All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr - 5* + ♥

[Elise]

Marie-Laure is a girl from Paris who loses her sight at the age of 6. Her father is keeper of the keys at the Natural History Museum in Paris, and when they flee in front of the oncoming Nazis in 1940 to Saint-Malo and an old uncle’s house, they are in possession of what may or may not be a real, huge, cursed diamond.
Werner Pfennig is a German orphan, and a self-taught genius with radios. He soon gets roped into working for the Nazis, and by the age of 16 is roaming Europe in search of illegal radio signals.

This book was... There are no words. I loved it.

I like that it was written as a succession of quick chapters, going through two or three different points of view. It wouldn’t have worked for any kind of story, but here I thought it was very appropriate. We didn’t need to spend days on end with a character to get a feeling for him. I also liked the time travel between the larger sections, how the ones in the past caught up to the ones in the present. Everything seemed so well woven together.

For some reason I thought Marie-Laure and Werner would come to know each other much earlier than they actually did. But I loved how it was dome, the connections they had even without knowing it, and the moment when they finally meet face to face. And of course, the epilogue(s), after the war, was (were) perfect.

[Karin]

Yes, yes, yes, this is a fabulous book!!!! I also gave it 5 stars with hearts. I listened to the brilliantly done audiobook.

[AsimovsZeroth]

Reading reviews in this group is going to be bad for my bookshelves. I may have to pick up a copy of this. Your enthusiastic review has convinced me.

Oh, for anyone else who is as lazy as I usually am, here is the link: All the Light We Cannot See

[Elise]

Oops sorry, I'd forgotten to tag the book! Fixed it!

[Karin]

LiteraryMania wrote: "Reading reviews in this group is going to be bad for my bookshelves. I may have to pick up a copy of this. Your enthusiastic review has convinced me.

Oh, for anyone else who is as lazy as I usual..."

I recommend the audio if you have one at your library or if you have audible credits, but the print book is bound to be excellent as well.

[Joi]

Read this as part of the PBT High notes- has a good chance of making my top 10 this year.

Also will second the audiobook of this :)

[AsimovsZeroth]

Karin wrote: "LiteraryMania wrote: "Reading reviews in this group is going to be bad for my bookshelves. I may have to pick up a copy of this. Your enthusiastic review has convinced me.

Oh, for anyone else who..."

Looks like my library does have the audio version! I just checked it out, along with waaaaaaay too many other books. :)

[Barbara M]

Karin wrote: "Yes, yes, yes, this is a fabulous book!!!! I also gave it 5 stars with hearts. I listened to the brilliantly done audiobook."

Ditto, the audio was terrific.

[Susie]

I loved it so much.

[Joni]

I loved this book.

[Ellen]

Wonderful book.

[Amy]

We all loved this unforgettable masterpiece!

[Ladyslott]

Loved this book. Another PBT Top Ten book for those trying to Hit The High Notes.

[Kelly]

A great book!