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A review by aldoregan
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
4.0
open your eyes, and see what you can with them before they close forever.
I don’t read a lot of historical fic so this was kinda new territory for me. Other than that, I wasn’t really sure what I was gonna make of this since it does not only deal with a serious topic, but there’s also the possibility that it might romanticize said topic. A lot of controversy comes along when it comes to N*zis being portrayed in the media, and rightfully so. The genocide in general should never be romanticized because these are real events that ended up in so many lives loss and ruined. Long story short, I was doubtful about this book. But the reviews seemed to tell me otherwise so I went ahead and read it anyway.
so how, children, does the brain, which lives without a spark of light, build for us a world full of light?
What surprised me the most was the execution. The setting and the events that happened aren’t easy to write. Yet it was compelling and realistic. The characters are the standout. We follow through the different lives of a French girl and a N*zi. The latter is where I had my doubts, but yall know why I thought he was well written? It was because we read about his life from when he was just a kid. We learn about his interests, his upbringing, his beliefs, his relationship with the people around him. There’s much more to his character than just being a N*zi. Also reading about him growing up makes it more realistic when he constantly questions what /they’re/ doing and what /their/ beliefs are. His character is compelling because he’s complex. And the same can be said for Marie-Laure, the French girl. We read about how she grew up as well. What I appreciate about her character so much is that she’s smart and brave. She lost her sight at a young age, but she doesn’t let that stop her and instead she relies on her other senses, as taught by her father. They were both very well written main characters, and as we walk through their life, we get to feel emotionally closer to them. The secondary characters also stood out as they all had distinct characterization and developments through the story , and they all had purposes to the story. Overall, I think characterization was the strongest element of this book.
time is a slippery thing: lose hold of it once, and its string might sail out of your hands forever
The writing was exquisite as well. It was vivid and poetic. The prose was so beautiful. I would even say it’s one of the best writing styles I’ve ever read. However, this book totally fell short in pace. I don’t know if it’s because I’m new to the genre, but I found the pacing to be really slow, lackluster, and boring at times. There are even chapters that I don’t think would’ve been necessary to be included. But that’s just me, and it might also be because I’m not used to the historical fiction genre.
All in all, this was a really emotional and meaningful read, and I loved it!
I don’t read a lot of historical fic so this was kinda new territory for me. Other than that, I wasn’t really sure what I was gonna make of this since it does not only deal with a serious topic, but there’s also the possibility that it might romanticize said topic. A lot of controversy comes along when it comes to N*zis being portrayed in the media, and rightfully so. The genocide in general should never be romanticized because these are real events that ended up in so many lives loss and ruined. Long story short, I was doubtful about this book. But the reviews seemed to tell me otherwise so I went ahead and read it anyway.
so how, children, does the brain, which lives without a spark of light, build for us a world full of light?
What surprised me the most was the execution. The setting and the events that happened aren’t easy to write. Yet it was compelling and realistic. The characters are the standout. We follow through the different lives of a French girl and a N*zi. The latter is where I had my doubts, but yall know why I thought he was well written? It was because we read about his life from when he was just a kid. We learn about his interests, his upbringing, his beliefs, his relationship with the people around him. There’s much more to his character than just being a N*zi. Also reading about him growing up makes it more realistic when he constantly questions what /they’re/ doing and what /their/ beliefs are. His character is compelling because he’s complex. And the same can be said for Marie-Laure, the French girl. We read about how she grew up as well. What I appreciate about her character so much is that she’s smart and brave. She lost her sight at a young age, but she doesn’t let that stop her and instead she relies on her other senses, as taught by her father. They were both very well written main characters, and as we walk through their life, we get to feel emotionally closer to them. The secondary characters also stood out as they all had distinct characterization and developments through the story , and they all had purposes to the story. Overall, I think characterization was the strongest element of this book.
time is a slippery thing: lose hold of it once, and its string might sail out of your hands forever
The writing was exquisite as well. It was vivid and poetic. The prose was so beautiful. I would even say it’s one of the best writing styles I’ve ever read. However, this book totally fell short in pace. I don’t know if it’s because I’m new to the genre, but I found the pacing to be really slow, lackluster, and boring at times. There are even chapters that I don’t think would’ve been necessary to be included. But that’s just me, and it might also be because I’m not used to the historical fiction genre.
All in all, this was a really emotional and meaningful read, and I loved it!