May 2022 Standalone BOTM - All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr

[Alaina]

Marie-Laure lives in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where her father works. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.

In a mining town in Germany, Werner Pfennig, an orphan, grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find that brings them news and stories from places they have never seen or imagined. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments and is enlisted to use his talent to track down the resistance. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another.

From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, the stunningly beautiful instant New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.

An alternate cover for this ISBN can be found here

**This BOTM thread will be open until June 5th @ Midnight (in your time zone)**

[Haley]

Anyone planning on reading this one soon?

[Haley]

started the audiobook today while doing laundry! 12% (view spoiler)[ so far I'm finding it easy to follow along. I enjoyed the story of the gem and how if one is to have it they are granted eternal life, but everyone around the individual will die. I'm happy the father is teaching his daughter how to get around places since going blind. (hide spoiler)]

[Andy]

Haley wrote: "Anyone planning on reading this one soon?"

I was planning it for a bit later in the Month!

[Haley]

perfect! I'm listening to the audiobook, but will be taking my time with this one especially since it's longer.

[Andy]

I'm at page 46 now. Will take this slow.
I'm grateful for the short chapters, they make it much easier to read.
I don't love all the listing of things though... I think the author is trying to paint a detailed picture, but it doesn't work all that well for me, I'll see how it continues!

(view spoiler)[I like that they don't give the girl the immediate superpower of knowing where to go while blind. It is so much better to see her failing, trying again and then learning. (hide spoiler)]

[Andy]

Page 102 (yes, I'm failing at taking this slow, I need to escape in a book, ok? :) Even if I already feel like it's gonna make me cry. )

(view spoiler)[Do you also find it strange that in the chapter where they leave Paris and walk outside Versailles things are described from a more generalistic point of view and not Marie-Laure's? Because it's painting pictures with words now, and I keep thinking "Well, ok, but she cannot see that!" So... Are we not from her point of view there? Did I miss something? (hide spoiler)]

[Haley]

Andy wrote: "Page 102 (yes, I'm failing at taking this slow, I need to escape in a book, ok? :) Even if I already feel like it's gonna make me cry. )

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ I get where the author is coming from trying to add all the detail, but with the audiobook I find myself getting a little lost. I did find that scene weird... I wasn't sure if that's how Marie-Laure is visioning it in her head, but I don't believe so... (hide spoiler)]

I'm finding I have the listen to the audiobook slowly or else I'm lost on what it being described

[Andy]

I know what you mean. At least with the physical book I always know where and when we are, it must be difficult to follow in audio! I find the language a bit complex to be honest: English is not my first language, but I use it fluently, and yet some scenes just get over my head (not to talk about the specific terminology about radios...)

[Haley]

a little bit difficult to follow, especially with the dates and how long the chapters are in the audiobook version. Starting to get the hang of it though and the part describing the terminology of radio had me lost for quite a little. I might download the kindle just to follow along while listening.

[Andy]

Page 167:

(view spoiler)[The story about uncle Etienne and his brother was very sweet. I also like how all things are already becoming interconnected, with the story about the gemstone and the radio thing (though I still do not love talk about transistors and stuff...

No idea how you are going to listen to the maths equations in audio? (hide spoiler)]

[Andy]

Page 363: I'm feeling the slog...

(view spoiler)[It was interesting that the first to die in this book died of old age. At the moment the book is quite boring though - I don't think the author pictures the dread of war all that vividly, and it is now just a stream of overlong descriptions... I'm a bit bored. (hide spoiler)]

[Haley]

Andy wrote: "Page 167:..."

I downloaded the kindle book to make it easier during those parts haha. had to take a little break because of school though. going to read a little during my commute today!

[Andy]

page 436: the pace has picked up again, so I think I might finish this over the weekend. I'll keep an eye out and try to participate to the conversation as you read along though!

Overall I do like this, but I think The Nightingale did a better job in getting the atmosphere right and immersing you in the dread of war. This one reads at times more like a generic war book (which is not my preference). But I am attached to the characters, which is good.

(view spoiler)[I'm very glad that Werner is not incriminating Marie-Laure and her great-uncle. I also do feel for Etienne, he's really trying his best, I hope we get to find out what happens to him. I've sort of given up on the father, though it would be nice if he wasn't dead. (hide spoiler)]

[Haley]

I’ll see if I can catch up to you today! I have a 3 hour drive & I haven’t read The Nightingale but I loved her other book The Four Winds. I find myself getting attached to her characters every time.

[Andy]

Finished!

(view spoiler)[The ending dragged for no discernible reason, and I'm very sad that Werner died like that! :( (hide spoiler)]

It wasn't a bad book at all, but it wasn't my favourite ever... I feel like the author wanted you to know how clever he was by using rare words, long sentences, a split timeline that was not necessary and a lot of science musings...

[Haley]

I had to put this down because I found the audiobook difficult to follow along, will pick up again another day but with a physical copy at my library :)

[Andy]

Haley wrote: "I had to put this down because I found the audiobook difficult to follow along, will pick up again another day but with a physical copy at my library :)"

:) it wasn't bad! If you liked the begininning I 'd say it's worth to try again!

[Haley]

I was really enjoying the beginning!! But my audiobook didn't separate each chapter so I had to figure out which POV it was on quite a bit.

[Carrie]

I read a little over have this book but could not get into it at all. I am going to send this to my older sister to keep and hopefully, she will like it.

[Andy]

That does sound unhelpful Haley! The written version will definitely be easier! It must also distinguish the timelines more clearly I'd imagine!

[Alaina]

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