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san_dra's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Grief, Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Mental illness, Murder, Rape, Terminal illness, and War
Minor: Abandonment, Ableism, and Cancer
glyounger's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Hate crime, Violence, Rape, War, and Child death
enchantingreads_rosyreviews's review
3.75
"You know the greatest lesson of history? It's that history is whatever the victors say it is. That's the lesson. Whoever wins, that's who decides the history. We act in our own self interest. Of course we do. Name a person or a nation who does not. The trick is figuring out where your interests are."
Reasons why this book is great:
- Every sentence and paragraph paints a vivid picture in your head; almost as if creating a world for someone who is unable to physically see it (like the main character, Marie-Laure).
- Definition of a beautifully tragic tale. The author doesn’t shy away from the dark side of war or survival during occupation, but also describes the world to remind us to cherish every day.
- Written as an epic tale, with high-stakes, action, character growth, and drama.
- For anyone who’s a fan of independent films or typical Oscar-nominated films, this story taps into that same general vibe.
Whew! This book is one of those that feeds and starves your soul. It's a hard read because it focuses on tragedy (WW2) and the tough choices regular people have to make in times of extreme circumstances. Although the Netflix series did an AMAZING job adapting this book, there is SO. MUCH. MORE. to absorb from the book. Doerr's descriptive language, epic scenery, unique world-view, and likeable characters are truly something to experience.
Also, this was my first book that I used an audio guide to follow along. Honestly, because of the book's epic-ness, I found myself getting lost in the words/descriptions. Having the audiobook companion to keep me on track with my paperback version, was a great help to stay grounded in the story.
Graphic: Colonisation, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Gun violence, Racism, Racial slurs, and War
Minor: Xenophobia and Death of parent
This book takes place during Nazi occupation in France, bringing all of the historical elements into this story.dinklydoo's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Sexual assault, Gun violence, Blood, Death, Genocide, Child death, Racism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Hate crime, War, and Alcohol
steffieras's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Genocide, Death of parent, War, Violence, Hate crime, Grief, Death, Antisemitism, and Murder
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Rape
read33r's review
5.0
Minor: Hate crime, Death, War, Torture, Violence, Sexual assault, and Antisemitism
lzaz87's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Death, Antisemitism, Violence, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Confinement, and Bullying
kelly_e's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.0
Author: Anthony Doerr
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 3.00
Pub Date: May 6, 2014
T H R E E • W O R D S
Daring • Vivid • Dense
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Marie-Laure lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where he works as the master of its thousands of locks. When she is six, Marie-Laure goes blind and her father builds a perfect miniature of their neighborhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. 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, the orphan Werner grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments, a talent that wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth, then a special assignment to track the resistance. More and more aware of the human cost of his intelligence, Werner travels through the heart of the war and, finally, into Saint-Malo, where his story and Marie- Laure's converge.
💠T H O U G H T S
All the Light We Cannot See has sat unread on my shelf for far too long, yet with the release of the mini-series slated for December, I knew there was no better time to finally dive in. My expectations were incredibly high knowing it's beloved by so many, yet the size really had me hesitating. Unfortunately, the timing just wasn't right and my sky high expectations left me feeling unsatisfied and disappointed.
I'll start out by saying the imagery was stunning, the writing was evocative, and the relationship between Marie-Laure and her father was beautiful. I greatly appreciated the way she learned to find her own way in the world. It also paints a realistic depiction of young men being drawn into the Hitler Youth. However, the structure made it hard to follow the story at times, which made it unnecessarily long.
Even though I enjoyed the story overall, I never found myself totally invested. I know part of that was the timing and my expectations, but another part is just poor execution in putting the story onto paper. This is one case where I think I may enjoy the movie more than I did the book and I look forward to watching it sometime soon.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• WWII historical fiction buffs
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"But it is not bravery; I have no choice. I wake up and live my life. Don't you do the same?"
"It's embarrassingly plain how inadequate language is."
Graphic: War, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Antisemitism, Hate crime, Blood, Death, Murder, Violence, Genocide, Xenophobia, Racism, and Torture
Moderate: Sexual assault, Grief, Sexual violence, Rape, Confinement, Bullying, and Abandonment
Minor: Ableism, Death of parent, Child death, Cancer, and Mental illness
PTSDlaurennicole98's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Hate crime, Violence, War, and Death
Moderate: Sexual assault, Grief, Rape, and Cancer
Minor: Death of parent, Antisemitism, and Abandonment
pigeongreen'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Gore, Vomit, Abandonment, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Deportation, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Hate crime, Blood, Confinement, Medical content, Death, Injury/Injury detail, War, Child death, and Excrement
Devastating.