All the Light We Cannot See

A Novel

By: Anthony Doerr

Narrated by: Zach Appelman

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

4.72 stars......one of the best

This is one of the better audiobooks on Audible. The narrator is great, and so is the story, which alternates between two protagonists. This novel won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and there are countless reviews, so I won't go into a summary of it. I will say that it won The Pulitzer for a reason, and the narration only enhances the story. You can't go wrong with this one.

Overall rating: 4.72 stars

I've been waiting for this book all spring!

While I have had some good reads this spring, nothing compares to the joy I have experienced in reading this beautifully written book. One of the first things I thought of when I finished it is that I have to start all over again sometime so I can stop thinking about the content and just bask in its exquisite language and imagery.

I have read numerous books about World War II and the ones I have liked will stay in my memory for a long time. I have not listened to one as good as The Book Thief until this book, however - funny how they both center on a child's perspective. From the thoughtful characterization to the masterful unfolding of the plot, this is a book that cries out for you to download it right away.

Seeing so much through blind eyes

Well written story that provides a new view of all of the victims of the Nazis. Such a horrible time viewed through the eyes of children is buoyed by a lyrical tone and magical elements that help to find just the right pace and tone. Great book.

best book I've ever heard

If you could sum up All the Light We Cannot See in three words, what would they be?

Poetic. Listening to this story about a blind girl was sublime. I could feel and see all that she was experiencing without my eyes.

What other book might you compare All the Light We Cannot See to and why?

Mudbound. Written from the perspective of multiple characters who converge at the end of the story.

Which scene was your favorite?

Listening especially to this story about a blind girl. Allowed me to use my sense of hearing to imagine a world without site

Understanding

Presents a viewpoint of the war not often offered. Excellent.
My neighbor lived as a child in Germany during this time. This book offers understanding of her life.

One of my favorites in quite some time

I enjoyed this book. My book club enjoyed this book. First time in our 6 years history that everyone gave it two thumbs up!

Didn't quite live up to all the fuss

Would you consider the audio edition of All the Light We Cannot See to be better than the print version?

No, actually I would have liked it a little more had I just read it. The narrator did well with all the German in the book, but not so well with the French. There is a LOT of French in the book, and hearing things mispronounced was definitely grating and distracting.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was Werner, because he was complicated; he allowed himself to be swept up in the tide for his own personal gain, but he was not completely blind to the bigger picture.

What three words best describe Zach Appelman’s performance?

Poor French accent.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No -- it was very well written, sometimes beautifully so, and the weaving together of the storylines was masterful. If I had just come across it on my own, I'm sure I would have thought it was a very good, even remarkable, book. But with all the hype, and everyone talking about it constantly, expectations were set high. I just didn't think it lived up to all that.

Read it!

Forget any negative review and just read (listen to) this remarkable book. It is a treasure.

Made Me a Believer

I just wasn't sure I could remain interested in a novel about WW2. I adored this!

Fantastic book and good reading

Great story and the audiobook performance did the book justice. Read kept true to beat.