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readerworm's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Murder, Racism, Classism, Gore, War, Deportation, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Religious bigotry, and Trafficking
medini_l's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Death, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Torture, War, Xenophobia, and Bullying
venice_the_vampire's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: War, Racism, Violence, Hate crime, Genocide, Death, Torture, Bullying, Antisemitism, Child death, and Ableism
Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, Mental illness, and Classism
Minor: Drug abuse and Drug use
erebus53's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Werner is a snow-haired German lad who was orphanned by the mines of the Reich. As a curious child he develops himself into an electrical engineer who specializes in fixing radios, and is noticed by a German general who forwards him for advancement in an elite military school.
Marie-Laure is the daughter of keymaster of the French museum. She develops cataracts and goes blind as a child, and her father crates a scale model of her neighbourhood as a tactile map for her to learn her way around.
When the war starts, Marie-Laure and her father flee to her uncle's house, and Werner is a radio engineer for Hitler's army.
This story is told with deep emotional resonance, and using all sorts of literary quirks that focus on themes of light and darkness, sounds, sensation, fear and bravery, morality, logic and puzzles, knowing and learning, art and music, the love of nature, and of people. I love the descriptions of things like disappearing in fog– that it's about vanishing into whiteness rather than shadows. The descriptions are visceral and evocative as well as clever.
This is a story of survival, of war, of fear and bloodshed, and it doesn't pull its punches. It certainly answers, in a humane way, questions about how people can do inhuman things in war, and the toll it can take on families.
I found the going slow, and occasionally tense, but also full of whimsy and beauty in contrast.
Well worth the read.
Graphic: Gore, Xenophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Gun violence, Grief, War, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Medical content, Excrement, Death, Child death, Blood, Antisemitism, Vomit, Torture, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Forced institutionalization, Cursing, Cancer, Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Rape, Racism, Confinement, Chronic illness, Animal death, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcohol, Pregnancy, Classism, and Bullying
gretaslittlelibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Genocide, Murder, War, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Antisemitism, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Moderate: Physical abuse
Minor: Rape
orchidlilly's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Graphic: Ableism, Confinement, Gun violence, War, Antisemitism, Bullying, Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Religious bigotry, and Murder
Moderate: Racial slurs, Child death, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Gore, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Sexism, Abandonment, Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Police brutality, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, Death, Classism, Torture, and Cursing
Minor: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Medical content, Terminal illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Fire/Fire injury, Excrement, Sexual assault, Deportation, and Vomit
nialiversuch's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Xenophobia, Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Vomit, Abandonment, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Deportation, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Rape, Violence, and War
jlautry's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Two teenagers, a blind French girl and an orphaned German boy navigate their way through WWII. This story was beautifully written and the imagery is *chef’s kiss*.
But I do want to know what the author has against commas. 🤔 I got some use out of my (very limited) German knowledge, so that was a plus.
- Short chapters
- Imagery
- Attention to descriptive detail
- Multiple narrators
- Storylines
- Short chapters sometimes gave you whiplash with how quickly they jumped back and forth
- Can be confusing to know who is narrating. Chapter titles don’t always indicate and it can take a bit to realize where you are
- Took me ~150 pages to really get invested
- Sentences can be an entire paragraph long
- I think the author has a grudge against commas (or he needs a better editor)
- The last few parts (especially part 13) were completely unnecessary
Graphic: War
Moderate: Antisemitism, Confinement, Xenophobia, Genocide, Mental illness, Gun violence, Classism, Racism, and Murder
Minor: Death of parent and Terminal illness
polpolpolulu's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Antisemitism, Gun violence, Hate crime, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Torture, War, Vomit, Cancer, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Police brutality, Rape, Religious bigotry, Child death, Classism, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, and Grief
crisi_books's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I would not have read this book if not for my English Literature class, and honestly...I don't regret a thing. This is a book I will be thinking about for months and maybe even years to come.
All the Light We Cannot See is such a lovely, devastating book about humanity and care. Doerr's (sometimes overbearing) attention to detail is enrapturing and kept me hooked for hundreds of pages, and the way he has crafted all these characters is so masterful, as well as the more philosophical questions and concepts he discusses. Marie-Laure and Werner don't share many moments in the book, but their connection is immediate, and their stories intertwine so wonderfully. Each character matters, and each has their own flaws and characteristics that make the story just that more enriching and human. However, I can see how people might find this book boring or too slow, and I agree! I just think that everything else in this book overshadows that and it leaves only a significantly good impression in my brain.
Graphic: Bullying, Death, and War
Moderate: Confinement, Drug use, Ableism, Alcohol, Antisemitism, Blood, Child abuse, Classism, Excrement, and Gun violence
Minor: Addiction and Rape