All the Light We Cannot See in Read Runners

Jun 29, 2017 Kawther rated it liked it

Shelves: good-but-boring

This is without a doubt a beautifully constructed story

It Just wasn't for me , finishing it was a physical and mental task because It was very slow paced and some pages were downright dull . and the changing of the time periods was so confusing most of the time.

Honestly , everything in this story is fascinating and beautiful , I just couldn't get over the slooow pacing .

So dear book , It's not you , It's me ... ...more

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Sep 21, 2014 David rated it it was ok

It has been so long since I read an entire book in one sitting.

When I first started All the Light We Cannot See, I held the initial opinion that it was another one of those overrated pretentious novels. I was so wrong. Not only did I read the entire 530 page book in one sitting, I enjoyed every moment of it. The tale was so gripping, and is certainly a step away from what I have come to expect with modern releases.

The characters and setting were exceptionally strong. The novel had a large host, It has been so long since I read an entire book in one sitting.

When I first started All the Light We Cannot See, I held the initial opinion that it was another one of those overrated pretentious novels. I was so wrong. Not only did I read the entire 530 page book in one sitting, I enjoyed every moment of it. The tale was so gripping, and is certainly a step away from what I have come to expect with modern releases.

The characters and setting were exceptionally strong. The novel had a large host, each with foreign names, but never did they fall out of my memory (although this may have to do more with the fact I didn’t stop). Each one had a distinct quality, and the two main characters were quite well fleshed out. My only bone to pick is that while each of the characters were different enough to differentiate between them, I would have enjoyed a greater variety, particularly when it came to the backstory of the two main protagonists. The first protagonist, Marie-Laure is blind, and lost her sight at the age of 6. Her father builds her a model of their neighborhood, and later of an entire city, for her to learn so that she can still learn the roads and paths of the city. This irrevocably brought the setting into the story, which was certainly a good choice, as the setting is quite the interesting one. Although it may sound cliché, the majority of the book is set during World War II in France and Germany, Doerr had a very interesting take on it, and seeing the city from the “eyes” of Marie-Laure was extremely refreshing. The other main character, Werner, is a German orphan who is exhibits a very special talent, and ends up going to a school for it. Although on the surface the two may sound completely different, the essential “what actually happened” is the same – they are both displaced from their home and sent somewhere, and was usually not their choice. Although from here their stories did diverge, I wish there had been more interaction between the two of them – though this is more of an issue with the plot than in the characters or the setting.

The writing was quite fantastic, although nothing that blew my mind away. It reminded me at time like Anderson’s writing in Wintergirls, though not with all the heavy metaphors. It is extremely smooth, and is almost a perfect fit for the story. Almost. What I mean is that something about it bugged me – especially towards the beginning. I still have not figured out what bothered me, but I just know that something did bother me – so when you first start this book and if you also feel bothered, just keep going; the wrinkles get ironed out rather quickly. That being said, there was an issue that was quite prevalent through the entire book – the writing did not change. While that is normally a good thing as it conveys consistency in the writer, in this case, I would have definitely liked more variety, particularly when it came to telling the story of the two main characters. Unfortunately, it was extremely difficult of me to tell whose story we were following at the time if I didn’t know the order or if I didn’t see that character’s name. Of course, this aspect did not really interfere with the enjoyment – in fact, it might have even aided it because it kept the whole novel very smooth and uninterrupted.

All the Light We Cannot See is a fantastic historical novel, and I urge you to see as soon as possible – if it is within 2014, then that would be even better! It is a poignant read, with equal parts action, suspense, tragedy, regret, and hope. Doerr weaves the story of the two protagonists seamlessly, and the plot is very tight, with only a few holes. I highly recommend this to anyone, and I personally will look for more Anthony Doerr books!

Overall: C+ (71.2/100) OR 3.56/5 Stars

Character/Setting (30%): 3.6

Writing (35%): 3.4

Plot (25%): 3.6

Enjoyment (10%): 3.9 ...more

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