All the Light We Cannot See
discussion
Did anyone else have difficulty connecting with this book.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book as I read, often putting it down to gasp at its virtuoso storytelling. So I was surprised to discover how little it meant to me after I'd finished. Closing the book was like walking out of a spell-binding performance in a circus tent. I was amazed and sometimes stunned, and that's more than enough for a book to do, but my greedy mind is always looking for more. Where do we come from? Who are we? Where are we going? This book ultimately does not have much to say about these questions.
Good point, Teresa. A great book, to me, is one that your mind returns to even years after you read it because it addressed the eternal questions.
I agree - that's a good point, Teresa. It was, for most of its length, an extraordinarily well-written book. But somehow it didn't move me much, either.I did love the two main characters, though, and also Jutta and the orphanage matron. I'm certainly not sorry I read it.
(But was anyone besides me bothered by the obligatory rape scene?)
Mary wrote: "I agree - that's a good point, Teresa. It was, for most of its length, an extraordinarily well-written book. But somehow it didn't move me much, either.I did love the two main characters, though,..."
I thought the rape scene was very subtly written, leaving it mostly to your imagination. Obviously a rape scene no matter how graphic or how vaguely portrayed is awkward to read but I thought the author dealt with the issue with sensitivity (as it was an act the soldiers committed on women during the War). IMO I felt it could have been handled much worse.
That's probably true. What struck me as forced was the author moving the orphans to Berlin, of all places. A massive number of rapes did take place in Berlin. But why would it have been considered a safe place toward the end of the war? Why not move the orphanage to some country town, if it was moved at all? That's what I thought was forced, and it annoyed me.
I would appreciate it if you could put my comment from yesterday back up. Kind of insulting to get this notice the next day and discover I've been disappeared. You need to do better, Goodreads.
Mary wrote: "That's probably true. What struck me as forced was the author moving the orphans to Berlin, of all places. A massive number of rapes did take place in Berlin. But why would it have been considered ..."Maybe a misread or misunderstood this part. I thought the rape scene occurred between some girls that were hiding in a house from the Russian soldiers (who were now fighting against the Germans), and were discovered by them. The girls were advised by the woman who was with them, to do as the Russians say and not put up a fight. I didn't realise they were orphans.
My memories a bit hazy on this part as I don't recall the incident happening to any of the central characters so it didn't really impact hugely on the story.
No, it didn't happen to any of the central characters, and it had no impact on the main story. So it could be seen as unnecessary. One of the girls who was attacked was Jutta, the male MC's sister. A lot of women and girls, some as young as 11 or 12, actually were raped by the Russians. But I thought the author set this scene up to ensure that it happened to the MC's sister, and I didn't like that.Berlin was heavily bombed at the end of the war. It seemed highly improbable that an orphanage would be evacuated to Berlin.
So, altogether, I found this scene somewhat offensive.
I am still reading and have been for weeks. I usually have read three or four books by this point in the summer. I just can't get into it, and I just don't see the hype. I am an avid reader, and I just can't seem to find the attraction. I will probably finish it, but I was really hoping that it would be a book that I couldn't put down... not so much.
I agree, I found it to be a book I couldn't pick up.
I didn't find it as earthshattering as I was expecting, but it was a decent read. I read up a storm in the summer months, and for me it was just one of the crowd, not overly memorable.
I was surprised by the negative reviews of this book. I found it to be profound, accurate, and teaching. I thought that the author did an outstanding job of weaving together a story of morals and growth while supplying the back story of the diamond. Although I don't feel that the diamond part of the story added a ton as a whole, I found the message of hopes, dreams, and morals to be fascinating. I too felt like the book was a journey but at the end I couldn't stop thinking about the hard life lessons and the fact that life is never to be taken for granted. it is always a journey where you have that decision between right and wrong and I think Doerr created a story that told that memorably.
I couldn't put this book down and read it through the night. I really connected with it and found it to be so different from other books and much more realistic. I didn't particularly enjoy the ending though. The book was so beautifully written and so profoundly honest, and I am surprised so many people didn't like it!
Susan, just told me about this thread! I am one of the dissenters and when I wrote my review and was one of the first to voice an opposing opinion, boyu did I get clobbered.
This book has conflicting timelines and difficult to comprehend if you're not reading it in one go.
Enjoyed the majority of the book (excellent prose) but the ending fell flat. The stories of Werner and Marie-Laure were obviously going to intersect, but it was very unsatisfying. Although a reunion in some fashion between Marie-Laure and her father seems to be set up, he never returns and she never hears from him again. The gem seemed like a plot device to foreshadow the death of everyone around Marie-Laure and give the one-note Von Rumpel a reason to put Marie-Laure in peril (but seriously, a magic gem?). Werner was obviously conflicted about what the Nazi's were doing but his ultimate reaction of running onto a landmine was anticlimactic. The way Marie-Laure's life played out in the epilogue was a letdown (as was Jutta's), and it seemed unnecessary.
