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

Excellent read

A complex story of a young girl, her family, strength, sorrow, determination and so much more. All with history as the back drop.

So much love. I didn't want to stop listening.

Beautifully written. This is a book I will listen to again when I need something wonderful and human.

Great Novel

One of the best Novels I have come across in a long time.
Riveting story, my only take was the ending, was a bit abrupt.
Nevertheless a very very good novel.
The narrator did an exceptional job as well.

Amazing story telling

The tension developed during the story is masterful. Narrative descriptions are deep and ethereal. Overall - fabulous.

Must Listen

The days before WWII in Europe we have all read about. How many of us were actually there?
Follow a sweet little blind French girl and a young German boy as they grow up in countries destined for pain, suffering and profound sorry.
Every paragraph leads you to the next and you cannot wait to reach the end to see how it all plays out..... Then you are sad- because, it's over...

not a quick read

historical fiction is not my thing, but the story was interesting! I understand why so many people loved this book, but it was a struggle for me to get through. very descriptive!

Great Story - but not a Five Star

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

The character development was exceptional and the overall story brought a unique perspective to the horror of WW2.

What did you like best about this story?

What I liked best - but what caused it to NOT get my Five Star rating -- the chronology. The unfolding of the story was compelling, but at the same time, confusing. Perhaps this was because it was audio. I might have been more excited had I read the written version. THe jumping around of the timelines had me rewinding on this book more than I have ever needed to do in other audiobooks.

Have you listened to any of Zach Appelman’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

He was fine...no complaints.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The unresolved ending.

Enjoyed every minute

Great storytelling, wonderful performance. I was hooked from the very beginning! I loved how the story unfolded from both ends.

Really liked

Beautiful writing, a little slow at times but really picked up in the last third of the book. Loved the main characters...

One of the best books I have ever read (heard)

The language is so rich. The story telling deep and beautiful. I can't say enough good things about this book. I would recommend it to anybody.