All the Light We Cannot See
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- Create Date：2021-07-02 05:51:07
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Anthony Doerr
- ISBN：1501173219
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Summary
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize， a New York Times Book Review Top Ten Book， National Book Award finalist， more than two and a half years on the New York Times bestseller list
From the highly acclaimed， multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr， the stunningly beautiful instant New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II。
Marie-Laure lives in Paris near the Museum of Natural History， where her father works。 When she is twelve， the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo， where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great uncle lives in a tall house by the sea。 With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel。
In a mining town in Germany， Werner Pfennig， an orphan， grows up with his younger sister， enchanted by a crude radio they find that brings them news and stories from places they have never seen or imagined。 Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments and is enlisted to use his talent to track down the resistance。 Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner， Doerr illuminates the ways， against all odds， people try to be good to one another。
Doerr’s “stunning sense of physical detail and gorgeous metaphors” （San Francisco Chronicle） are dazzling。 Ten years in the writing， a National Book Award finalist， All the Light We Cannot See is a magnificent， deeply moving novel from a writer “whose sentences never fail to thrill” （Los Angeles Times）。
From the highly acclaimed， multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr， the stunningly beautiful instant New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II。
Marie-Laure lives in Paris near the Museum of Natural History， where her father works。 When she is twelve， the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo， where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great uncle lives in a tall house by the sea。 With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel。
In a mining town in Germany， Werner Pfennig， an orphan， grows up with his younger sister， enchanted by a crude radio they find that brings them news and stories from places they have never seen or imagined。 Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments and is enlisted to use his talent to track down the resistance。 Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner， Doerr illuminates the ways， against all odds， people try to be good to one another。
Doerr’s “stunning sense of physical detail and gorgeous metaphors” （San Francisco Chronicle） are dazzling。 Ten years in the writing， a National Book Award finalist， All the Light We Cannot See is a magnificent， deeply moving novel from a writer “whose sentences never fail to thrill” （Los Angeles Times）。
Reviews
Morgan Brown
，
I so desperately wanted to like this book because everyone else does， but it just didn’t work for me。 I almost didn’t finish it。 I think it got a lot better toward the end， but I was almost relieved when I finished it。 It’s not that the book is bad。 The prose is beautiful and so detailed。 It captures WWII in a way I haven’t seen before。 But the pacing kept trying to push me away from the story。 The slow-moving plot bored me at times， and the beginning just failed to capture my attention。 Maybe i I so desperately wanted to like this book because everyone else does， but it just didn’t work for me。 I almost didn’t finish it。 I think it got a lot better toward the end， but I was almost relieved when I finished it。 It’s not that the book is bad。 The prose is beautiful and so detailed。 It captures WWII in a way I haven’t seen before。 But the pacing kept trying to push me away from the story。 The slow-moving plot bored me at times， and the beginning just failed to capture my attention。 Maybe it’s because I didn’t find Marie-Laure or Werner to be realistic children， or maybe it’s because I don’t like reading about war or radios enough to appreciate the story。 Either way， I just wasn’t blown away with this one like I wanted to be。 。。。more
Theresa
，
This is a well written and fast paced novel and I really loved it till I got to the end。 I was not happy with the ending。 I won't go into too much detail about it to avoid spoilers。 There are some themes of redemption in dark places all through the novel， but when you get to the end， it all feels sort of useless。 The character development of the main characters is superb。 I feel like Marie Laure is a real person that I would love to talk to and hear her life stories。 The historical placement and This is a well written and fast paced novel and I really loved it till I got to the end。 I was not happy with the ending。 I won't go into too much detail about it to avoid spoilers。 There are some themes of redemption in dark places all through the novel， but when you get to the end， it all feels sort of useless。 The character development of the main characters is superb。 I feel like Marie Laure is a real person that I would love to talk to and hear her life stories。 The historical placement and development of the characters is believable。 。。。more
