Published by Scribner
Publication date: May 6th 2014
I may be writing this review to watch myself write because virtually every reader I know has already read Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See. Ostensibly, my excuse is, this Pulitzer Prize winning novel originally published in 2014 is being re-released in paperback. But really? WHY did it take me this long to read this wonder of a novel? I have no decent reason. It was not a backlash against the hype, but more likely too many other reading commitments and then I forgot. Mea culpa. Needless to say, I get it now and regret every minute I wasted not knowing this beautiful book.
A quick synopsis: All the Light We Cannot See is the story of Marie-Laure, a French girl who goes blind when she is six; Werner, a German orphan with a gift for mathematics and technology; World War II, and, even, a famed diamond that is said to be cursed, kept in a French museum. If the diamond part sounds improbable or off-putting, it’s not. The novel follows all of these elements from 1934 to the liberation of France in 1944 and moves from Essen, Germany to the ancient French city of Saint-Malo. Doerr builds the novel in brief chapters that transect the lives of Marie-Laure, Werner and those around them. Rather than a fragmented sense, these chapters give a feeling of careful layering and provide the white space needed to process the scope of the turmoil on the pages.
Marie-Laure’s father Daniel is the locksmith for the museum and uses his skill at creating keys and locks to make ingenious miniature puzzle boxes as gifts for his daughter. Doerr constructs All the Light We Cannot See with the same intricacy and precision as Daniel’s boxes. From the outside it is simply a book: pages and a cover. Lovely, but just another book. It’s not even a complex mechanism—the only key needed is to open it and turn the pages, but doing so unlocks a vast world, every minute detail exquisitely rendered, perfectly populated with tender pain, heartfelt loss, joy, striving, and all the mysteries of the human heart. It is as flawless as the gem at the novel’s center.
So – did you get into this immediately or did it take awhile? I could reconsider down the line, but I don’t see it happening anytime soon.
I’d say by 20 pages I was in. I remember trying it when it first came out and setting it aside, but as I started it this time I don’t know what put me off.
I read All the Light We Cannot See shortly after The Nightingale, and for me it fell a little short in comparison. Still, it was obviously an excellent story. Glad you gave it another try and connected with it this time!
That’s so interesting because it reminded me of The Nightingale. They both had a very similar tone. I’d agree with you that Nightingale had a faster pace and more plot. I love both of them! I keep thinking I’ve read enough WWII fiction but there’s always another story to tell!
Funny – I see the comparison but for me All the Light We Cannot See was so much better. The Nightingale didn’t take off (for me) until maybe the last third! I didn’t read them close together and All The Light We Cannot See was first so maybe that’s the difference.
I would love to read this again for the first time.
Exquisite review!
I agree- I liked Light more than Nightingale. I liked Nightingale way more than Women in the Castle.
I was super excited to read your review. The beauty of _All the Light_ haunts me still.
I wondered if you had read it! I was going to text you in case you hadn’t. It really is gorgeous.
Yay for you! I loved this book so much when it came out and it was before the hype, which is so not me. I’m usually late to the party and just picked this one up on a whim. I was so annoying after I read it and bothered everyone I knew to read it. After, I wanted to read more books by him and he only has two short story collections. I bought both but have only read The Shell Collector. It was wonderful- lots of science and nature.
I didn’t realize it was his first novel! I wish I was a short story fan but it’s one of the genres that I keep setting aside.
I think I’m one of the only people on the planet who really didn’t like this book. I will definitely agree that the writing was stellar, but I found it dragged, and I never got invested in either of the main characters. I kept reading just to get to see them meet, and I won’t spoil it for anyone, but I was highly disappointed. I love to read other opinions about it since I know I’m in the minority.
You’re not alone- I have a book friend who gave it up because it was just too slow in the beginning. Somehow, the slower pace didn’t bother me.
Nah, I’m the last person, still have not read it, but it’s on my TBR!!
I’m still asking myself the question – why haven’t I read this book yet? At one point I even had two copies of it, given to me as gifts. And I love WWII stories! So, why??
Anyway, I’m glad you loved it – maybe it will spur me on!
I don’t know, I was the same way. When I saw it was being released in paperback I used that as my impetus. Plus, I’ve not been having great luck with upcoming releases so thought I’d go with a sure thing.
Glad you liked this one. The visuals at the end were quite vivid. I had to go back and read my review in light of yours. http://www.thecuecard.com/books/all-the-light-we-cannot-see/ . I read The Nightingale recently and liked it as well. Sometimes it’s the most popular of books that I get to last. lol.