One thing that bugged me about this book: the author didn't know when to wrap it up. I didn't need to know what happened in the 1970s, and I didn't need to know what happened in the 2010s.
Alexandra wrote: "I had a problem with this book because of the inaccuracies. The fact-finder did a lousy job. I became unable to trust the author and stopped reading half-way through."I am interested in specifically what you found to be inaccurate. I lived in Germany and worked with Germans, French, and Danish individuals. They were very reluctant to discuss the war and their own involvement but they all told stories about "someone they knew or heard of". Also this is a fictional account of a very horrible period in history, I thought the author did a great job contrasting the conflicting emotions and actions of the characters.
Christy wrote: "Susan wrote: "This book has great ratings, but I could never get involved with it. And it went on for soooo long. Did anyone else have a negative reaction to this?"
Most modern readers find it difficult to follow a book that is literary in nature and more than a 250 pages. This book won the Pulitzer Prize for 2015.
I really had high hopes for t..."
"Most modern readers find it difficult to follow a book that is literary in nature and more than ... 250 pages.". Just a quick reminder that you are opining on a site designed for people who love reading. Your sentence comes off as condescending and inappropriate which undermines the value of whatever else you had wanted to say.
I did not mean it as condescending. There are wonderful books that are not more than 200-300 pages. If that is the length that you are used to then a longer book can seem to go on forever. I read a lot of non-fiction books that are 800 and more pages and trust me at times it seems as if I will never finish them. On the other hand I enjoyed reading this book so the pages flew by. I attend a writing critique group and one of the things we are cautioned about is that books that are more lengthy are often difficult to sell, and many publishers seek to chop down the pages. The result of this is that there are less novels on the shelf over 100,000 words for today's reader to get there teeth into. 100,000 words is plus or minus 280 pages, depending on font and size. When I state that today's reader finds longer, literary books too long it is a statement of our times not a personal attack. I am sometimes too blunt and come off harsher than I intend. I apologize and will choose my words more carefully next time.
I'm sorry that I was not clear. When I said this book went on for so long, I meant that the story was dragged out and went on long after my interest had flagged. I often read books that are 500-1000 pages long and sometimes reach the end thinking, "It's over all ready??" I understand what you're saying, though, about the shortening of today's readers attention plan, and I agree. When watching cat videos on Facebook, I often think, "Do they actually expect me to watch this for a whole minute and fifteen seconds? It could have been done in 45 seconds."
Susan wrote: "I'm sorry that I was not clear. When I said this book went on for so long, I meant that the story was dragged out and went on long after my interest had flagged. I often read books that are 500-1..."Yes. I get that also. Some people did not like the ending as it was sort of an epilogue. I lived in Germany during the 1970's and worked with individuals that survived the war on both sides. There was a sort of conspiracy of silence, and if someone did discuss it was always about someone else. They rarely involved themselves in the events or they glossed over their participation. I think this is not unusual, after all to live constantly in the horrors of the past is to give up all hope of any normality in the present. I also think that few of us understand the tremendous sense of collective guilt and distancing from the atrocities that the Germans experienced, things that they very much did not want to pass on to their children.
Connie, I very much appreciate your note and your perspective. And I agree about the approach publishers are using to sell their product. I get very frustrated at times that writers are pressured to keep chapters short because of some "study" saying people will read more if chapters are truncated. And my general reaction is that these "mini-chapters" diminish the reading experience. Sometimes I want to go on an extended rant about this and other such developments that I believe damage our critical thinking and language skills. Thanks again for your thoughtful and quick response.
Lillian wrote: "It's a brilliant story. The characters weren't super well-sketched, but I could relate to them. I agree that the ending is mediocre, especially after the stunning climax. It was a superb story till..."Life is often that way, yes? "Is that all there is?" ends many stories...
Lolo wrote: "I thought it was a very slow moving read, but got better the last 200 pages and I couldn't wait to find out how it ended. not sure I would recommend it to anyone."how revolting the cancer ridden Nazi was, eh? lurking, looking for the jewel... he was despicable
Michael wrote: "Yes I felt that this book was overrated and boring."How interesting, I found it riveting to think of being kept in the house for safety; how her father created the streets for her in miniature to find her way. The connection between the old uncle and the orphan...how I hated Frederick's mother, sacrificing her son to save her position in the community.
Susan wrote: "This book has great ratings, but I could never get involved with it. And it went on for soooo long. Did anyone else have a negative reaction to this?"Yes! I can't get past the first 20 pages or so.
It is amazing the difference of opinions of this book.
Check out my review. I gave it 2 stars.
