Anthony Doerr

A blind French girl on the run from the German occupation and a German orphan-turned-Resistance tracker struggle with their respective beliefs after meeting on the Brittany coast. By the award-winning author of About Grace.

A Novel

All the Light We Cannot See

Srijita Sarkar 

Color—that’s another thing people don’t expect. In her imagination, in her dreams, everything has color. The museum buildings are beige, chestnut, hazel. Its scientists are lilac and lemon yellow and fox brown. Piano chords loll in the speaker of the wireless in the guard station, projecting rich blacks and complicated blues down the hall toward the key pound. Church bells send arcs of bronze careening  off the windows. Bees are silver; pigeons are ginger and auburn and occasionally golden. The huge cypress trees she and her father pass on their morning walk are shimmering kaleidoscopes, each needle a polygon of light.

Marie-Laure has been blind since the age of six. Her father builds a perfect miniature of their Paris neighbourhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. But when the Nazis invade, father and daughter flee with a dangerous secret. Werner is a German orphan, destined to labour in the same mine that claimed his father's life, until he discovers a knack for engineering. His talent wins him a place at a brutal military academy, but his way out of obscurity is built on suffering. At the same time, far away in a walled city by the sea, an old man discovers new worlds without ever setting foot outside his home. But all around him, impending danger closes in. Doerr's combination of soaring imagination and meticulous observation is electric.

angie

Every morning he ties his shoes, packs newspaper inside his coat as insulation against the cold, and begins interrogating the world. He captures snowflakes, tadpoles, hibernating frogs; he coaxes bread from bakers with none to sell; he regularly appears in the kitchen with fresh milk for the babies. He makes things too: paper boxes, crude biplanes, toy boats with working rudders.

A cloth bag containing 20 paperback copies of the title that may also include a folder with sign out sheets.

Laura Wilson

She says, "When I lost my sight, Werner, people said I was brave. When my father left people said I was brave. But it is not bravery; I have no choice. I wake up and live my life. Don't you do the same?"

"Of course it matters. I want to be an engineer and you want to study birds. Be like that American painter in the swamps. Why else do any of this if not to become who we want to be?" 

A stillness in the room. Out there in the trees beyond Frederick's window hangs an alien light. 

"Your problem, Werner." says Frederick, "is that you still believe you own your life." 

She lets him wash her hair. Over and over Marie-Laure trawls her fingers through the suds, as though trying to gauge their weight. There has always been a sliver of panic in him, deeply buried, when it comes to his daughter: a fear that he is no good as a father, that he is doing everything wrong. That he never quite understood the rules. All those Parisian mothers pushing buggies through the Jardin des Plantes or holding up cardigans in department stores-it seemed to him that those women nodded to each other as they passed, as though each possessed some secret knowledge that he did not. How do you ever know for certain that you are doing the right thing? 

There is pride, too, though - pride that he has done it alone. That his daughter is so curious, so resilient. There is the humility of being a father to someone so powerful, as if he were only a narrow conduit for another, greater thing. That’s how he feels right now, he thinks, kneeling beside her, rinsing her hair: as though his love for his daughter will outstrip the limits of his body. The walls could fall away, even the whole city, and the brightness of that feeling would not wane. 

anne

Aber Werner hat bereits den Rand des Feldes überschritten, tritt auf eine Mine, die von der eigenen Wehrmacht vot drei Monaten gelegt wurde, und verschwindet in einer Erdfontäne.

Weißrussische T-34-Panzer werden auf sie zupoltern und sie allesamt töten, jedes einzelne Kind.

"Am Ende", murmelt Volkheimer, als der Lastwagen anfährt, "kommen wir alle nicht daran vorbei."

Und im Schrank ist kein Sender, sonder ein Kind sitz darin, mit einer Kugel im Kopf. Es ist das Mädchen von der Schaukel, das nicht älter als sieben Jahre sein kann.

