Barnes & NobleAll the Light We Cannot See (Pulitzer Prize Winner) by Anthony Doerr

A deserving prize-winner

All The Light We Cannot See is the Pulitzer prize-winning second novel by Anthony Doerr. The audio version is narrated by Julie Teal. In 1934, six-year-old Marie-Laure LeBlanc is going blind, and her widowed father, Daniel, principal locksmith at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris, spends his spare time crafting intricate models of their part of the city so that she will be able to find her way when her sight is gone. She spends her days interrogating the scientists, technicians and warders at the museum about their expert subjects, or reading and rereading the Braille novels her father gives her on her birthdays. Also at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, hidden behind many locked doors, is the Sea of Flames, a pear-cut diamond that, according to legend, is cursed, preventing the person who has it from dying, while bringing bad luck and even peril to those around them. When the war begins, the director of the museum understands just how coveted it might be, and takes action. He’s not wrong: it’s on Adolf Hitler’s wishlist. In a home for the orphans of coal miners in Zollverein, Germany, seven-year-old Werner Pfennig and his younger sister Jutta are under the care of French House directress, Frau Elena. Werner is small, with a shock of white hair, resourceful, a talented scavenger, and ever curious, always, always reading, and when they find a discarded radio, he is able to make it work, even improve its function. Educational programs from who-knows-where have Jutta’s fervent attention while the other children love the music. But while Werner is absorbed in his textbook, Jutta hears news from foreign countries, and is dismayed and disturbed by what she hears her country is doing (bombing Paris!) All the boys in the home are destined for the mine where his father died; it’s Werner’s reputation for radio repair, and his aptitude for mathematics that puts him on a different course. At General Heissmeyer’s famous school, he joins other German boys of the right appearance, some smart, some the offspring of influential people. It’s not a kind place but Werner’s genius puts him under Dr Hauptmann’s protection. With the threat of occupation by German forces, the Museum director sends Daniel LeBlanc away: he and Marie-Laure end up in the Saint Malo home of his uncle, Maire-Laure’s seventy-six per cent crazy Great Uncle Etienne. How the boy, the blind girl, and the diamond end up in Saint Malo on August 8th, 1944 as the Americans bomb the city and a Nazi gemmologist searches for the elusive stone, is the story Doerr tells, over two time-lines, via multiple narratives (even the city gets a turn or two), and letters between family members. With gorgeous descriptive prose, Doerr easily evokes his setting and era even as he describes the subtleties of the German propaganda machine, the instances, both large and small, of indoctrination, the mindset that led to collaboration with the enemy, the cruelty of those in power and the atrocities they commit or condone; but also the tiny acts of resistance that will have the reader cheering on the Malouins. Like Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, it tells the story of ordinary people faced with extraordinary circumstances, and Doerr gives the reader characters who repay emotional investment. Marie-Laure’s descriptions come from her unique perspective: “Madame seems like a great moving wall of rosebushes, thorny and fragrant and crackling with bees.” It's war, so there are no unrealistic happy endings, but there are lots of moving moments and one or two very satisfying ones. A deserving prize-winner.

Amazing Story

I absolutely LOVED this book. It was captivating and just so well written! It's my favorite book, so far! :)

4 stars

ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE by Anthony Doerr After sitting on my TBR shelf for a couple years, I finally got around to reading this popular and highly recommended book. What can I say that hasn’t been said before? I echo so many other reviews stating how wonderful yet heartbreaking this story is. From the beautifully written prose and vivid imagery, to the characters who are well drawn and believable. I was transported to Paris, then Saint Malo, blindly navigating the streets with Marie-Laure, feeling the helplessness and hopelessness of the war and the fruitless waiting for news. Then to Germany where orphans, Werner and his sister Jutta, are faced with difficult circumstances, forced to grow up too fast, swept up in a war they don’t agree with. While this is historical fiction, there’s an element of fantasy thrown in with the magical origins of the Sea of Flames diamond. You are left wondering if the lore is true, if it holds any power or if it is just a pretty rock. I appreciated the short chapters and didn’t mind too much when the story started to drag midway. Overall, a good story that’s worth reading. Note: Those who haven’t read this book (like my Husband) say the Netflix series was great, but those who have read the book have less than positive reviews. I do plan to watch the series soon and will share my thoughts eventually. Rating: 4/5 ⭐️

Stunning book, like no other I've ever read

All the light is one of my top ten books of the last 100 years

Complex characters try to survive WWII

In this literary historical fiction the reader inhabits the life of three different character during WW2 and explores their hopes, fears, and motivations. I was absolutely in awe of the stunning prose of this novel. It gave me goosebumps. Additionally, the depth of the characters is insightful. Like the Sea of Flames diamond they all gravitate towards they are multi-faceted, no one being all good, or all evil, and each having some light still left within, fighting to keep it from being extinguished in the harshest of circumstances. This book is a masterpiece and an impactful observation on humanity at its best and worst. I would recommend it for all readers.

Beautifully written, heartbreaking tale

The ending was...what???

I admit it was not easy to follow, slow development, but I stayed with it believing all will make sense at the end when the two young main characters will somehow connect. They did, but is that it? So many unanswered questions. I read it on Nook, which was indicating there were 50 more pages. But it ended abruptly. The remaining pages were excerpts from his other book. I was very disappointed at the end.

Highly Recommend

Love, love, loved. Couldn’t put it down!