From the Bookshelf of The Reading Challenge Group…

All the Light We Cannot See

Anthony Doerr

Start date: June 1, 2016

Finish date: June 30, 2016

Discussion: Group Read Archive 2014-16

Why we're reading this: World-Lit Group Read (Western Europe) - June 2016
[close] World-Lit Group Read (Western Europe) - June 2016

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Group Read Archive 2014-16

Genre Group Read (Humour) - December 2016 - You Are Not So Smart
By Allison , Quest Hound · 11 posts · 30 views

last updated Dec 28, 2016 04:05PM

Alternate Group Read (Classics) - December 2016 - Mansfield Park
By Allison , Quest Hound · 5 posts · 18 views

last updated Dec 04, 2016 09:34AM

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What Members Thought

Feb 16, 2017 Claire rated it liked it · review of another edition

Mixed feelings about the book. I liked the story, but found the book sometimes too long winded. It's written nicely and it is a nice read, but I have some difficulties to understand the hype about it.
The author thanks former authors at the end, among which Curzio Malaparte. I can only say the Malaparte's book is a monument compared to this ( in my opinion) ...more

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Mar 15, 2015 A B rated it it was ok

Shelves: entwives, pretentious-though-not-crap

I feel like I have literary whiplash after reading this book. The back-and-forth reading is frustrating, particularly since the chapters are so very short.

I would read chapters that consisted of only one or two pages, then switch to not only a new narrator, but a completely different country and time. The dates in the book take place over just a few years, so it doesn't seem like a big deal at first. However, it is essential to keep track of when an event is happening so that you can figure out how it relates to the one storyline that weaves the book together: a French teenager, who is also blind, and hiding in a closet.

Marie-Laure's chapters are quite poignant as her father tries to teach his newly blind daughter to fend for herself in a new city. I could picture white blonde Werner perfectly. Yet it was the book's antagonist, von Rumpel, who I found the most sympathetic. I felt more of a connection and took more interest in minor characters, such as Uncle Etienne and poor Harald.

Yet there's a lot of mess as well. Have you ever smelled a stone grotto near the sea? Well, I have. They smell terrible. I cringed at these sequences. Much of what the author seems to think should be inspiring comes across as rather nasty.

The writing is a bizarre mix of beautiful and boring, like watching the paint dry on The Birth of Venus. I had to reread the first third of the novel because I realized I'd completely glazed over. To add to the frustration, minute details are very important to the story. You really cannot skip anything. In fact, I would have quit reading except that this was for my book club March's meeting.

I appreciate that I went into the book not knowing too much about it, and I probably would have been further disappointed if I'd had any expectations. The presence of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea helped curb my disappointment. I'm glad I ignored the hype as this book is very overrated. So while I do not regret reading it, I would not recommend it unless you have time enough at last (and an extra set of glasses for you Twilight Zone fans). There are too many good books out there to read instead. ...more

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Feb 25, 2017 Pat rated it it was amazing

This is the best book I've read in some time. Is there a 6 star category? I loved the structure. Each short chapter is like a mini novel, beautifully written and constructed, that inexorably build to the thrilling final chapters. The switches in time are superbly handled. It is an excellent exploration of how major international events (in this case WW 2) effect ordinary people and how it brings out the best and worst in us all, no matter what side we are on. I closed the book for the final time ...more

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