Wie seltsam, zu denken, dass die Stimme des Mannes noch durch die Luft fliegt, bereits ein Land weiter ist und mit jedem Kilometer schwächer wird.

Er klingt wie ihr Vater , wenn er kurz davorstand, etwas dummes zu tun.

"Eine Frau in Rennes hat neun Monate Gefängnis dafür bekommen, dass sie ihre Schweine Goebbels genannt hat, wussten Sie das?"

Er wirkt weniger bedrohlich, eher wie ein großmütiges, übergroßes Kind. Mehr wie der Mensch, zu den er wird, wenn er Musik hört.

"Ich habe mir vorgestellt, wenn das Signal kraftvoll genug wäre, könnte mein Bruder mich hören. Dass ich ihm etwas Frieden bringen und ihn beschützen könnte, wie er mich immer beschützt hat."

"Sie haben gesagt, sie wollen uns nicht mit einem Halbblut zusammen schwimmen lassen, das sei unhygienisch. Ein Halbblut, Werner. Sind wir das nicht auch? Sind wir nicht zur Hälfte unsere Mutter und zur Hälfte unser Vater?"

"Sie meinen, eine Halbjüdin. Red nicht so laut. Wir sind keine Halbjuden."

Samantha Milfort

Don't you want to be alive before you die?"

Beatrix

What mazes there are in this world. The branches of trees, the filigree of roots, the matrix of crystals, the streets her father re-created in his models. Mazes in the nodules on murex shells and in the textures of sycamore bark and inside the hollow bones of eagles. None more complicated than the human brain, Étienne would say, what may be the most complex object in existence; one wet kilogram within which spin universes.

Above Fort National, the dawn becomes deeply, murderously clear. The Milky Way a fading river. He looks across to the fires. He thinks: The universe is full of fuel.

A corner of the night sky, beyond a wall of trees, blooms red. In the lurid, flickering light, he sees that the airplane was not alone, that the sky teems with them, a dozen swooping back and forth, racing in all directions, and in a moment of disorientation, he feels that he's loking not up but down, as though a spotlight has been shined into a wedge of bloodshot water, and the sky has become the sea, and the airplanes are hungry fish, harrying their prey in the dark.

Nikola

To men like that, time was a surfeit, a barrel they watched slowly drain. When really, he thinks, it's a glowing puddle you carry in your hands; you should spend all your energy protecting it. Fighting for it. Working so hard not to spill one single drop.

"Don't you want to be alive before you die?"

Maureen

“So how, children, does the brain, which lives without a spark of light, build for us a world full of light?”

***

Longest book I’ve read this year! The prose is one of the best I’ve read. Honestly got hooked because of its lovely cover and title... though the content doesn’t disappoint! The short chapters (1-2 pages) easily make it a page-turner. Everything is so vivid— Doerr does Marie Laure’s character justice. 4 stars because it’s such a slow burn that I dropped this halfway—however, I think it’s also one of the book’s strong points because the characters are properly fleshed out as a result. The ending felt anticlimactic, but I don’t usually read historical fiction so I can’t judge. Nevertheless, I’m glad I finally finished reading this and I truly understand why plenty of people love this book.

One of the best books I have ever read. Everything about it interested me so much. I thought it was really interesting to have 2 points of view with little connections to each other that are actually really important. I love the well-developed characters and the interesting plot. The ending left me in tears but it was worth it.

Heard good things about this book and was recommend it by some friends. It did not disappoint. It was a beautifully written story.

Jazz

Chris Dailey

Engrossing and beautiful fiction about two teens, one French, the other German, caught up in the machine of WWII. Told in 2-4 page bursts, the story operates in flashbacks with an anchor in the fall of the fortress city of Saint Malo in 1944. The two precocious protagonists deal with loss of family, longing for a normal life, stunted intellectual curiosity, and the horrors of war. Despite their national allegiances, the two seems to be one in the sense that they're looking for the same thing: the chance to pursue their interests. Engaging writing moves the narrative along quickly and could have benefited from a slower pace.

