771 pages
English language
Published Nov. 3, 2014 by Thorndike Press.
A blind French girl on the run from the German occupation and a German orphan-turned-Resistance tracker struggle with respective beliefs after meeting on the Brittany coast.
beautiful writing, but I really disliked the brutality. The whole book was ominous, just not my thing.
I didn't know what to expect when I started All the Light We Cannot See. Right away, I was concerned that there were going to be too many characters and I wouldn't be able to fully connect with any of them enough to keep me engaged in what is a pretty long book. What happened, instead, is that, to varying degrees, I cared about them all.
Once the characters were introduced, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how they were all connected. It didn't take long, however, for me to stop thinking so much about that and become completely engrossed in their individual situations. When I did start to unravel the connections, I wasn't disappointed. Twice I could feel my eyes widen with the realization and I wished I had someone close by that I could share it with.
This is a beautifully written, thought-provoking book. …
I didn't know what to expect when I started All the Light We Cannot See. Right away, I was concerned that there were going to be too many characters and I wouldn't be able to fully connect with any of them enough to keep me engaged in what is a pretty long book. What happened, instead, is that, to varying degrees, I cared about them all.
Once the characters were introduced, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how they were all connected. It didn't take long, however, for me to stop thinking so much about that and become completely engrossed in their individual situations. When I did start to unravel the connections, I wasn't disappointed. Twice I could feel my eyes widen with the realization and I wished I had someone close by that I could share it with.
This is a beautifully written, thought-provoking book. There were many passages that forced me to stop and re-read them because the prose was just that gorgeous. Some of the metaphors demanded that extra attention. The author's descriptions allowed me to be fully present with the characters. I haven’t been this moved by a writer’s style in a long time.
My only regret is that I didn't have more time to read it in much larger chunks. Having to listen to only a few chapters at a time for most of the book made it harder to stay connected to the characters. But even with that obstacle, I still fell in love with Werner and Marie-Laure. Hell, I even felt that I understood the "bad guy", Von Rumpel.
Part of me wishes the book would have ended well before it actually did, but another part is glad to have had some closure - not a lot of closure, but some.
I know I'm late to the party here but if anyone out there is still on the fence about diving in, don't wait any longer. I can definitely see myself reading this one again. There aren't many mainstream novels that I reread but I'm certain I missed details on my first time through.
I received a copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. Once I realized I'd wouldn't have time to read it with my eyes, I picked up the audio version and am happy I did. To hear the French and German pronounced helped to keep me immersed in the story. Besides the fact that the narrator did a great job.
