All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Anthoy Doerr’s All The Light We Cannot See lives up to the hype! This historical fiction novel is set in World War II and alternates between two main characters, a teenage boy named Werner Pfennig and a blind teenage girl named Marie-Laure.
Don’t be the last one to the party on this book! Netflix is planning on creating a four-part limited series based on this book, and I can’t wait to see what they come up with. Hugh Laurie is set to play the role of Marie-Laure’s great uncle!
This is my second Anthony Doerr book, and it didn’t disappoint. The other novel that I read was Cloud Cuckoo Land. All the Light We Cannot See is much more straightforward in my opinion and is much easier to follow. Although All the Light We Cannot see is a rather lengthy novel, the short paragraphs and chapters keep the action flowing.
When reading this book, I practiced immersion reading with a free copy of the text through Libby, a free service provided by my local library and a copy of the audiobook procured through Scribd. I love immersion reading!!!!!
We meet Werner Pfennig. He is an orphan, living in Germany, who awaits the passage of time where he dreads the day he will start to work in the very same mine that killed his father. However, Werner makes a name for himself working on radios. Will Werner’s skills be his ticket out of the orphanage? What will Werner do with these skills? And how will his path intersect with Marie-Laure?
Although Marie-Laure is originally born with sight, she eventually loses her ability to see. Her father helps her to regain her independence by crafting a replica of the city. However, Paris is at risk for attack, and Marie-Laure and her father flee to Saint-Malo where her great-uncle lives. Her great-uncle is 63, suffering from PTSD, and never leaves the house. How will All The Light We Cannot See end for Marie-Laure, her father, and her great-uncle?
This book has some really great character development. The characters are not all good nor all bad. Some of the characters struggle with decisions that they have made, questioning what they should have done differently. Additionally, there are two disabled people in this book. They are important characters (not side characters), and they are doing important work. Not all heroes carry swords or have ninja moves.
Overall, All The Light We Cannot See is a captivating read, one I look forward to reading again. Need more bookish thoughts? Check out Lisa of Troy!