Holly
，
Just amazing。 Brilliant story and beautifully crafted as interwoven stories which come together。
Ritat Marie
，
The words "carefully crafted" seem to pop up in almost every review of this book。 And I agree。 But it takes more than technique to create an outstanding reading experience。 Perhaps the missing element is "heart。" The characters all seemed rather wooden， entirely too accepting of things as they are。 It was an interesting read， and I admired the way the narration skipped about， in very short chapters， between different characters and time periods。 And the author's prose was outstanding and often p The words "carefully crafted" seem to pop up in almost every review of this book。 And I agree。 But it takes more than technique to create an outstanding reading experience。 Perhaps the missing element is "heart。" The characters all seemed rather wooden， entirely too accepting of things as they are。 It was an interesting read， and I admired the way the narration skipped about， in very short chapters， between different characters and time periods。 And the author's prose was outstanding and often poetic。 I'm glad I read the book， but I would not go looking for more novels by this author。 。。。more
Ellen Lazarus
，
Incredible， awesome， heart wrenching。
Molly Sullivan Donnelly
，
This book has been on my must read list for a while， it is a work of historical fiction based during World War II and ended in present day。 The book follows Marie-Laure， a young blind girl living in Paris and Werner Pfenning， an orphan in Germany。 Their lives intertwine and the story is incredible。
Jade Driscoll
，
ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE takes place during World War II and shows the interweaving stories of Marie-Laure LeBlanc--a blind Parisian girl who must relocate to Saint-Malo and live with her great-uncle Etienne when the Germans invade France--and Werner Pfennig--a German orphan whose immense intelligence lands him in the war at only sixteen， though he isn't sure he supports what he's been asked to do。 Connecting Marie-Laure and Werner are the Sea of Flames， an invaluable jewel surrounded by dang ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE takes place during World War II and shows the interweaving stories of Marie-Laure LeBlanc--a blind Parisian girl who must relocate to Saint-Malo and live with her great-uncle Etienne when the Germans invade France--and Werner Pfennig--a German orphan whose immense intelligence lands him in the war at only sixteen， though he isn't sure he supports what he's been asked to do。 Connecting Marie-Laure and Werner are the Sea of Flames， an invaluable jewel surrounded by dangerous rumors， and the power of the radio。This was an absolutely beautiful read; the command of language is powerful， especially in a book where one of the characters experiences the world via sound rather than image。 Doerr did a phenomenal job describing how both characters--as well as some side characters--move through the war， from their immediate thoughts/actions to the immense nostalgia they feel over their pre-war lives and family structures。 The book provided closure for the characters and narrative threads while still leaving room for the audience to bring their hopes for the characters into their readings of the conclusion。 Finally， I absolutely admired the title， as it fit both characters so perfectly: there is so much literal light that Marie-Laure cannot see due to her blindness， and there is so much metaphorical light that Werner wants to see （radio waves， invisible parts of the electromagnetic spectrum， etc。） but cannot。This was a fantastic book that I HIGHLY recommend to fans of historical fiction， vivid language， and/or alternating characters and timelines。 。。。more
herma
，
this writing<3
Jenny
，
"Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever。"Simply stunning。 It is really rare to find a book that is written like this - that is simultaneously beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time。 Anthony Doerr's writing is captivating as he is able to so vividly bring this story to life。 His extensive use of imagery and metaphors creates this intricate and poetic writing that is just stunning。 The way he describes how a blind person is able to see the world is flawlessly "Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever。"Simply stunning。 It is really rare to find a book that is written like this - that is simultaneously beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time。 Anthony Doerr's writing is captivating as he is able to so vividly bring this story to life。 His extensive use of imagery and metaphors creates this intricate and poetic writing that is just stunning。 The way he describes how a blind person is able to see the world is flawlessly executed and added so much depth and complexity to the novel。 The slower pacing of the novel is extremely effective in developing the themes discussed throughout the novel along with showing the effects of war for people on both sides of the war。 It allowed for the characters to become very well developed as we journey with them throughout their lives and all their ups and downs。 “All your life you wait， and then it finally comes， and are you ready？”I truly appreciated the way Doerr portrayed how war robs people， especially children of their innocence and freedom to simply just imagine。 He executed this theme extremely well through Werner's POV， which I found so captivating to read。All in all， this is the type of book that will stick with me for quite some time。 。。。more