Frank wrote: "Check out my review. I gave it 2 stars."I agree with your review, and I also am amazed that it won the Pulitzer Prize.
The use of language is beautiful but otherwise I find it unreadable and the story uninteresting.
The prose was so awesome that I read the hell out of this book. :D
The extreme polarity, with seemingly little middle ground, of opinion regarding All the Light We Cannot See is astounding to me!After ruminating on this topic for some time, these elements might be at the root of some readers dislike or disinterest in the book.
1. The necessary conflict of a story is not contained in the usual place in this story. It is the larger conflict of the war and the characters are players in a larger story. There's unrequited love, greed, tragedy of several types, and physical survival at play, yet unusually these are used as almost only illustrations to tell a larger story.
2. The Pacing of this book can be instantly described by listening to 'Clair de Lune'. If that work by Debussy isn't inscribed in your mind/inner ear, chances are greater that you are racing ahead and missing subtle elements in the story.
3. Elsewhere on that note or page of music if you prefer, the themes of that work balanced with the book's title are riffs on the poem that Claude Debussy inscribed in music. Nostalgia and sentimentality are the topics of the day. What once was, even if a moment ago, and an inherent gentleness in dealing with a brutal topic of a story are where the threads of this story line live.
4. As a story of war, there are no guaranteed survivors. Of those who survived a more careful examination of Frank Volkheimer is vital. From an earlier post on a topic of "Who is your favorite character I've included a copy of what I wrote there regarding Volkheimer. That is at the end of this post.
5. The author explores character types not frequently seen in most writing. There are some that have enough similarity to familiar types to work as glue for the rest. Even these have a special quirk or two. The way these elements are revealed is not always through direct narrative, but via reactions in the story. Subtle clues litter the work.
There are some style issues. The number of chapters and the internal chronology of the work remind me of the modern way screenplay treatments are first written. I have been seeing more and more of this in the past decade. I'm not a huge fan, but in this case the author does something with it that is very subtle. He uses that setting of scenes to enhance the imagery that he is drawing in the readers mind. It is the overall construction combined with the prose that makes this book work well. This may be the reason that pushed this one over the top into the realm of award winning work.
This story is of the victims and survivors that define the horror of war. That any of them can find peace and value and how their final chapter in this story is told in the denouement makes this a most unusual and worthy tale of war.
from March 03, 2015 posting:
Volkheimer intrigues me. He is a character that we meet early in the book and is there close to the end. He's essentially an amoral individual, but a survivor. And in that he, too, is a victim.
His recognition of "what you could be" about Werner could be a tag line for the whole story. Or in other words, if not for the horror of war that we all are sucked into, there are no limits on Werners potential. Frank Volkheimer is probably a 'failed' Werner. He is at the special school and the professor who takes Werner in as a special project for the radio location service uses Volkheimer as an assistant and bodyguard for Werner. Thus he knows he, Volkheimer is more than just a gigantic brute. The reaction to music alone along with his other statements and continued protection of Werener adds to his complexity.
Violent and dangerous, yes. But thinking and with innate gentleness that we see at the end of the story while making paper airplanes with Werner's nephew. His self imposed separation from society by interacting minimumlly with people as a TV repairman is full of meaning. He is still helping people, he is using a fair amount of intellectual capability daily, but he does it alone. Then when the opportunity to address a portion of his past occurs, he takes the opportunity to personally visit Werner's remaining family. By doing so his action allow the the story arc to be completed.
Volkheimer. Not somebody I want to hang out with, but an unusual character in this genre of literature both in importance and inclusion.
Ooooo, well done, CD!
April wrote: "Ooooo, well done, CD!"Thank you April!
Susan wrote: "Michael wrote: "The book was a huge disappointment. I stuck with it until the end as I wanted to badly enjoy what should have been a compelling interesting story. I'm at lost as to why the book wa..."Yes. I felt like something was wrong with me for not "getting it."
Excellent commentary CD.
I agree with your comments Linda, Michael
Susan wrote: "This book has great ratings, but I could never get involved with it. And it went on for soooo long. Did anyone else have a negative reaction to this?"I totally agree. Only read it for a book club, and I would never have recommended it. I'm just trying to stay neutral since so many enjoyed it.
CD wrote: "The extreme polarity, with seemingly little middle ground, of opinion regarding All the Light We Cannot See is astounding to me!After ruminating on this topic for some time, these elements might ..."
CD, this is an excellent examination of the book, but one that most people are not likely to make. I have given extensive thought to certain books that have resonated with me, only to have others look at me and say, "Huh?"
Most people would not dig so deep, and since most people read on the surface, I am surprised so many people really liked it.
Susan wrote: "This book has great ratings, but I could never get involved with it. And it went on for soooo long. Did anyone else have a negative reaction to this?"Susan, I just didn't like the gimmick of stretching out a 200 or so page book to over 500 pages. The author may have created a very nice novella, but the publisher wanted prizes. I felt insulted.
