent book about the human side of World War Two in Europe, in which the lives of two very different people and their families--one French, the other German--intersect.

2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 08, 2015 Kris rated it it was amazing

Shelves: five-star-books

"Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever."

The one word that best describes this book to me is beautiful. Anthony Doerr just puts together gorgeous prose. I wish there was a 4.5 star option. The only thing I didn't love was the ending - it felt so anticlimactic, and it moved from the characters I had connected with throughout the novel. The jumping through timelines worked really well, for the most part, and I loved that the main characters were flawed and human an ...more

1 like · Like · see review