It was a gorgeous, heartfelt and poignant book about a blind girl in the midst of the Second World War.

Harriet 

Rec from Charlotte and Ella. I’m so sad guys. This was gut wrenching in a whole different way than expected. 

amy w

A beautiful, subtle book, very moving and clever.

Emma Randall

Crystal Mfeka

Luke Harkness

Just wasn't as big a fan of it as I hoped I would be. The chapters were too short, I just couldn't connect the characters, it jumped around times too frequently.

maitha mana

'Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever'

At first I didn't want another WW2 novel. Then I realised this was something special.

3 of 5 stars

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Finally, I've read this book. I was craving for something historical and I remember having this on my TBR for such a long time. But unfortunately, it ended up being quite a disappointment for me. I knew that it was in WWII setting and I expected a very emotional and heartbreaking story. It was heartbreaking in its own way but not heartbreaking enough for my own taste. I didn't get attached to it as much as I wanted it to and the symbolism of the diamond in the story was not very helpful to achieve it. 
It was still a good read, don't get me wrong. It's just that I hope I went into it without having too much expectation. Maybe I would have liked it more that way.

Audrey

Pamela Koh

Superb. Enjoyed every harrowing, hopeful, beautiful, disturbing, sad, happy moment of it. 

Mark Phillips

Tatiana

All the Light We Cannot See: 4/5

Wow, this book was beautiful. All the Light We Cannot See mainly follows two characters at the end of WW2 in a French town called Saint-Malo. The Allies are shelling the city to drive the Nazis out which is where we meet Marie Laure, a blind girl who fled with her uncle and father from Paris, and Werner a youth in the German Army specializing in radios. From here, the book jumps in time describing how the two main characters got to this place, and their experiences throughout the war. 

There is an underlining plot that drives the two characters together, but what truly made this book special is the journey they took and the people they met along the way. The small shots of life are what was breathtaking, and Doerr's writing made it difficult to put down. 

Doerr treats these characters with such care all the way until the end and it's heartbreaking in the best way. His words weave an incredible picture full of metaphor and perfect craftsmanship that is nothing short of a marvel. 

I really loved this book and would recommend it to all who like historical fiction.

Annika Arguemore

The physical manifestation of hurt and tragedy. It was so exceptionally written, and detailed down to the bone. I also loved how the writer wrote so poetically. The unexpected event that led to the unsatisfactory, and too peaceful ending will haunt me for weeks. This is going to keep me up at night. Thanks, Anthony.

Jensyn Ronca

A bit of a slow start and lost me at some points, but overall really beautifully written. The ending made up for the beginning. Some of the characters were difficult to feel attached to, but others were so easy to get attached to. I will be thinking about Werner as well as Frederick for quite some time

“To be here, in this room, high in this house, out of the cellar, with her: it is like medicine”

★★★ // i still feel the same way about this as i did in the first few pages — the structure did not work for me, especially the short chapters and description-heavy narrative. but it it sends a strong message about the senselessness of war. how so many lives are altered and ruined by the greed of a few.

what a time to be reading this, with all that is happening in the world. all the more i am conflicted about Werner, a N*zi, and what the novel was trying to make me feel or understand about him.

the female characters, Marie-Laure, Madame Manec, and Jutta were the most fascinating parts of this book. i especially felt for Jutta in the last parts, her grief and sorrow combined with shame so palpable.

towards the end of this book, i don’t know why i was trying to look for something hopeful. there were some bits of it, sure. but i realize that my naivete got the best of me. there is little hope after experiencing a war. even the small things could remind you of a traumatic experience. life carries on, and somehow you get a bit better, but it will always follow you like a shadow.

what a time to have read this, with all that is happening in Palestine. so many lives taken — people who only wanted to live, but could not.

(my one strong criticism of this book: i hated that one chapter with Frau Elena and the girls in Berlin, with the Russians. i did not think it was necessary, and i certainly did not appreciate that it had to be so graphically vivid like that.)

