From the Bookshelf of Nothing But Reading Challenges…

All the Light We Cannot See

Anthony Doerr

Start date: March 19, 2015

Finish date: March 31, 2015

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What Members Thought

Mar 05, 2016 Anne OK rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016-reads

Doerr’s beautifully constructed and masterfully written novel, most prevalently set in Germany and France prior to and during World War II, is both deeply moving and intriguing. It keeps a reader enthralled and always questioning what is around the next corner. For the most part, the War takes second seat to a character-driven masterpiece of survival in the worst of situations and the reality of what truly matters most to us in life.

As the story unfolds, we meet an orphan boy named Werner. Wern ...more

14 likes · Like · see review

Sep 24, 2015 Karen D rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, family, wwii

The storyline alternates between primarily two perspectives (a blind French girl and a German orphan boy) and timeframes until everything all comes together as France is being liberated from Germany at the end of WWII.

The prose is beautiful, and really places you the moment. It was particularly interesting to read from Marie-Laure's perspective, since, being blind, the way she would describe scenes was a very unique take. I also really enjoyed the way it portrayed WWII. This was not good vs evi ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 07, 2014 Angie Taylor rated it it was amazing

I loved this book for so many reasons. But it was especially beautiful to me as I thought of my daughter's limited vision since she lost sight in one eye. The symbolism behind the title, made me think about all the light, that surrounds me each day, that I may not be seeing. I have read many WWll stories, and they are all horribly beautiful in their own way. But I especially appreciated seeing the war through the eyes of a German soldier, as he struggled to find his place in the horrific circums ...more

1 like · Like · see review