All the Light We Cannot See

A Novel

By: Anthony Doerr

Narrated by: Zach Appelman

Length: 16 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

Winner of the 2015 Audie Award for Fiction

Marie-Laure lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where he works as the master of its thousands of locks. When she is six, Marie-Laure goes blind and her father builds a perfect miniature of their neighborhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. When she is 12, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great-uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.

In a mining town in Germany, the orphan Werner grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments, a talent that wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth, then a special assignment to track the resistance. More and more aware of the human cost of his intelligence, Werner travels through the heart of the war and, finally, into Saint-Malo, where his story and Marie-Laure’s converge.

©2014 Anthony Doerr (P)2014 Simon & Schuster Audio

2nd half better than first

Really enjoyed the underlying story of the 2 characters - at times it was to detailed and drawn out .....made it a VERY long story...really liked second half best. ..couldnt wait to get back to the story - would recommend

Well done

If you could sum up All the Light We Cannot See in three words, what would they be?

I love WWII centered books which have true elements of history interwoven. I went on Google Earth to look at the city which was cool.

What did you like best about this story?

The history and imperfect characters.

Have you listened to any of Zach Appelman’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I believe he did four in the divergent series of audiobooks. I liked him more in this.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes I found it compelling.

Any additional comments?

I liked that it left some mystery at the end and that all the characters didn't cleanup with perfect storybook endings since that wasn't a storybook ending time. The rapes were handled delicately as they could be.

A wake up call

A narrative on the WW2 that remains so relevant to the nature of conflict today. It shows how media control enables any government to manipulate the truth to sell wars to the public through propaganda. It proves the importance of being pro-active in the search for real facts not compromised by interest.

This story exposes war for what it is: a double edged sword ripping lives from both sides, never amounting to peace nor justice in the end. It is disturbing to consider what we have been sponsoring with our tax money.

This is a keeper

Although there are many books on the subject of The German occupation of France during WW2, it doesn't take long to realise, in this case, that you are in the hands of a literary master. This is a classic in every way, on a par with 'All Quiet On The Western Front'. The story is gripping, told with great restraint as it desribes the courage and tenacity of those flung into the horror and pathos of a vicious war. We follow the fortunes of Werner, a sixteen year old German corporal sent to the Front, and also Marie Laure, a blind French girl, who guards her father's secret. How these two meet is the high point of the story.

I listened to it twice, straight off. Unforgettable.

Great story, language and performance

Really enjoyed this story, it is well paced and keeps moving, great character development and excellent narration top it off

great book

This book was an amazing read from beginning to end. it took awhile for me to get into the first chapter but once I did I was hooked. It was amazing to live through some historical events through the Eyes of the different near narrators. Highly recommended read.

beautiful story...made me cry. so many stories sti

to be told. we will never know them all. my parents were WW2 vets. sad I didn't get to hear more.

I Loved This Book

A beautiful story. I loved how the two stories weave throughout the book and come together briefly. This is worth listening again for me. Again, I loved this book.

Amazing writing and captivating themes

The craft that Anthony Doerr put together with the blending of story lines of the female and male protagonists and how they are compliments of one another and the strong supporting characters makes for a compelling and engaging piece of literature with a dynamic historical setting and nuanced themes. The performance of the narrator creates a safe place for the listener in a dangerous time.

Wow, what a wonderful journey!!

I loved this story. It is honest and truthful in it's depictions of the lives of the characters. Dirty & gritty & sweet smelling & salty wet & warm bread & life & death & love & sacrifice . The cover art grabbed me & the title drew me in. I'm so glad I stayed to drink in this story. The narrator is brilliant.