All the Light We Cannot See- Starting June 24, 2021

[Jenny]

This thread is for the informal buddy read of
By Anthony Doerr

[Jenny]

Looking forward to finally reading this one!

[Rosina]

Yes me too....thanks for setting this up...

[Tammie]

I might chime in now and again…not time to reread, but will cheer you on.

[Yasmine]

Hii I'd love to join! How "relaxed" are you planning on reading this? :)

[Jenny]

We can read it at whatever pace we want to, and discuss as much or as little as we want to.
I tend to put plot points or surprises under spoiler tags. If you don't know how to add a (view spoiler)[ spoiler tag (hide spoiler)], click on the (some html is ok) link on top of the comment box, and it shows you how.

[Rosina]

Will be starting today....

I plan on reading a few chapters a day....of course once the story grabs me I will zoom through the book

[Jenny]

I will be starting it tonight I hope. I forgot to bring it with me to work.

[Jenny]

I am a couple of chapters in, and so far I am loving the dad and his model of the city. What a cool idea!

Historical fiction is not usually my go to, so I am trying to get in the right mindset for this one. Although, two books I absolutely love have little girls and WW2- The Book Thief and Anna and the Swallow Man.

I have a feeling that this is going to break my heart.

[Rosina]

So far 20 pages in....Will be reading more tonight...

I think the model of the city is so neat and what a great way to have the little included in Saint Malo and to learn about it....

Couple of things that stood out for me was the Hotel of Bees and also the anti air gun 88 and it could travel 9 miles with a 21lb missile/bomb...

My mom was a teenager in the London blitz and she would tell stories about having to go underground to a bomb shelter and what the devastation was like when she went up to the surface....how the bombs would hit a street and there would only be one home or business left standing....

I agree with you Jenny think there will be some tears shed on this one....

I love HF and one book that was so good ....of course it was about the London Blitz but the story was well done and there was a mystery element as well....

[Jenny]

I can't even imagine what living in a war zone is like. I am totally fine never finding out.

The Hotel sounds amazing, I agree. Doerr is very good at setting up the visuals.
I listened to a bit of this today at work, but I kept having to go back and re-listen due to interruptions. Seriously, it's Friday, so why can't customers just leave me alone to do my work and read at the same time? The nerve of some people.

[Jenny]

How are you doing with this? I am about halfway through, and I am in love with the two main characters. And Papa, and Etienne, and Madame Manec, and Freddie.
(view spoiler)[If papa doesn't come back, I am going to be sad and angry (hide spoiler)]

I also really like the fact that there is a lot that is just assumed that we know about the horrors of the third reich. There are horrible things happening, but it is the small human stories that mean more to the author than peppering the reader with gratuitous violence.
I may be reading too much into that, but I don't want this story to go to the camps or anything.

I have questions that I hope are resolved. It did take me a minute to pay attention to the dates at the beginning of sections, so when I was listening instead of reading I got a bit confused. Now I know what to look for, and the rest of the book should be better for my brain.

I also love the grotto.

[Rosina]

Well you are farther ahead than me....Ive been trying to wrap up other deadlines....I am hoping to make a dent in it this weekend....I have a 4 day weekend.....

I do love his writing....easy to see why he won a pulitzer....I am looking forward to reading his next book....

[Jenny]

I will likely finish today or tomorrow. I am trying to drag it out, but I am caught now.

[Tammie]

I really need to do a reread on this book.
This is one of my favs of all time. Glad you both are enjoying it.

[Rosina]

So I finished Part One. i am in love with the writing. Its like each section is its own story that could stand on its own. Unlike other historical fiction this does not feel heavy. I find I alternate between the paperback and the kindle. On the kindle I love that I can look up words but then that leads me down a rabbit hole.

I am so struck with Marie-Laure and her ability to cope with her blindness. She can adapt but the part when they were on the way to the train station and she had sensory overload from the smells and sounds I could see that being such a scary time for her. Part of her norm taken away.

Werner what a great little boy, he really is a genius with his ability to fix the radio. I wonder what is in store for him and his sister.
Surprised he didnt get sick from eating so much cake and then to go home and have a boiled potato really shows the difference between the have and have nots.

Looking forward to the rest of the story.

[Jenny]

I agree the writing is beautiful. I do love the fact that we get to meet these characters as people with just the backdrop of the history we know is coming, but the history is not the important part. Not sure that sentence made sense.

I went between book and audio on this one.
Marie-Laure is brilliant at adapting to her blindness. I can't imagine being without my sight, but if it happened, I would hope for someone like her father to take me through it.