“All your life you wait, and then it finally comes, and are you ready?”
In short, Mr. Doerr, I was NOT ready.
It’s rare to find a book in which
“All your life you wait, and then it finally comes, and are you ready?”
In short, Mr. Doerr, I was NOT ready.
It’s rare to find a book in which I hang onto every word, in fear of missing out on the beauty of writing. “All the Light We Cannot See” made me truly appreciate writing . How Doerr was able to craft words into an exquisite story that hits every emotion perfectly is a feat in itself. When I first read the book, I found the pacing to be slow and the overall story to be anticlimactic and boring. But for my second read, the pacing works. The mellow and melancholic nature of the story works . It’s what helped me understand how Doerr’s every word meant more than it seemed. Every line of the story is extremely quotable, and it was truly one of the best reading experiences I’ve had.
Transitioning between the past and the present, “All the Light We Cannot See” expertly weaves together the stories of Marie-Laure LeBlanc and Werner Pfennig, both young during the events of World War II. A blind girl who lives in Paris with her father, a locksmith at the Paris Museum of Natural History. An orphan at the Children’s House in Zollverein, who can fix or create anything; radios, transmitters, ohmmeters. His expertise attracts the attention of a Nazi official, and he is given the opportunity to attend the National Political Institute of Education instead of working in the coal mines at age fifteen. These two stories connect through a prized artifact: the Sea of Flames, said to protect the holder from all harm but become a curse to everyone around them.
The suspense and accumulation of events throughout the story is extremely satisfying; it’s more than just beautiful writing, it’s a story of family, grief, loss, love, bravery and resilience. And I loved every word of it.
Marie-Laure LeBlanc
“When I lost my sight, Werner, people said I was brave. When my father left, people said I was brave. But it is not bravery; I have no choice. I wake up and live my life. Don't you do the same?”
Marie-Laure is brave. There is no doubt about it; she loses everyone and yet she remains hopeful, she remains strong. What I loved about her character is how multifaceted it was, and her blindness was less of a “characterization” and more of a gift that made her special and astounding. Her love for learning was powerful; she treated every obstacle as a lesson. She’s the type of character that you can’t help but want to adore and protect; not because she’s weak, but because her strength is so profound that you fear where it will end up. I wanted to lay roses in her path, give her every single happiness! Okay the sap is reaching all time highs but honestly, Marie-Laure is so unforgettable. In the best way.
Werner Pfennig
This character… it would be an embarrassment for me to even attempt to describe him. He was an incredibly complex character, and one of my all time favourite ones at that. WHY AM I EVEN TRYING just- read the book and get back to me once you’re done. You’ll see what I mean about Werner.
Frank Volkheimer
MY FAVOURITE. If there’s one thing I would beg for it’s a short story about his life, written by Doerr himself. Because something about him is just so… enticing? I don’t really know how to describe my feelings towards him but they are very emotional and I just want the best for him.
Frederick
“Your problem, Werner,” says Frederick, “is that you still believe you own your life.”
There’s a lot that changed for me when I read this book a second time, but my opinion on Frederick was likely the most drastic. I teared up multiple times reading about him- he’s just the most precious. His love for birds, his love for humanity .
Things I Loved (an incomplete list, because I could name everything in the book and it wouldn’t be enough):
○ the relationship between Marie-Laure and her father, which brought with it extremely emotional dialogues like;
That’s how it feels right now, he thinks, kneeling beside her, rinsing her hair: as though his love for his daughter will outstrip the limits of his body. The walls could fall away, even the whole city, and the brightness of that feeling would not wane.”
○ Frederick. Everything about Frederick. He really grew on me this time around. Specifically:
“The upperclassman hands over a third pail. “Throw it,” commands Bastian. The night steams, the stars burn, the prisoner sways, the boys watch, the commandant tilts his head. Frederick pours the water onto the ground. “I will not.”
