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

showing 10 of 30 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Aug 11, 2017 Ivy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: checked-out-from-library, published-in-2014

This book was chosen for me by Rebekah for the A Million More Pages POFM - August 2017.

5 stars

Nice to see how Marie-Laure and Werner came to meet each other. RIP Werner. Glad Marie-Laure was able to have a good life.

6 likes · Like · see review

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

3 likes · Like · see review

Dec 22, 2015 Katie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2016-reading-challenge

I absolutely loved this book! I was hesitant to read it because so many books are set in WWII and I was getting a little tired of this setting. I recommend this one and The Nightingale because both are different from what you'd expect. Both are set during the war, however the focus is on the characters and their relationships.

I loved the relationships between Marie-Laure and her father, and later the relationship she has with her uncle. One of my favorite parts of the book was something the unc ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

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

1 like · Like · see review

Nov 13, 2015 Lara added it · review of another edition

Enthralling novel

This wartime novel really transports you to Brittany. A beautiful story of trauma and loss. We still have so much to learn about how humans adapt to crises, and I think this book creates so much room for conversation.

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