All the Light We Cannot See
FlumeAward – All the Light We Cannot See All the Light We Cannot See by Andrew Doerr
Egads. I need to preface this comment by stating that I’ve only actually listened to the first track or two of the audiobook – clearly, this in no way qualifies me to write a review. I may try to get back to the book version at some point, but I couldn’t stand listening to it for very long – it had a boring beginning with a boring narrator’s voice, and I need to be engaged right away. Will make more intelligent comments if I actually end up reading the book.
Lisa Houde, Rye Public Library
Lisa, I’m sorry that the audio was not up to the task. I enjoyed it very much, but the jumping between two points of view and two time frames might be confusing. I thought it portrayed very well the moral dilemma that many ordinary German soldiers found themselves in or realized as the realities of what was happening started to become clear to them. It also highlighted how ordinary citizens performed enormous acts of heroism in very small ways. The biggest disappointment I had with the book was that, while the character of Marie-Laure (the little French blind girl) is very well drawn, I find that Werner (the German soldier) is not equally well explained. There are both a male and female main character so this can appeal to both boys and girls, war, relationships, technology, etc. And the chapters are very short and to the point. Again though this is not a book that I think I would recommend universally to teens. Sylvie — Nesmith
I read this book for my own pleasure and enjoyed it very much. I agree with Sylvie that the jumping back and forth between the two main characters’ points of view and the time frames is a bit confusing. You know that the teens’ paths will cross eventually, but for some reason I was waiting for that to happen earlier in the story. I think that is why for me, the story started to drag a bit toward the end. However, I loved the writing and the characters and I had plenty of time to read the book, so I didn’t mind. I would recommend this book to teens who love historical fiction. Kathy – Exeter H.S.
I have not been able to read this because both of our copies are constantly checked out. We have two copies because a student who owned a copy donated it because she loved it so much, she wanted to share it with others. Students who have read it rave about it. It doesn’t get any better than that!
Kathy Pearce, Oyster River HS