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emilynied's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- 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
4.25
"All The Light We Cannot See" is a beautifully written and crafted book about the devastation of World War II and its effects on the every day citizens caught in the crossfire. It follows a couple of storylines, some of which were a little hard to adjust to (as an audiobook listener) but became easier as the story continued and I became more adapted to the plot and its characters. Doerr has beautiful prose and he crafts the scenes so well - the book is paced well, with quick transitions and really great writing.
Marie-Laure is a young girl at the start of the book, living in Paris with her father, a locksmith at the Museum of Natural History. When the Nazis occupy Paris, they go to the city of Saint-Malo in northwest France to live with her uncle and maid, Madame Manec. Werner, an orphan who grew up in a German mining town with his younger sister, learns of his adeptness with radios early on in his childhood. He becomes an expert on building and finding radio signals, a niche which his Nazi education and eventual work exploit for their cause. Their stories interweave and collide throughout the book, concluding in the end of the war and their stories.
The book begins with Marie-Laure learning about an infamous and priceless diamond called the Sea of Flames, kept behind thirteen locks in the Museum. The story of this diamond and its potential whereabouts weaves throughout the story, which is a mystery to follow in the reader's interest to learn its significance.
The lack of Jewish POVs and representation was also a big source of thought for me as well. I've never read a WW2 book in the perspective of a Nazi (though that label is up for debate), so it was very thought provoking for me. It reminded me of a debate I once had in a history class about the Holocaust and the role of regular German citizens - do they bear the same responsibility for the millions of lives lost as Nazi soldiers? as concentration camp commanders? as Hitler himself? It's certainly an interesting conversation to have, especially with the current actions of the U.S. government and the genocide and war currently occurring in our world. Werner's role in the war and his conflicted thoughts were - at some points - just really sad to read about and I think the socialization of children and especially children during that time period, should be explored.
Marie-Laure is a young girl at the start of the book, living in Paris with her father, a locksmith at the Museum of Natural History. When the Nazis occupy Paris, they go to the city of Saint-Malo in northwest France to live with her uncle and maid, Madame Manec. Werner, an orphan who grew up in a German mining town with his younger sister, learns of his adeptness with radios early on in his childhood. He becomes an expert on building and finding radio signals, a niche which his Nazi education and eventual work exploit for their cause. Their stories interweave and collide throughout the book, concluding in the end of the war and their stories.
The book begins with Marie-Laure learning about an infamous and priceless diamond called the Sea of Flames, kept behind thirteen locks in the Museum. The story of this diamond and its potential whereabouts weaves throughout the story, which is a mystery to follow in the reader's interest to learn its significance.
The lack of Jewish POVs and representation was also a big source of thought for me as well. I've never read a WW2 book in the perspective of a Nazi (though that label is up for debate), so it was very thought provoking for me. It reminded me of a debate I once had in a history class about the Holocaust and the role of regular German citizens - do they bear the same responsibility for the millions of lives lost as Nazi soldiers? as concentration camp commanders? as Hitler himself? It's certainly an interesting conversation to have, especially with the current actions of the U.S. government and the genocide and war currently occurring in our world. Werner's role in the war and his conflicted thoughts were - at some points - just really sad to read about and I think the socialization of children and especially children during that time period, should be explored.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Death
rhibeetle17's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- 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
The prose is spectacular, so moving and the horrors of WW2 are a looming sinister presence that is almost off the page but terrifying in its intensity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Torture, War, and Child abuse
rachel101's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Grief, Death, Excrement, Panic attacks/disorders, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Vomit, Racism, Torture, Violence, and War
rubberrosebooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- 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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, War, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Death, Genocide, Violence, and Confinement
caromon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer
Moderate: Deportation, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Antisemitism, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Death, Sexual violence, Vomit, War, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Drug use
ladykatka's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
My favourite quote was when Marie-Loure asked "we are the good guys though? And her uncle responded "I hope so" because you often don't know until the war is over.
Overall though I don't think I enjoyed this book, I kept flip-flopping between. I like it and I don't like it but in the end it was too long and the timelines going back and forth between present and past was a little confusing and hard to keep track of sometimes, especially because the book was sooooooo long. The ending was also really unsatisfying. I wish it had ended a lot sooner than it did. I feel like this could have been edited down by at least 200 pages. I was also quite upset by the unnecessary updates on some of the characters at the end. Finding out what happened to his sister in particular, yikes. I mean I understand that this is what happened in real life after the war and during the war. But I felt like it didn't add anything to this book. It was just unnecessary and upsetting.
Overall though I don't think I enjoyed this book, I kept flip-flopping between. I like it and I don't like it but in the end it was too long and the timelines going back and forth between present and past was a little confusing and hard to keep track of sometimes, especially because the book was sooooooo long. The ending was also really unsatisfying. I wish it had ended a lot sooner than it did. I feel like this could have been edited down by at least 200 pages. I was also quite upset by the unnecessary updates on some of the characters at the end. Finding out what happened to his sister in particular, yikes. I mean I understand that this is what happened in real life after the war and during the war. But I felt like it didn't add anything to this book. It was just unnecessary and upsetting.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Cancer, Rape, Death of parent, Murder, Death, Gun violence, and War
ninakzz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- 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? No
4.5
Me encantó este libro. Las descripciones desde el punto de vista de los personajes son geniales, varían de la manera correcta, especialmente las descripciones de Marie sobre lo que le rodea, considerando su ceguera, describe con olores, con colores que asigna en su mente, con sensaciones, con sonidos. Increíble como la historia va llevando a los personajes a través de los cambios de la época, a la ocupación nazi y la liberación. La guerra es lo que es.
Fue muy triste lo que sucedió con Werner, me habría gustado que se reencontrara con Marie, pero al menos debo decir que fue muy realista.
Content Warnings
Moderate: War
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, War, Violence, Gun violence, Murder, Racial slurs, and Genocide
jamanji's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I enjoyed reading this book every step of the way. The writing is masterful and the author’s ability to manipulate the plot and intertwine two seemingly unrelated lives into one is remarkable.
**SPOILER ALERT**
I did not expect the ending, especially Werner’s death. it was surprising and abrupt that one of the main characters was killed in one simple sentence. The irony of his death at the hands of German machinery when he himself was a slave to German machinery was not lost on me. I did obviously hope for a happy ending for Marie and Werner (why didn’t he just take off his damn uniform), but I guess it’s more poetic this way.
**SPOILER ALERT**
I did not expect the ending, especially Werner’s death. it was surprising and abrupt that one of the main characters was killed in one simple sentence. The irony of his death at the hands of German machinery when he himself was a slave to German machinery was not lost on me. I did obviously hope for a happy ending for Marie and Werner (why didn’t he just take off his damn uniform), but I guess it’s more poetic this way.
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Excrement, Sexual assault, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, War, Rape, Antisemitism, Forced institutionalization, Terminal illness, Murder, Kidnapping, Genocide, Death, and Cancer
bibliodiaries's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Violence
Moderate: Rape
theotheleo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Mental illness, War, and Grief
Moderate: Rape, Terminal illness, and Sexual violence
Minor: Antisemitism and Genocide