—

i read Pachinko this year, and it was so well-written and had this amazing characterization and shifts among multiple POVs. i guess this is why this book dims in comparison for me personally.

Is it so hard to believe that souls might also travel those paths? In that harry the sky in flocks, like egrets, like terns, like starlings? That great shuttles of souls might fly about, faded but audible if you listen closely enough? They flow above the chimneys, ride the sidewalks, slip through your jacket and shirt and breastbone and lungs, and pass out through the other side, the air a library and the record of every life lived, every sentence spoken, every word transmitted still reverberating within it. That's all the book... all about. The short spot of radio of German so the blind-French girl could listen to it all the way. 

It's part of the line that leave me an awe from the part away soul in the crisis yet tragic place of the world, yet, it still goes anyway until the peace came throughout to it. Werner relationship with all of his friends in Hitler Youth are so wonderous, also with her sister Jutta. The Marie-Papa conversation remind me of me and my dad usually has. It always comes from the worries and full of curiousity daughter and her problem solver father no matter how hard the circumstances are.. It's so heartwarming. Plus! I just get it they will adapt it to series with Mark Ruffalo as her dad. He is so delicate! 

There are lot of specific districts that are not familiar to me, well, maybe that's why I read this book: so I can learn something new along the way. I love the way all these writers that wrote the reviews about this book.. I keep finding that his writing type is so elegant and evocative with deep research for each of the places and event. Hence why I need quite longer time to understand into the character better. His writing is so enchanting that make me bring many highlight on my annotations. Everything was just laid perfectly on the beginning until the end.. even though I expected more for the crucial part, but it was just made for it was. I listen to La Fille Sans Larmes along the way I read this book. 

All The Light We Cannot See is a book about survive, loss, and the pinch of light we see among the darkness. If you are looking for the heartwarming story with the World War II background and slow-burn plot, this book really made for you. To shut your eyes is to guess nothing of blindness, beneath the world of skies and faces of older place, where surface planes sounds like a ribbon in shoals through the air. The title itself lead us to the guiding light from this fast-paced story since the timeline was quite messy (if I could say that?) but that what makes this book unique, so I suggest you to really pay attention for the timeline change that happened in couple chapters ahead.  I want to give a solid five stars for this brilliant story, but I bet, I need to do my research more to add my senses of belonging to each of the chapters of this book (yeah, I just am about to love historical fiction, and my whole 8 weeks of waiting for this book was worth it!)

"It was all dark and the sound of tantrum bomb; a demonic horde. Upended sacks of bean. A hundred broken rosaries. There are a thousand metaphors and all of them are inadequate." 
4,5 of 5

** spoiler alert **
           The first thing I have to say is that the details in this book are amazing!!! fifty pages of wonderful things. Wajar yaa pemenang Goodreads choice Award 2014. Buku ini keren banget, nggak bohong how the writer tell about serangan Jerman well-crafted scenes, detilnya menakjubkan banget!!!! The language is so fantastically precise, pilihan kata yang di pakai indah, that make entire paragraphs sing. Pengambaran karakter tokoh tokohnya kuat. Cause writer showing every character's story and what is in their mind and what things that haunt them, the places, the particular grip of a hand, movement of a body and what characters say tuh detail. Doerr’s writing is elegant and evocative.

Kita kayak ngerasa bener-bener ada disana, jadi salah satu tokoh yang lihat semua kisahnya terjadi. A beautiful book about World War II would often blend historical accuracy with evocative storytelling, vividly portraying the human experiences amidst the backdrop of the war. It might describe the resilience and courage of ordinary people, the sacrifices made by soldiers, and the impact of the war on families and communities. Through poignant narratives, it would convey the horrors of conflict, the triumph of the human spirit, and the lessons learned from this tumultuous period in history. Additionally, such a book might feature compelling photographs, maps, and documents to provide a comprehensive and visually captivating account of World War II.

