Bookseller Reviews
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Magnificent. An all time great.
This novel has received rave reviews and for once, the hype is justified. Words such as magnificent, wonderful, sublime, magical and compelling do this nov... READ MORE
A stunning read
Since I finished the last page of this book I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. It is the most beautiful novel that I have read for as long as I... READ MORE
Stunning!
I was so pleased to discover that this book definitely lives up to the brilliant reviews, and thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
Werner Pfennig is a self-taug... READ MORE
Stunning
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There are moments when Doerr appears to tangent off, rolling around in his own mastery of the written word which can be som... READ MORE
Absolutely stunning. Every sentence is just so beautifully well written! Reminded me a little of The Book Thief from the writing style and the two main cha... READ MORE
An oustanding achievement of a novel.
'All the Light We Cannot See' is, without a doubt, the best book I have ever read. The way in which Doerr creates such hauntingly beautiful scenes within s... READ MORE
Synopsis
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2015
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
Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever.
For Marie-Laure, blind since the age of six, the world is full of mazes. The miniature of a Paris neighbourhood, made by her father to teach her the way home. The microscopic layers within the invaluable diamond that her father guards in the Museum of Natural History. The walled city by the sea, where father and daughter take refuge when the Nazis invade Paris. And a future which draws her ever closer to Werner, a German orphan, destined to labour in the mines until a broken radio fills his life with possibility and brings him to the notice of the Hitler Youth.
In this magnificent, deeply moving novel, the stories of Marie-Laure and Werner illuminate the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another.
- Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
- ISBN: 9780008138301
- Number of pages: 544
- Weight: 370g
- Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 34 mm
Customer Reviews
View allNot for me
Oh dear. I'm afraid I'm badly out of step with the rave reviews because I didn't like this novel. It's a decent idea and has its moments, but for me the st... READ MORE
A lovely book
I thoroughly enjoyed this book - didn't want it to end. I'm not sure what to read next as I know the next book won't compare to this. Thoroughly captivatin... READ MORE
Beautiful!
This book was one of those you can't put down, beautifully written, characters so well defined , & heart-breaking as to the effects war can have on the mo... READ MORE
Probably the best book I've read in the last 20 years
I compiled my top 10 favourite novels when I was about 20 and this is the first one to make a new entry to my list since then. The drama unfolds without hy... READ MORE
This is the most amazing book I have ever read
I absolutely loved this book and found it very easy to get into right from the beginning and totally compelling thereafter! As the story is in short chapte... READ MORE
Beauty and the Beast?
'All the Light We Cannot See' is a beautifully written novel that takes in France during the Occupation, a blind girl, and the travails of a young German ... READ MORE
Beautiful, captivating
This book is just wonderfully written, and a true delight to read. At times harrowing, thought provoking and moving throughout. Loved it.
Enjoyable but flawed
A wonderful premise, expertly delivered with genuine page turning momentum. However, though the principal characters were adroitly contrived, they didn't q... READ MORE
All the Light we cannot see - Anthony Doerr
Breathtakingly good - deeply thoughtful and stayed with me ever since. I was recommended this novel by friends and have recommended it to others since. It ... READ MORE
Page turner
Great read , easy to follow as it jumps forward & back. Shorts chapters so easy - for me - to read when on short flights etc filling time ....
Good charac... READ MORE
A tremendous setting and at a poignant part in European history...
I was lucky enough to be sent this book and from the huge amount of publicity this book had I immediately picked it up as soon as I finished a previous bo... READ MORE
Dull
Incredibly disappointed with this book. I can't understand all the praise that has been heaped on it. I found it dull, clunky and rather unengaging. I r... READ MORE
A Fact fuelled fantasy.
This book engages the reader immediately with its differing viewpoints of the impact of the Second World War. Sometimes horrific in its cruelty, sometimes ... READ MORE
Enchanting!
All the reviews on the cover were spot on. A magnificent story with enchanting central characters, set against a mighty back-drop and delicately written fo... READ MORE
Absolutely Beautiful!
I found this book looking for books who had won the Pulizer prize for fiction and fell in love with the small synopsis I read of 'All the light we cannot s... READ MORE
A tale of two children
It is rare to find a modern novel bearing the depth and reality of the Russian classics with a unique twist of being told from the viewpoint of children. A... READ MORE
All the Lights you cannot see By Anthony Doerr
Love the story line of 2 young people from different backgrounds taking their fate into their own hands. Even though the French and the German don’t meet ... READ MORE
All The Light we Cannot See
A dull drudge of a read.
Alluring story that you wish wouldn't end
The story was full of likeable characters, whose stories you easily empathised with and found myself wishing it wouldn't end. It was an entrancing story an... READ MORE
Definitive page-turner
I was attracted to this book from the moment I saw the release advertisement posters, an intense love at first sight feeling washed over me and I can say, ... READ MORE
Well written but wordy
Marie-Laure a young blind girl lives with her father in the suburbs of Paris. Her father has created a miniature model of the city and by memorizing the de... READ MORE
Well-written story with sympathetically drawn main characters
It took me a long time to get round to reading this book, but it was well worth it.
Marie-Laure is a blind girl whose father is a locksmith. Forced to fl... READ MORE
Outstanding enrichment with an excellent ending!
Loved to see, a tumultous period sobering down over time, through the eyes of someone who has had a first hand experience of seeing the century turn.Intrig... READ MORE
Great book
I found this book really captivated me; I wanted to keep reading.
Bittersweet yet fulfilling
This book is great from start to finish! An extremely well developed plot allows you to become heartwarmingly attached to the characters and the ending wil... READ MORE
Finally seen the light…..
Incredibly fortunate to have been chosen by the publisher 4th Estate to read a free copy of this wonderful page-turner of a novel. Set in WWII the story r... READ MORE
A Brilliant Book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading!
The author, Anthony Doerr, gives a very different perspective to the usual wartime novel, by following the experiences of a talented German orphan (Werner)... READ MORE
A slow read.
For me I found this book slow and struggled to finish it. Can't say I understand why this book is popular but it's not more me .
If you haven't read this book, please do.
If anyone asks me my favourite book, I never hesitate to say this one. After finishing this book, I really struggled to find something else to read because... READ MORE
Enjoyed Reading the Book
Good book. Keeps you guessing loved the small chapters.
A must-read!
I lived every page of this book. There were so many facets of this book, a beautiful story, wonderful writing and sparkling characters. It’s such an intere... READ MORE
Compelling and moving story of the French Resistance
The story of All the Light We Cannot See tells of Marie Laure, a blind girl living in Paris in the 1930s with her father, a museum locksmith and miniaturis... READ MORE
Life changing
Honestly loved this book! It absolutely broke me but I would recommend this over and over again to everyone!
A beautiful tale of love, in all its forms, in the face of destruction
A heart wrenching yet beautiful story about the destruction of war on the small port town of Saint Malo. Doerr interweaves the lives of a blind French girl... READ MORE
Different perspective
A most enjoyable book, written through the eyes of two children on opposite sides during the war
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