Monday 3 August 2015

Doerr, Anthony "All the Light We Cannot See"

Doerr, Anthony "All the Light We Cannot See" - 2014

The last couple of years, I have read the latest Pulitzer Prize winner and have usually been very happy with them. So, I had to read this one, as well. And it has not disappointed me.

Anthony Doerr managed to write a different kind of war story, a story about the little people, on either side of the war, those that had not much to say about what was happening to them and who paid the highest price. He tells the story of a German orphan boy and a blind French girl who both suffer from what happened, who were probably not even in school when the election in Germany decided about their fate and who had to pay the highest price.

The story is fascinating, the writing is careful yet beautiful, the characters are described in a loving way. This is one of the books that you would like to read as slow as possible because you hope it will never end. Because, even though you hope for a good ending, you fear for a bad one.

I wish there would be more books written like this because it might teach the people of today what it might have been like to live in Germany during that time, that not all Germans were Nazis and that even those who were often had no choice.

A brilliant book that I would recommend to anyone.

Anthony Doerr received the Pulitzer Prize for "All the Light We Cannot See" in 2016.

From the back cover:

"The epic new novel, set during WW2, from Sunday Times Short Story Prize-winner Anthony Doerr.
Marie-Laure has been blind since the age of six. Her father builds a perfect miniature of their Paris neighbourhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. But when the Nazis invade, father and daughter flee with a dangerous secret.

Werner Pfennig is a German orphan, destined to labour in the same mine that claimed his father’s life, until he discovers a knack for engineering. His talent wins him a place at a brutal military academy, but his way out of obscurity is built on suffering.


At the same time, far away in a walled city by the sea, an old man discovers new worlds without ever setting foot outside his home. But all around him, impending danger closes in. And yet, it will not allow him to remain shut in forever


Doerr’s combination of soaring imagination and meticulous observation is electric. As Europe is engulfed by war and lives collide unpredictably, ‘
All The Light We Cannot See’ is a captivating and devastating elegy for innocence and of how, against all odds, people try to be good to one another."

There were also a few books mentioned/read in the book.
Darwin, Charles "The Voyage of the 'Beagle'"
Hertz, Heinrich "The Principles of Mechanics"
Verne, Jules "Around the World in Eighty Days"
Verne, Jules "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea"

10 comments:

  1. Haven't read this one yet, but it's on my TBR list.

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    1. Defnitely worth reading, Janet.

      Enjoy!
      Marianne

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  2. I listened to this on audio. Well worth taking the time to read.

    ENJOY your day.

    Stopping by from Carole's Books You Loved August Edition. I am in the list as #30 through #33.

    Happy Reading!!

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews

    The Promise of Home

    The Secrets of Lake Road

    In The Dark Places

    Dead Money Run

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Elizabeth, I always enjoy seeing your reviews, as well. Some of those books will certainly go on my reading list, as well, they all sound quite interesting.

      Thank you for stopping by and talk to you soon.
      Marianne

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  3. I thought this was an absolutely wonderful book, certainly deserving of all the acclaim it has received. I'm happy to see that you enjoyed it also.

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    1. Definitely, Dorothy, I thought it was a great book that will certainly become a classic. Thank you for stopping by. Do you have a blog, as well?

      Happy reading,
      Marianne

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  4. This has been the best book I've read all year! Even though I'm getting tired of all of the WWII books, the one was from such a difference perspective with such great characters and storytelling, that it could have been any war. And as with any war, for some who participate, it's not a choice as you said, but circumstance.

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    1. I totally agree. It can get a bit much sometimes but then there is an author like Anthony Doerr who makes us look at the whole subject from a different point of view again and it's all interesting.

      I am glad you enjoyed the book as much as I did.

      Happy reading,
      Marianne

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  5. I will certainly be keeping this one in mind for when I have room and time for more fiction! Lovely review.

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    1. I am sure you will like it, Sarah. Such a great story.

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