Name: All the Light We Cannot See
Rating: 4.231867283950617 (1296 reviews)
ISBN: 9780008485191

ANTHONY. DOERR

Introducing the Collins Modern Classics, a series featuring some of the most significant books of recent times, books that shed light on the human experience - classics which will endure for generations to come.

All the Light We Cannot See

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

definitely a ride. wouldn't say it's the best book out there, since the pace is quite slow for someone like me. the writing, however, is absolutely magical. 

angel

Jill

A beautiful, profound, coming of age story of intersecting lines in the lives of Werner Pfennig from Germany and Marie-Laure LeBlanc living in Paris. Set during World War II and the French Resistance, it’s a story about unwavering strength of an orphan boy and blind girl. My heart is so full. One of those books I can’t keep recommending enough. 

Greg Talbot

The world of wonder and horror come together, for the two teens Marie-Laure LeBlanc and Werner Pfennig, both on opposite sides of the war, both holding out for all the blessings of family, culture and humanity to bring relief. Most WW2 novels i've read focus on the absurdity of it all (Catch-22, Slaughterhouse 5). Reasonable adults in absurd situations, stare into bleakness, meaninglessness, apathy, and irony. And this is the 'good war' - where the fight against the evil Nazis and the good westerners was obvious. "All the Light We Cannot See" reaches deeper into the stories of he innocent, and see how much of their hearts come out in tact after the mortars have buried their settlement. The book no doubt is heart-felt, but I commend it so much for daring into the grim realities that can tear our souls apart. "All the Light We Cannot See", looks at what happens when we ask for sacrifice from kids. Werner Pfennig, a wunderkind with heightened intelligence and intuitive understanding of the how things come together, moves up the ranks, as he solves problems and becomes instrumental for his German officers. Through his eyes we see the acrid hateful chiseling of boys into soliders. His sensitivity is never lost on us, and as he matures, he questions his own participation in the field. Marie-Laure LeBlanc, a blind girl, with protective words of her father, and the amulet/stone that supposedly gives her immunity from the violence. Her hands are also put to work, toward resistance, toward communicating German positions into a microphone. She too becomes familiar with death, hunger, isolation and questions of identity. "All the Light We Cannot See", takes us into these stories, and asks us about how long empathy lasts, if connection across sides is possible in the urban battlefield, if meaning can outlast tragedy. The pacing is consistent, the stories merge together with impeccable craftmanship, and the vocabulary is inpsired. I'm so impressed by how Doerrr brings together the beautiful elements of humanity ("Claire De Luna", books on adventure), while the devastating darkness of war warps each page too. Even after food is gone, our parents' promises gone, our dignity gone, and we have encountered a horror in human flesh, is there magic in the world to justify its turning.

Frank Huang

Jacey Manning

first time read rating: 3.75 stars (didn't complete)

Tali ⋆.˚🦋༘⋆

first time read rating: 3.75 stars (didn't complete)

second time read rating: 5 stars

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

All The Light We Cannot See

Suyash Goylit

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

All The Light We Cannot See is like a sad song that touches your heart and leaves you contemplating long after you've heard it. It starts with an array of lovable characters in situations we wouldn't wish on our worst enemies. It, then, masterfully makes us live these situations along with the characters through masterful writing and storytelling. Multiple POVs and timelines developing coherently, almost like building up to a crescendo, then everything coming together and collapsing in that one moment. Flawless execution of a heart-wrenching story with a conclusion that ties up everything in a nice little bow.

Even though it was a bit longer than what I usually read, it never felt that way. Partly because dividing each scene into individual chapters works perfectly, as it never wore me out and compelled me to read just a little more every time. But mainly because since the penultimate chapter of part 1, Herr Siedler, about 80 pages in, I was completely engrossed in the story. From that point on, everything came together perfectly. The jumps between different POVs and even timelines felt so coherent until the very end.

There are three chapters that stood out for me. First, as I mentioned before, the penultimate chapter of the first part, Herr Siedler. It transforms the story and Werner's life completely by giving him a glimpse of what he thinks could be his way out. For the reader, I think it burns in the adverse condition this 13-year-old is in and gives us false hope for a better future. It is also virtually the starting point of Werner's story. The second is the ante-penultimate chapter of part seven, White City. (view spoiler)[It serves almost as a flip-switch moment for Werner. He was on the fence regarding his actions in the war from the very beginning but he pushed through everything, but, this chapter was essentially his breaking point. When he sees that little girl in the wardrobe with a bullet hole right between her eyes, it shatters him and lays the groundwork for things to follow. Finally, the very first chapter of the eleventh part, Berlin, broke me as a reader. We often forget that irrespective of the outcome of the war, the general populace always suffers. This chapter, in mere 3 pages, describes the horrible atrocities that were committed by the universally deemed "good side" in the war. And to top all that, it comes at the heels of Werner's demise, which was just heart-breaking. It, however, leads in to the conclusion of the story perfectly. The fallout of the war and the epilogue of the story, even though was not desirable, it was authentic. It was never meant to be a fairy tale and it didn't try to be that, not even at the end. It felt like every character had a satisfying conclusion, and even though none of them had a truly happy ending, it was the best they could have had in such adverse conditions. (hide spoiler)]

All the Light We Cannot See

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