• 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 (64,054 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
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What listeners say about All the Light We Cannot See

Average customer ratings
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    42,615
  • 4 Stars
    14,622
  • 3 Stars
    4,844
  • 2 Stars
    1,264
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    709
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Story
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    4,456
  • 2 Stars
    1,304
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    674

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Refreshing

What made the experience of listening to All the Light We Cannot See the most enjoyable?

Nice surprise to hear a story from childrens perspectives without the cliches. The war is captured well through experiences from many perspectives so you get a well rounded picture of the environment. Beautiful wrap up without rushing the details. It took me a little while to get into it, but after dozens of reads, this is a top selection. The narrator was also on point.

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Absorbing

A great book for audio - the narrator does a wonderful job of bringing the characters and story to life. The next time I am in France, I will visit San Malo.

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Couldn't stop listening!

The author takes you immediately into this world. With two or three words he can perfectly describe something so it's as if you're there. If you love books about WWII then I highly recommend this story. Two worlds woven together. Although I got used to his voice, it would have been even better had the narrator been able to use a French and German accent for each character and/or location.

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Wow!

I was told this was a gripping book, but it exceeded all expectations. I held my breath. I cried. Marvelous!

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Beautiful story and wonderfully read

The reader was phenomenal. I was completely drawn in by the story and the different characters. A great listen, almost appropriate to not physically read but only listen. I fell in love with the characters. I feel I have a new perspective on WWII.

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Excellent

This is a very special book. It is beautifully written and well read. I highly recommend it.

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Beautiful

I never thought a book written like a poem would be readable, much less so beautiful. This story is vivid, real, and touching.

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beautifully written and endearing

The story will leave you breathless, heartbroken, and joyful. I find myself wanting more of this story and more of the greatness of a generation that we have now lost.
It is difficult to follow in the first few chapters on audio book because you have unexplained flash forwards into the same persons future.
This book is worth reading none the less.

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Got me into Audiobooks... LOVED IT!

I never thought I could like audiobooks, but this book changed that and changed me in so many other ways for the best. The story is beautiful and sad, and real and touching. It is a masterpiece in my opinion. I got so into the characters that I would dream about them, they thought me to persevere and to be grateful for the small things.

I am deeply in love with this book and certainly will listen to it another time.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Voice puts me to sleep

Got this book for a long drive, monotone voice makes it impossible to drive to.. too dry. Great book, however.

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