Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

39 reviews

vas_17's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Ableism, Blood, Confinement, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Excrement, Gore, Grief, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Antisemitism, Cancer, Racial slurs, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, War, Xenophobia, and Violence

gracekatreads's review against another edition

2.0

Couldn’t wait for the N@zi soldiers to die and they kept not doing so. Ugh. This book was a slog and the themes the author was trying to illustrate would have worked much better in a WW1 tale. Somehow, no real mention of the Holocaust beyond vague illusions, really feels like it romanticizes the war and German side.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Murder, Xenophobia, and War

stavoosh's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• 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? It's complicated

3.75

I felt like so much of this book was a drag and bored me to death but the writing itself was beautiful. In the beginning I was annoyed by the lengthy detail but came to appreciate it later in the story. I think the story is important and the lessons in between the lines are incredible. I loved the element of the mystery of diamond and how the two stories connect. I was a bit appalled by the humanity some of these Nazi soldiers were given... like ultimately, I don't care if they were 14 years old, they were still responsible for death. All in all, it was 3.75 read for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Gun violence, Genocide, Antisemitism, Xenophobia, Gore, and Violence

Moderate: Rape

orchidlilly's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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

2.5

,Let's face it, the world war II genre is overplayed. The writing here wasn't bad, it was good even, but the plot mostly lost me. It mainly follows two people, a blind French girl and an orphaned German boy as they grow up in Europe. The plot just doesn't feel very grabbing or original to me, it's your standard world war II book, with a bit of romance and, for some reason fantasy, thrown in unnecessarily. The short-lived romance between the two main characters seems odd and forced and the up in the air magical artifact McGuffin that then has no actual plot value is downright strange. Honestly, the best parts of this book are the ones that focus on the German boy's sister, and fellow soldier, but even those aren't very original. There's simply so much of the same world war II book a person can read without getting tired of the same old schtick, and this hit the limit for me.

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Content Warnings

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 against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

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

sparklingginger's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Emotional abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Rape, Murder, and Xenophobia

apiora215's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Gun violence, Grief, Genocide, Violence, Torture, Religious bigotry, Rape, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Death, and Antisemitism

alittlehasty's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-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

Very inspiring and I found it cool how the storylines intertwined throughout. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War and Abandonment

Moderate: Rape, Xenophobia, and Violence

frantically's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

I really wanted to rate this higher but I just couldn't connect with the story, it was too long-winded for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Murder, Violence, War, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Antisemitism, Rape, and Sexual assault

Minor: Medical content

jlautry's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful sad tense slow-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? No

4.0

My first 500+ page read in years and my first paperback library book (I was very nervous about damaging it). 

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. 

Loved:

• Short chapters
• Imagery
• Attention to descriptive detail
• Multiple narrators
• Storylines

Disliked: 

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War

Moderate: Antisemitism, Confinement, Xenophobia, Genocide, Mental illness, Gun violence, Classism, Racism, and Murder

Minor: Death of parent and Terminal illness