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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
Phenomenal in its depth and richness. “The Simultaneity of Instants” were among the most amazing two pages of any book I have read.
I love the alternating points of view. A beautiful world created about a dark time.
a bit of a hard read but beautifully written. I wish wish wish Warren didn't die. It almost felt like he was killed off for no reason, but that may just be my bias speaking.
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
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
i really liked this book, but found the end a little anti-climatic. once werner saved marie-laure, i had hopes they would meet again, but was willing to accept that their paths might not cross again; given that this was a book about WWII and not necessarily a love story. but for him to get super sick but then get better, only to walk out on a landmine seemed tragically underwhelming. and then the last few chapters summing up what happened to everyone was good, but not quite as satisfying as i wanted. especially once volkheimer tracked down werner's sister jutta to give her his stuff, and she in turn tracked down marie-laure to return the model house, i wanted more from their reunion. marie-laure didn't even mention that werner had saved her life! that felt like it needed to be said, since jutta clearly thought werner had taken the house from her.
the group rape seem of jutta, frau elana and the twins right at the end of the war almost felt unnecessarily cruel. and i get it, war is awful, but still...
i was confused why marie-laure put the house in the grotto, but then gave werner the key to the grotto. and why did he go back and get it? and what was his thought process as he tossed the precious blue diamond into the ocean but put the key back in the model house and then held on to it?
i was also confused about the last scene with poor frederick. after the owl came, he seemed to regain some sense of consciousness? i guess that't the positive spin i'm going with.
the group rape seem of jutta, frau elana and the twins right at the end of the war almost felt unnecessarily cruel. and i get it, war is awful, but still...
i was confused why marie-laure put the house in the grotto, but then gave werner the key to the grotto. and why did he go back and get it? and what was his thought process as he tossed the precious blue diamond into the ocean but put the key back in the model house and then held on to it?
i was also confused about the last scene with poor frederick. after the owl came, he seemed to regain some sense of consciousness? i guess that't the positive spin i'm going with.
Doerr brilliantly weaves together the narratives from different sides of the war, piecing them together in slowly colliding segments of time. The way it all comes together is similar to the puzzle boxes that
Marie-Laure's father makes; it was impossible not to be intrigued to find out how things would unfold, though the way they did was not always what I had hoped would happen.
Marie-Laure's father makes; it was impossible not to be intrigued to find out how things would unfold, though the way they did was not always what I had hoped would happen.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-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:
Complicated
I loved the writing style and the beautiful mundane nature of the characters and their stories… the book as a whole demonstrated the “frog in the pot” metaphor Madame Manec describes with respect to the creep of totalitarianism into the lives of everyday people. I disagree with reviews that state that Werner didn’t have a strong opinion about the war - he was a child, powerless from the start, slowly but surely finding his agency in small acts of defiance. Was it enough? Who am I to say? The author absolves us of having to really engage with that question through his death. I agree that the book skates over some of the harder questions, but I’m not sure that’s a criticism. I liked the focus of the book being more on the various human experiences, the small actions of everyday people and their consequences, the grey areas.
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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:
Complicated
Any other book I’ve given 5 stars before this is false (kidding). This was truly a 5 star read though. I personally loved the short chapters and flashing back and forth between characters. So heartbreaking and sad but so beautifully written.