Yang paling membekas di aku, that I felt. As I, too, was there at the time. Pas papanya, master locksmith at the Natural History Museum in Paris; pagi-pagi udah datang ke museum. Aaargh keren, detailnya nyeritain papanya pagi-pagi dengan gemerincing kunci itu beneran nyata. The descriptions of things tuh *chef's kiss* Beautiful writing. 

Our main characters are Marie-Laure yang mengalami kebutaan, karena katarak.
Blindness can bring about feelings of isolation, as it may limit one's independence and ability to navigate the world as one did. There could be a deep longing for the visual experiences they once had, such as appreciating art, enjoying natural landscapes, or simply recognizing the faces of loved ones.
So her father with patience teach Marie buat ngenalin tempat-tempat pakai instingnya, sampai dibuat miniatur kota sama papanya buat Marie tuh bisa ngenalin dan pergi ke sudut-sudut kotanya tuh tanpa ngerepotin orang lain. Marie-Laure's imagination and her mental imprint of the world around her play a significant role. The author uses poetic language to convey her inner thoughts and feelings, allowing readers to connect with her on a profound level.
Relationships between a father and daughter are characterized by love, trust, and mutual respect. It's a bond that transcends time and circumstances. In this relationship, a father is often seen as a protector, provider, and source of guidance. He offers unwavering support and encouragement as his daughter grows and faces the challenges of life.

Papanya tuh keren, aku suka banget gimana papanya bekerja, punya relasi sama karyawab disivisnyaa, jadi papa yang keren buat Marie yang buta Marie juga sih, keren banget anaknya pengen tahu. Walau punya keterbatasan tapi dia nggak minder, however, it's important to note that blind individuals often develop heightened senses and adapt to their new way of experiencing the world. They can still find joy, fulfillment, and a sense of connection through their other senses, such as touch, hearing, and smell. Over time, they may come to appreciate the beauty of the world in different but equally meaningful ways. 

Ehhhh perangnya juga di describe seindah mungkin sama Anthony Doerr. Keren banget. Bener-bener berasa kita lagi ikutan perang dunia ke 2 hehehe.The scenes are constructed and written very well and elegantly.
And the connection between Marie-Laure and Werner emm how can I decsribe. Lucu lihat Marnie-Waener yang bitter and sweet all at the same time. Pokoknya wajib di bacaaa, aja ah. but the flipping back and forth between different time periods makes this book more confusing sih. If you like straight-ahead, linear, plot-driven war novels, this is not the book for you. Aku awalnya malas bacanya tapi pas masuk ke klimaksnya tuh, jadi penasaran. so just pay attention to the timeline change that happened in a couple of chapters ahead, and you could have finished the puzzle. All The Light We Cannot See is an astonishing and heartbreaking book.In the depths of every heart, a soul resides, a traveler on paths where destiny abides. Through valleys low and mountains tall, it seeks its purpose, heed's life's call.
Each step it takes, a lesson learned, on winding roads where twists are churned. Through joys and sorrows, it finds its way, gaining wisdom with each passing day. Sometimes, it stumbles, loses its sight, yet, it persists, guided by inner light. For on this journey, the soul's true goal, is to find its essence, to make itself whole.
So, as we wander, each soul in its quest, let's cherish the journey, for it's the best. Through every twist, and every turn, the soul finds its path, and in that, we learn. So I'm going to take you to learn from some of the souls in this book story.

The first thing I have to say is that the details in this book are amazing!!! fifty pages of wonderful things. Wajar yaa pemenang Goodreads choice Award 2014. Buku ini keren banget, nggak bohong how the writer tell about serangan Jerman well-crafted scenes, detilnya menakjubkan banget!!!! The language is so fantastically precise, pilihan kata yang di pakai indah, that make entire paragraphs sing. Pengambaran karakter tokoh tokohnya kuat. Cause writer showing every character's story and what is in their mind and what things that haunt them, the places, the particular grip of a hand, movement of a body and what characters say tuh detail. Doerr’s writing is elegant and evocative.

