Reviews - All the Light We Cannot See

29.9k reviews for:

All the Light We Cannot See

Anthony Doerr

4.26 AVERAGE

cask_of_amontillado's review against another edition

4.25

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

alibengt's review against another edition

3.5

dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

i really enjoyed this! though it is historical fiction, it reads like a suspenseful thriller as the timeline jumps back and forth through WWII, slowly revealing bits of information and context as it leads to the dramatic end of the story.

Content Warnings

planet_mare's review against another edition

1.5

challenging dark slow-paced

deborah_ann_lowe's review against another edition

4.5

challenging informative mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

madabouttravel's review against another edition

5.0

emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

elblogdemildred's review against another edition

5.0

Una historia triste y conmovedora sobre la segunda guerra mundial, que nos enseña que no solamente existe el blanco y el negro, también existe el gris. Sin un final feliz, más bien un final real. Una trama muy bien construida, unos personajes entrañables. Ya quiero conocer Saint Melo.

hopeless_salad's review against another edition

4.75

emotional reflective sad 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: No

myliterarylove's review against another edition

5.0

“What mazes there are in this world. The branches of trees, the filigree of roots, the matrix of crystals, the streets her father recreated in his models... None more complicated than the human brain, Etienne would say, what may be the most complex object in existence; one wet kilogram within which spin universes.”

A book hasn't made me cry like that in a long time...
All the Light We Cannot See started out slow and meandering, but about midway through I realized I cared SO DEEPLY for these characters. Beautifully written with gorgeous descriptions! I'll definitely want to reread this one in a couple of years.
5 Stars

keesjesbooks's review against another edition

5.0

Lovely descriptions of smells, textures, sounds. Usually descriptions of places primarily concern what it looks like, so I enjoyed this different perspective. Rich, believable characters you have no trouble picturing in your mind. And moving plot.

issydee's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

More...