Samantha
，
4。5 stars！！ This book， set in WWII， is definitely a journey， and a sad and emotional one at that。 It’s a slow burn of a book， following two main characters; Marie-Laure， a curious， young， French girl who has been blind since the age of six， living with her loveable father in the heart of the war， and Werner， a young， intelligent， German orphan who has been chosen to start this “life” in the Hitler Youth。 Marie-Laure and Werner’s stories interwove ever so slightly throughout even though both are 4。5 stars！！ This book， set in WWII， is definitely a journey， and a sad and emotional one at that。 It’s a slow burn of a book， following two main characters; Marie-Laure， a curious， young， French girl who has been blind since the age of six， living with her loveable father in the heart of the war， and Werner， a young， intelligent， German orphan who has been chosen to start this “life” in the Hitler Youth。 Marie-Laure and Werner’s stories interwove ever so slightly throughout even though both are living very different lives。 The writing actually took me some getting used for some reason， but overall it was so expertly done with descriptive settings and thoughts and back and forth timelines。 I think it took me about a third of the way through to say that I really liked this book。 Some parts did feel a bit dense and slow and maybe hindered the story a tiny bit， but in saying that I did love the shortness of the chapters。 I got teary eyed a couple of times but not as much as I thought I would’ve。 WWII can sometimes be difficult to read about and because this one features two young main characters living in such a difficult time， it’s even more hard-hitting。 There was a lot to unpack and discover and feel within this book that it was both haunting and beautiful。 I really loved it。 It’s definitely a deserving Pulitzer Prize winner。 。。。more
Tegan
，
An amazing novel。
Bridget
，
Beautifully written
Nupur Jindal
，
The story very nicely portrays people's life before what could be called the advent of "Nazi Germany" within Germany as well as in France， during it， and in the aftermath of a war; its memories， its trauma， the loss， the hurt， the regrets， the guilt。 But was the length worth all that？ to that， all I can say is that most of the book ultimately felt like a build-up to what then became a heartbreakingly beautiful end。 Does the overwhelming feeling I'm experiencing right about now owe itself to that The story very nicely portrays people's life before what could be called the advent of "Nazi Germany" within Germany as well as in France， during it， and in the aftermath of a war; its memories， its trauma， the loss， the hurt， the regrets， the guilt。 But was the length worth all that？ to that， all I can say is that most of the book ultimately felt like a build-up to what then became a heartbreakingly beautiful end。 Does the overwhelming feeling I'm experiencing right about now owe itself to that beautiful end？ of course， yes。 But could that end be achieved without that long-ass build-up？ I wish I knew！ 。。。more
Annie
，
Though the book took place during WW2 （and before）， there were modern elements that took you out of it， mainly through the way it was told。 It seemed like a typical young adult-type novel with fantasy mixed in to fill in where it was lacking， further taking you out of the story。 I read about 2/3 of it before realizing that I’d rather not finish it - the book made me uncomfortable， not because it was a hard topic， quite frankly I felt that it skimmed over the horrors of war， but because it threw Though the book took place during WW2 （and before）， there were modern elements that took you out of it， mainly through the way it was told。 It seemed like a typical young adult-type novel with fantasy mixed in to fill in where it was lacking， further taking you out of the story。 I read about 2/3 of it before realizing that I’d rather not finish it - the book made me uncomfortable， not because it was a hard topic， quite frankly I felt that it skimmed over the horrors of war， but because it threw in inappropriate details for no reason。 。。。more
Nhi
，
One of the best books I’ve read in 2021
Amanda
，
Absolutely loved this book in every way， even if Anthony made me sob uncontrollably for the last ~40 pages！ Can't wait to read his other works。 I love historical fiction， and I found the book's attention to the very specific experiences of children on both sides of WW2 to be something new I hadn't read or thought about much before。 His motif of discovering what the war did to dreamers （FREDERICK， MY BBY！！ 😭） was heartbreaking but beautifully explored。 I also appreciated his desire to show the n Absolutely loved this book in every way， even if Anthony made me sob uncontrollably for the last ~40 pages！ Can't wait to read his other works。 I love historical fiction， and I found the book's attention to the very specific experiences of children on both sides of WW2 to be something new I hadn't read or thought about much before。 His motif of discovering what the war did to dreamers （FREDERICK， MY BBY！！ 😭） was heartbreaking but beautifully explored。 