All the Light We Cannot See

A Novel

By: Anthony Doerr

Narrated by: Zach Appelman

Length: 16 hrs and 2 mins

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

A must read!

This book deserves a second listen! The story is riveting. I listened to it in the car and time flew! The descriptions bring the story to life and the narrator was excellent. Put it on your list for the summer.

95% great, 5% slightly disappointing.

As I stated in the headline, 95% of this book is great. It's one of those books I loved listening to, always looking forward to the next chance I would get to listen to a bit. I love that experience (as opposed to books that gradually make me apathetic about my listening time).

However, I'm knocking a star off because I did not feel that the ending was satisfying, especially since I felt the entire book was building toward a different ending. I wouldn't say it's a bad ending -- just not what I was expecting/hoping for.

Your mileage may vary.

I did not want the book to come to an end.

What did you love best about All the Light We Cannot See?

It drew me into another time, another place, and into the lives of expertly crafted characters.
An impressive book, with layers of history, time, science, and an intricate plot and narration. I cannot recommend this book more highly. It was an amazing read. I fell in love with the characters, with the morality of the main characters. Quite uplifting in our present times of 'anything goes.'

What did you like best about this story?

The detail and depth of the narration.

Which character – as performed by Zach Appelman – was your favorite?

Werner, the gifted young boy with a questionable path, and his moral core that won the day.

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

Yes.. but impossible. I treasured the time I had to listen, and as the book ending drew near, I conserved my time so as to make it last.

Any additional comments?

Absolutely brilliant!

One of my favorite books about World War II.

Excellent! Well written. One of my favorite books about World War II. I would like to read more from this author.

Excellent!

I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves to read about love and war.

All the light we cannot see

I listened to this mostly while taking evening walks, and while I didn't find it to be a particularly unique story, it was beautifully written. The narration is easy to listen to, although I had a little trouble following the perspective changes in the beginning. This was also the first audio book I've ever listened to. I think overall this turned out to be a great book and I would highly recommend it to others!

Great story

I enjoyed the writing, the story, and the performance. I would recommend this to any adult. The language is beautiful.

Mesmerizing Listen

This book was mesmerizing. The author's use of perfect adjectives and unique metaphors made listening a joy. The 16 hours passed quickly. The narrator's reading of the author's words was excellent.

The story of Marie-Laure, a young blind girl, living in Paris with her father begins right before the Germans invade. It follows their exodus from Paris to the coastal city of Saint-Malo, its eventual siege and her escape. You meet her great-uncle, his housekeeper and other French citizens.

But that is not all of the story. Werner and his younger sister are growing up in an orphanage in a mining town in Germany. Werner's brilliance is rewarded by being sent to a Hitler Youth School.

As these two young people grow up, their lives grow together. And the journey that Doerr takes the reader on is filled with many amazing twists of phrases and words.

This is a beautifully woven story

Just loved this book. I hated for it to end. The writing was beautiful and I loved the way the stories unfold.

Moving

Started off slow & actually remains that way but gets a hold of you through the likable characters & the different story.