• All the Light We Cannot See

  • A Novel
  • By: Anthony Doerr
  • Narrated by: Zach Appelman
  • Length: 16 hrs and 2 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (64,028 ratings)

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All the Light We Cannot See  By  cover art

All the Light We Cannot See

By: Anthony Doerr
Narrated by: Zach Appelman
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Publisher's summary

Winner of the 2015 Audie Award for Fiction

Marie-Laure lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where he works as the master of its thousands of locks. When she is six, Marie-Laure goes blind and her father builds a perfect miniature of their neighborhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. When she is 12, 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, the orphan Werner grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments, a talent that wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth, then a special assignment to track the resistance. More and more aware of the human cost of his intelligence, Werner travels through the heart of the war and, finally, into Saint-Malo, where his story and Marie-Laure’s converge.

©2014 Anthony Doerr (P)2014 Simon & Schuster Audio

Featured Article: The Best Historical Fiction Audiobooks


Often based on real people, events, and scenarios, historical fiction gives us the opportunity to learn about worlds and times we will never experience while introducing fascinating characters and stories set in their midst. Sometimes, the genre can even give us a peek into hidden storylines that routinely go unmentioned in traditional history books, showing us that those of ages past are perhaps not so different from ourselves.

What listeners say about All the Light We Cannot See

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    42,597
  • 4 Stars
    14,618
  • 3 Stars
    4,842
  • 2 Stars
    1,264
  • 1 Stars
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    40,946
  • 4 Stars
    11,745
  • 3 Stars
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
    12,243
  • 3 Stars
    4,453
  • 2 Stars
    1,304
  • 1 Stars
    674

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  • Overall
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Amazing!

I loved listening to this story. l loved the realistic characters set during a world gone mad!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Historical Novel WWII

I saw the war in a totally new way. Through the eyes of soldiers and most remarkably a blind girl. As far as I know it was historically accurate. There were many characters woven together brilliantly. Each with interesting stories of their own Well done!

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    3 out of 5 stars

Jumpy

The book was okay and I really liked the main characters. However, it constantly jumped back and forth in time periods and between characters. It might have been easier to navigate had I been reading the actual book, but it would take me a few sentences to figure out which characters we were listening to and what time period it was.

I was bothered by the ending and how it never explained how Warner got the model house. it was just there all of a sudden.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Amazing

It will grip you from the beginning. An absolutely outstanding story, that tells a perspective of WWII I've never heard before. I sincerely recommend this book.

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Historical story with suspence

Excellent story of two main people during World War II Very believable French and German teens. And what happened to them. Great deal of suspense. Since the girl is blind.

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Great listen

Excellent story and great narration. A credit well spent. Interesting take on the final days of WWII. Will look for other stories from Mr. Doerr. Kudos

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Slow start but stick with it

Like a diamond- it takes a while for the facets to reveal themselves. I'm really glad I did. More perspectives and richer than most WWII based fiction I have read. The references to the natural sciences in stark contrast to human imposed "order" are also very apt, unique and appealing. Offers much to think about. In some aspects, a more beautiful and gentler rendering of "Lord of the Flies."

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Beautiful story and writing

Loved the story and the writing. Incredible descriptions and great characters and a plot that moves. Excellent performance as well.

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Gripping!

Great audio book! I was hooked from start to finish. I would definitely recommend this book

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Awesome read

I now understand why this book was number one on Goodreads, it's very well developed and the story was great. I don't know but I wish there was a part two.

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