○ (view spoiler)[ Werner, after all the years, taking a picture of a bird out of Frederick’s favourite book and mailing it to him. Frederick’s mother showing it to him, and vowing to try again the next day. It’s just the most special moment EVER. (hide spoiler)] . ○ The Frenchman’s radio broadcasts, which were the highlight of the whole book. Extremely poignant messages written within the most beautiful prose and writing. ○ The relationship between Etienne and Marie-Laure: so pure and precious. ○ (view spoiler)[ When Etienne, who hasn’t left his house in ages, leaves to find Marie-Laure. I don’t even have WORDS to describe how that scene made me feel. And when Marie-Laure asked him if she was a curse… and he told her she was the best thing to happen to him… CUE CRYING (hide spoiler)] ○ Madame Manec and the woman’s resistance. It made me feel giddy, rebellious, exhilarated.
“Seventy-six years old," she whispers, "and I can still feel like this? Like a little girl with stars in my eyes?”
○ The alternation between past and present, which really only makes sense once you read it a second time. A work of genius. ○ The ending was pure emotion and one of the best I've ever read. ○ Everything. Period.
You know, I’m sitting here, and I’ve written a review trying to make some coherent sense of an extremely complex book; but I don’t think I’ll ever do it justice. Whatever I say can’t describe how I feel whenever I read a quote from the book, how it takes me back to an extremely emotional pit of sadness because these characters deserved so much better. .Yet the sad truth that keeps coming up in all wartime fiction, perfectly summarized by Etienne himself;
“War, Etienne thinks distantly, is a bazaar where lives are traded like any other commodity: chocolate or bullets or parachute silk.”
While this is one of the most emotional books I’ve ever read, there were moments of happiness and of brightness that ultimately connected you to the characters in an intimate way. It made me think, “Please don’t take this happiness away from them. They deserve it.”
And I guess that’s the message this book left me with; everyone deserved happiness and the war took it away. Loved ones were lost, those who were brave and selfless were lost. And these people were all the light we didn't get to see in the world. ...more
It’s been a few days and I can’t stop thinking about Sadie. It’s incredibly harrowing, and something about the characters begs you to sto 4.5 stars
It’s been a few days and I can’t stop thinking about Sadie. It’s incredibly harrowing, and something about the characters begs you to stop and listen to their story. Reading this book reminded me of the same atmospheric writing in “All the Ugly and Beautiful Things”. There is something eerie and compelling about reading Wavy’s and Sadie’s stories, but “Sadie” accomplishes the same feat with much less controversy (and just all around, Sadie does it better).
When Sadie’s sister is found dead in an orchard near her quiet town of Cold Creek, she closes off. Her sister Mattie was her whole world- Sadie was more than just a sister to her, she was a mother. The police investigate the case, but it ultimately leads nowhere with the killer supposedly still on the loose. Sadie sets out with one goal: revenge.
I think one of the highlighting factors of this book was the relationship between Sadie and her younger sister Mattie. I’ve got younger siblings myself, and it helped me relate so well to Sadie’s unconditional love that she had for her sister. The fierce sense of wanting to protect her, shield her from the ugliness of the world and the despair of being abandoned by her mother; these were very raw and well-written dialogues that felt genuine and authentic. Many times, they moved me to tears.
Thirteen, Mattie. I kept you alive for thirteen years.
All around, this book was just so enjoyable to read. The alternation between West McCray’s podcast following Sadie’s disappearance, and then the point of view of Sadie herself, was done effortlessly and made for an incredible reading experience. There were moments that were just outright grotesque, moments of sadness and love, moments of Sadie’s yearning to live a normal life. It’s so fast-paced that you truly feel you are living in the story itself. It’s an amazing mystery book, and unforgettable.
And about that ending; normally, I would hate it. But somehow, it really worked for this novel. It reminds the reader how often this happens in the real world; (view spoiler)[ missing girls are left as cold cases. (hide spoiler)]
(Okay, but I had NO idea that West was a guy? The whole time I was reading I assumed he was a woman… am I the only one?)
My only issue was purely one of my own in which it became hard to read the “podcast” chapters at the end, I found myself skimming and missing information. Could be just me, because I was reading an eBook version.
