All the Light We Cannot See

By: Anthony Doerr

Narrated by: Julie Teal

Length: 17 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

WINNER OF THE 2015 PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
WINNER OF THE CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR FICTION

A beautiful, stunningly ambitious novel about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II

Marie Laure lives with her father in Paris within walking distance of the Museum of Natural History where he works as the master of the locks (there are thousands of locks in the museum). When she is six, she goes blind, and her father builds her a model of their neighborhood, every house, every manhole, so she can memorize it with her fingers and navigate the real streets with her feet and cane. When the Germans occupy Paris, father and daughter flee to Saint-Malo on the Brittany coast, where Marie-Laure’s agoraphobic great uncle lives in a tall, narrow house by the sea wall.

In another world in Germany, an orphan boy, Werner, grows up with his younger sister, Jutta, both enchanted by a crude radio Werner finds. He becomes a master at building and fixing radios, a talent that wins him a place at an elite and brutal military academy and, ultimately, makes him a highly specialized tracker of the Resistance. Werner travels through the heart of Hitler Youth to the far-flung outskirts of Russia, and finally into Saint-Malo, where his path converges with Marie-Laure.

Doerr’s gorgeous combination of soaring imagination with observation is electric. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another. Ten years in the writing, All the Light We Cannot See is his most ambitious and dazzling work.

©2014 Anthony Doerr (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

Critic reviews

“This jewel of a story is put together like a vintage timepiece … Doerr's writing and imagery are stunning. It's been a while since a novel had me under its spell in this fashion.” (Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting for Stone)

"All the Light We Cannot See is a dazzling, epic work of fiction. Anthony Doerr writes beautifully about the mythic and the intimate, about snails on beaches and armies on the move, about fate and love and history and those breathless, unbearable moments when they all come crashing together.” (Jess Walter, author of Beautiful Ruins)

"Doerr sees the world as a scientist, but feels it as a poet. He knows about everything - radios, diamonds, mollusks, birds, flowers, locks, guns - but he also writes a line so beautiful, creates an image or scene so haunting, it makes you think forever differently about the big things - love, fear, cruelty, kindness, the countless facets of the human heart [...] Doerr's new novel is that novel, the one you savor, and ponder, and happily lose sleep over, then go around urging all your friends to read - now.” (J.R. Moehringer, author of Sutton and The Tender Bar)

Beautiful, unforgettable story.

Probably the best fiction I've listened to in a year. Beautifully written and read. So many novels have been written over the years about WWII but this one is a little different. Every character is special and 'fits' into the story. Thought provoking and special.

All the light we cannot seen

Beautifully written with wonderful emotive language. The author manages to transport you to a different time and place. At times a tad slow.

a great listen

Loced it except for one thing. a lovely narration was marred by frequent mispronunciarions. very poetic.

beautiful!

Struggled the first 30 minutes or so, but afterwards was hooked. characters fabulous. gripping story lines.

Absolutely worth it

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

Beautifully and sensitively written, the characters draw you in. I could not stop listening...

Extraordinary book.

In a year of good reads, this book might well be my favourite. Tightly plotted like a thriller, yet beautifully and poetically written, this world war II story of a blind French girl, a young German soldier and a rare diamond is spellbinding. Julie Teal's narration is perfect - just the right pace, and very nuanced. I cannot recommend this highly enough.

Mispronunciation sure, but buy it anyway!

All the Light We Cannot See is a well balanced gem of a book - beautifully written descriptions and dialogue. Most of all I loved the diverse and complex relationships. The humanity of all the characters was deftly captured, and the many and varied forms of love.
A few words were noticeably mispronounced and it was a little disruptive when that happened. I got the impression that the reader was aware of some of them opted to persist rather than introduce inconsistency. Ideally those mistakes should have been spotted and corrected before publishing. However, aside from these relatively infrequent glitches I loved the narration - it was unobtrusive, understated and sensitive. I was totally engaged and had no difficulty distinguishing one character from another and certainly experienced a wide range of emotions along with the characters.
I would encourage anyone who loves really good literature to listen to this beautiful story.

Excellent rendering of emotional history of war

I rate this book excellent because it made me feel empathy for the individuals on both sides and let's us see that not only the horrors of war itself are devastating but how it affects people's future. And shows human strengths as well

An incredible, beautiful, daring Novel....Dazzling

an incredible story, It Will dazzle you.
full of youth, and warm story. Exceptional and kind.

Amazing

Such poetic depth, it demands a re-listen. Flawless. Soul changing. Thank you for the experience.