Susan wrote: "CD wrote: "The extreme polarity, with seemingly little middle ground, of opinion regarding All the Light We Cannot See is astounding to me!After ruminating on this topic for some time, these ele..."
Thanks Susan for the comment about my examination of the book. I am glad to see an original poster who continues to follow and interact with comments and certainly after almost a year from the start of the discussion.
People do interact with the stories they read and nothing I wrote takes deep digging. Most of the books that I find worth reading are not just quickie surface reads. For me part of what makes a story worth investing time in is how well it works on several levels.
Perhaps I should have added somewhere that many negative comments, if not specifically in this discussion, appear to based partially on a pre-judgement of the book. That is why I mentioned several of the items I did about how this story is told is different than a normal 'war time romance' or whatever. Some comments give me cause to say that several readers were not even sure what story was being told.
None of this means that this, or any for that matter, book is for everyone. This is a cleverly written, if at times arduous, story.
Sorry you don't like it.
Susan wrote: "CD wrote: "The extreme polarity, with seemingly little middle ground, of opinion regarding All the Light We Cannot See is astounding to me!After ruminating on this topic for some time, these ele..."
Many may be insulted to think that the Pulitzer committee could be so easily swayed by the technique you suggest of ginning up the book to more pages to make it prize worthy.
This from a group who has in recent times has not even awarded a prize some years for Literature-Fiction.
The gimmick you seem to suggest is part of how the pacing of the work and its style is used to convey the real story. This isn't just an extra hundred words every ten pages or a doubling of the work. There are several sections that have 'extras' but I hope I sufficiently addressed in my earlier post why this might be used with reference to the root material. Clair de Lune is a sleepy contemplative work. The poetic root is equally deliberate and emotive.
For you too, like Susan, I am sorry you did not care for this story and the way it was told.
CD wrote: "Susan wrote: "CD wrote: "The extreme polarity, with seemingly little middle ground, of opinion regarding All the Light We Cannot See is astounding to me!After ruminating on this topic for some t..."
CD, very interesting point. With music, it's absolutely true that the space between the notes, the nothingness, is as important as the notes themselves. That's what constitutes a melody, a song, a symphony. I'm with you all the way, so far. When we listen to a song, a symphony, most of us listen to the whole thing if we like a song. If I love a song (let's pick a pop song, like Daft Punk's Get Lucky) I listen to it all at once. When someone writes a song, there is a specific reason for leaving space between the notes. So are you saying that with Doerr's short chapters, the reader is supposed to stop and ruminate over the two half-pages, for example? Don't get me wrong, I think this is a great discussion. And it is the construction of this book that I didn't like. There may have indeed been a great story.
I am currently reading Proust's "Swann's Way." There are many beautiful, dense passages that I find I read several times. There is just so much to think about, so many moods and ideas that Proust communicates. I've been reading "Swann" for a week now, and I'm only 74 pages in. There are pages and pages with no indentation for paragraphs, massively long sentences with no punctuation, etc. I, the reader, decide what I want to read, to re-read, when to stop, etc. Doerr, with these many short chapters, seems to be communicating to me: "Stop now and think." Doerr seems to be directing my own reading experience. I get that in certain mediums, such as music or film. But here, for me, it didn't work. Again, I think this is a great discussion and perhaps someone will change my mind about Doerr's book.
I didn't enjoy reading this book. I found it an over inflated story about a diamond. The author had a very clinical, detached way of describing the events that did not at all connect with me. It all just seemed much too contrived and forced.
I read somewhere, some famous author was quoted, that what an author leaves out is as important as what an author includes. I agree an author of fiction creates an entire world but doesn't tell us everything about that entire world. (I argue that, likewise, non-fiction can't possibly tell us everything about any given world either.) But here we are, having a great discussion about a book, and that's what matters, that's the point of goodreads.
Christy wrote: "Greg wrote: "CD wrote: "Susan wrote: "CD wrote: "The extreme polarity, with seemingly little middle ground, of opinion regarding All the Light We Cannot See is astounding to me!After ruminating..."
Christy, interesting point! After all, the heroine is blind, she has a very limited "vision", is Doerr telling us that he is intentionally not telling us important parts of the story?
T wrote: "I didn't enjoy reading this book. I found it an over inflated story about a diamond. The author had a very clinical, detached way of describing the events that did not at all connect with me. It al..."T, yes, "contrived" is a good word for this "constructed" book. But I've changed my mind about books with the passage of time, so who knows? I'm here to read various points of view, maybe I'll change my rating. (After all, we aren't paid professionals, just plain ol' readers, at least most of us.)
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The part about her hiding out in her house and the resolution of it all was really tied up well together.