Kita kayak ngerasa bener-bener ada disana, jadi salah satu tokoh yang lihat semua kisahnya terjadi. A beautiful book about World War II would often blend historical accuracy with evocative storytelling, vividly portraying the human experiences amidst the backdrop of the war. It might describe the resilience and courage of ordinary people, the sacrifices made by soldiers, and the impact of the war on families and communities. Through poignant narratives, it would convey the horrors of conflict, the triumph of the human spirit, and the lessons learned from this tumultuous period in history. Additionally, such a book might feature compelling photographs, maps, and documents to provide a comprehensive and visually captivating account of World War II.

Yang paling membekas di aku, that I felt. As I, too, was there at the time. Pas papanya, master locksmith at the Natural History Museum in Paris; pagi-pagi udah datang ke museum. Aaargh keren, detailnya nyeritain papanya pagi-pagi dengan gemerincing kunci itu beneran nyata. The descriptions of things tuh *chef's kiss* Beautiful writing. 

Our main characters are Marie-Laure yang mengalami kebutaan, karena katarak.
Blindness can bring about feelings of isolation, as it may limit one's independence and ability to navigate the world as one did. There could be a deep longing for the visual experiences they once had, such as appreciating art, enjoying natural landscapes, or simply recognizing the faces of loved ones.
So her father with patience teach Marie buat ngenalin tempat-tempat pakai instingnya, sampai dibuat miniatur kota sama papanya buat Marie tuh bisa ngenalin dan pergi ke sudut-sudut kotanya tuh tanpa ngerepotin orang lain. Relationships between a father and daughter are characterized by love, trust, and mutual respect. It's a bond that transcends time and circumstances. In this relationship, a father is often seen as a protector, provider, and source of guidance. He offers unwavering support and encouragement as his daughter grows and faces the challenges of life.

Papanya tuh keren, aku suka banget gimana papanya bekerja, punya relasi sama karyawab disivisnyaa, jadi papa yang keren buat Marie yang buta Marie juga sih, keren banget anaknya pengen tahu. Walau punya keterbatasan tapi dia nggak minder, however, it's important to note that blind individuals often develop heightened senses and adapt to their new way of experiencing the world. They can still find joy, fulfillment, and a sense of connection through their other senses, such as touch, hearing, and smell. Over time, they may come to appreciate the beauty of the world in different but equally meaningful ways. 

Ehhhh perangnya juga di describe seindah mungkin sama Anthony Doerr. Keren banget. Bener-bener berasa kita lagi ikutan perang dunia ke 2 hehehe.The scenes are constructed and written very well and elegantly.
And the connection between Marie-Laure and Werner emm how can I decsribe. Lucu lihat Marnie-Waener yang bitter and sweet all at the same time. Pokoknya wajib di bacaaa, aja ah. but the flipping back and forth between different time periods makes this book more confusing sih. If you like straight-ahead, linear, plot-driven war novels, this is not the book for you. Aku awalnya malas bacanya tapi pas masuk ke klimaksnya tuh, jadi penasaran. so just pay attention to the timeline change that happened in a couple of chapters ahead, and you could have finished the puzzle. All The Light We Cannot See is an astonishing and heartbreaking book.

Well written.  Descriptive.  One of my most favorite books.  This is the second time I’ve read this book.  And I don’t read many books twice.   

Barbara Hruby

kyra

I just got done with this. I'm sobbing.
Beautiful evocative imagery that plays on all senses. Excellent characterisation (special mentions: Daniel Leblanc, Frederick, Madame Manec, Jutta).

4 stars for how beautifully written this book is. Seriously, the prose is beautiful and that’s what I was here for and it is B.E.A.utiful. It would be a crime to rate it less for that alone. The downside, I spent the entire book just waiting for more and I felt that for the entire book. It just wasn’t compelling. I don’t have any qualms against this book because it’s literarily astounding and well done, but it just wasn’t a book for me. 

All the Light We Cannot See A Novel

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