A review by dlrosebyh
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

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? Yes

4.5

Marie-Laure lives in Paris with her father, who works as the master of the Museum of Natural History's hundreds of locks. When Marie-Laure is six, she falls blind, and her father makes a perfect miniature of their neighborhood for her to remember and find her way home by touch. When Marie-Laure is twelve, the Nazis capture Paris, and her father and daughter flee to Saint-Malo, where her reclusive great-uncle lives in a big home by the sea. They are carrying what may be the museum's most prized and deadly treasure. 
 
Werner, an orphan, grows up with his younger sister in a mining village in Germany, charmed by a rudimentary radio they discover. Werner becomes an adept at manufacturing and repairing these vital new tools, earning him a position at a rigorous Hitler Youth academy and eventually a special task to track out the resistance. Werner goes into the heart of the battle, eventually arriving in Saint-Malo, where his and Marie-stories Laure's intersect. 
 
Everyone promised that I would cry in this book, and they were completely correct. I sobbed uncontrollably. I had no idea what to do with my life after finishing it. It was really stunning. The writing was humorous, and the characters were well-developed. I simply wish the characters engaged a little more. 
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