I also appreciated his desire to show the nuances of the "good vs。 evil" approach WW2 is taught with， and explored the humanity， mistakes， and goodness of Werner。 Doerr's perspective is very much one of awe and wonder at both the technology humans have created， and the ways in which humans try to take care of each other， and it was both heartwarming and breaking to read。 From a structural perspective， I found it to be very well paced， with both the quick back and forth of Werner and Marie （and sometimes Von Rumpel even though I hate that man so damn much！！） and the time jumping aiding in this。 In one of his interviews， Doerr said opened with the bombing of Saint Malo because he wanted the anxiety of what was coming to hang over the 400 pages of backstory， and it did that well。 Additionally， I loved that his chapters were short and succinct， wildly descriptive yet whole scenes contained within a few pages。 He also said in an interview that his writing is very descriptive/flowery， so he likes to give his readers pages with white text and short chapters to give them breathing room to digest。 Good interviews with Doerr: - https://medium。com/@Powells/interview。。。- https://www。boisestatepublicradio。org。。。 。。。more
Emma Idiart
，
good but the beginning was too slow for me tbh。 beautiful character development and connection though
Dana M
，
Beautiful I have to admit that this was a slow read for me in the beginning but about 30% in， I was hooked and couldn’t put the book down。 Beautifully written！
Melissa
，
Very interesting story， but I was too tired for the skipping 4 years back and fourth-style storytelling。
Ginger Burton
，
Beautiful story about the ugliness of war and it's affect on people。 Beautiful story about the ugliness of war and it's affect on people。 。。。more
Yossi Khebzou
，
3。5。 No acostumbro a leer ficción histórica， entonces esta fue una de mis primeras experiencias con el género。 Me pareció que es una narración interesante e inteligente: el autor hace un buen trabajo para proveer contexto y moverse entre personajes。 Sin embargo， me pareció que a tiempos fue un poco repetitivo y lento （no se， también puede tener que ver con que estaba un poco distraído cuando lo leí）。 Los personajes de Marie-Laure y Werner están bastante bien desarrollados。 De esta manera， trasci 3。5。 No acostumbro a leer ficción histórica， entonces esta fue una de mis primeras experiencias con el género。 Me pareció que es una narración interesante e inteligente: el autor hace un buen trabajo para proveer contexto y moverse entre personajes。 Sin embargo， me pareció que a tiempos fue un poco repetitivo y lento （no se， también puede tener que ver con que estaba un poco distraído cuando lo leí）。 Los personajes de Marie-Laure y Werner están bastante bien desarrollados。 De esta manera， trascienden los aparentes clichés que giran en torno a ellos， principalmente Marie-Laure。 En cuanto a Werner， creo que como judío me cuesta un poco más de trabajo empatizar con él， puesto que es un Nazi。 Sí me incomodó， peor lo logré。 Finalmente， es un ejemplo más de la banalidad del mal de la que habla Ardent y de la manera en la que un contexto determina a los sujetos dentro de él。Más allá de los personajes， el estilo y el contexto， me parece que el trama que sigue la novela sí es capaz de sumergir al lector， logrando una armonía entre los factores que hacen de un libro disfrutable。 。。。more
Kristin Winfrey
，
Enjoyable writing but a >500 paged turtle paced tale that was arduous to finish。
Aswathi
，
Never judge a book by it's cover Never judge a book by it's cover 。。。more
H Hornbacher
，
I found it disappointingly cliche with moments of literary beauty。 One such fun moment， after completing the book - none of them ever see the light and become much more or change， they seem stuck in their life rut… thus the name of the book。
Haley
，
4。5 stars。 Loved it。 Would recommend。 Wouldn’t re-read （it’s was kinda long for me） but will seek out other books by this author to read。
Kerry
，
By far one of the most beautiful and captivating books I've ever read。 It's not a light read or an easy read but it's wonderfully deep， rich and well written。 It's a must read and I'm looking forward to reading again soon。 By far one of the most beautiful and captivating books I've ever read。 It's not a light read or an easy read but it's wonderfully deep， rich and well written。 It's a must read and I'm looking forward to reading again soon。 。。。more
Mary
，
All the Light We Cannot See is an exquisitely written novel that intertwines the lives of a young German soldier and a blind French girl。 The characters are spun in realistic and true dimensions。 We can see and feel all the terror and sights that are invisible to young Marie-Laure。 Anthony Doerr eloquently writes about the beauty of all life forms and how small choices we make can result in large consequences。 This historical novel is a memorable and emotionally charged masterpiece。
Carol Hoenig
，
What a beautiful albeit heart wrenching page-turner。 Anthony Doerr won the Pulitzer for it and it is well deserved。 It will be a challenge to find something comparable。 The characters are so real to me that I find myself thinking about them on occasion。
Beth O'Connell
，
I’m a sucker for anything written during the WWII period。 However this story captures humanity during war and does a wonderful job shifting perspectives。
Taylor
，