Sample
  • 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 (64,621 ratings)

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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

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What listeners say about All the Light We Cannot See

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    43,032
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    14,716
  • 3 Stars
    4,876
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  • Overall
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Heartfelt historical novel

A moving novel. Heartfelt, this one will wring emotion from the most hardened. I was rooting for the two protagonists, a blind French girl, Marie Loire, and the German cadet/soldier, Werner, whose fates intertwine. If only love, under the circumstances, weren’t impossible. But I’m a romantic. There was little light during the Second World War. For those caught in its maelstrom, it was a matter of survival. Some made it, many did not. Though his masterwork conveys feeling, Doerr does not go sentimental on us, though we longed for it. The Audible version is great, and the piano chords of Debussy’s melancholic but beautiful Clair de Lune so fitting at the end.

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lyrical

A non-judgmental tender look at the violence of human dysfunction, and the tendrils of love that partially reunite the life trajectories of its survivors.

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Good depth

It doesn’t seem right to use dreamy as a description for this book when the action is taking place during WWII but that is the feeling I get from this listen. I enjoy the feeling very much. The blindness of the character seems to slow things down a bit. That suits me. I listen to a lot of audio books, mostly while driving. This is one of those that I happily just kept turning back on and listening to. Great stories, well written and narrated. Highly recommend.

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One of my favorite books of all time

I have read this book twice and the 2nd time was even more powerful. I plan on following in the footsteps of this novel next year in France and Germany with my daughter.

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life altering book

I cannot say enough about the insight this book gave me to the struggles people faced and the love that can be found in the small things.

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I want more!

Where does All the Light We Cannot See rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the best books I've listened to that brings to life the characters, the sights, smells and sounds of the times. I was totally transported to being with the characters in their lives and experiencing their travails

What did you like best about this story?

Character development

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Mesmerizing!!!

My love for historical anything is tremendous. Recently I have taken to listening more than reading said literature. This particular book was captivating, and unique it is story-telling. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction/non-fiction. You will not be disappointed!!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Sad but moving story

Such a sad and moving story. there are beautiful, lovely characters as well as evil characters in this story.

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delightful

I didn't know what to expect from this book and was happily surprised by the quality of the story and the reader. Deep, rich characters make the story hard to quit.

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I loved listening to this book.

Where does All the Light We Cannot See rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 10

What was one of the most memorable moments of All the Light We Cannot See?

The German orphan, after repairing a radio for the Nazi, the Nazi gave him his first piece of cake.

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