Overall, the mystery and suspense elements were done so well and the characters ultimately made this one of my favourite mystery novels to date. It covers a lot of ugly truths, making it a hard yet important read....more
reread #1: of course I struggled at the beginning to get into this book but then I was reminded of why I loved it so much! alfred’s point of view was reread #1: of course I struggled at the beginning to get into this book but then I was reminded of why I loved it so much! alfred’s point of view was so much more enjoyable to read this time around. —
“What had human beings become? Did war make us evil or just activate an evil already lurking within us?”
i read the first four chapters of this book, and then I rushed to goodreads to read some of my friend's reviews. all i could think was "please tell me i'm not the only one who doesn't love this". honestly, I don't know why I was making a presumption so quickly, but I thought I'd hate this book.
I didn't, by the way. this book was everything. and it also got me into a hist-fic binge, so i can finally go back to reading "all the light we cannot see". anyways. this book was just... so horrible. in the best way. all WW2 books are. they're so heartbreaking and make you question humanity, but at the same time are the best books to ever be written, and “salt to the sea” was no different.
“salt to the sea” talks of a tragedy I had no knowledge of. the Wilhelm Gustloff was a ship carrying 10,000 passengers when its capacity was barely 1,500. despite being six times more deadly than the titanic sinking, it's so widely unknown that I had to take a deep breath after reading the final part of the author's note.
>i> When the survivors are gone, we must not let the truth disappear with them. Please give them a voice.
Over 9,000 people died in this tragic incident, and yet their voices are left unheard. and this book gives voice to four people on the Gustloff.
joana
Joana is a Lithuanian nurse who is buried under the guilt of leaving her family behind. there's something about her determination to help others, and her intelligence, that really made me love her character. somehow reading about her settled a peace over me, even though the circumstances were anything but peaceful. she has a really calming persona, and there's just a lot to love about her character. I basically spent a lot of time being proud of her as she developed.
and then he turned into SUCH AN AMAZING PERSON OH MY GOD. i love florian so much. he means the world to me. even when he was taking care of emilia, it wasn’t too special of a connection but THEN. BUT THEN. THE BABY SCENE. I CRIED. like my heart was actually bursting?? guys who are good with kids???? marry me???? i'm in love, icymi. also his hidden passion for art and his subtle love for joana was too much to deal with, i'm out.
and although he initally seems really "unapproachable" and cold, he's nothing like that at all and is perfectly capable of feelings and compassion. it's a big surprise, because I kept imagining a soldier who is unaffected by everything, cruel and unfeeling and instead i got florian, and I couldn't be happier.
emilia
i... wanted to love her? but in the end I just ended up liking her. her backstory was really heartbreaking. maybe I missed the details but is her age ever disclosed? because to me she acted and was described like she was ten years old, max. HONESTLY I LIED I REALLY DO LOVE HER AND I'M SO SORRY FOR HER and... a lot is exposed through her story about the Poles and what young girls had to endure. i just want to protect her pink hat and her baby forever. however, her point of view seems really forced at the beginning and something about her age just doesn’t line up in my head. sometimes she’s talking like a philosopher and other times she’s singing a nursery rhyme?
alfred
honestly, HIS CHAPTERS WERE SO ENJOYABLE. in the worst way. his letters to hannelore were so funny and so ironic, it was hilarious. and there were times when I thought I was feeling bad for him l but then he did something like call Heinz a "weak species" and i wanted to kick him off the face of the earth. and near the end, i honestly started getting creeped out by him.
heinz/old man/opi/Poet
he was giving me some creepy vibes at the beginning, BUT THEN THE SHOE POET became one of my most loved characters :') he was philosophical and wise in the best way and in the words of joana "reliable, blessed Poet". (view spoiler)[ why did he have to die I WAS IN TEARS i love him so much and when Klaus was crying I WAS CRYING (hide spoiler)] his grandfather relationship with Klaus made me cry, it was so beautiful.
“There's a saying, 'Death hath a thousand doors to let out life; I shall find one.' But the children. That's what I struggle with.' He shook his head. 'Why the children?”
eva
sorry, bye eva, I hate you, you can go after your luggage, and your mother's gold, and LEAVE EMILIA ALONE. i hated her so much.
joana and florian
can like... everyone please learn from ruta? because she managed to make me love a somewhat insta-love romance and THAT NEVER HAPPENS. but i was shipping these two to the core of my being. their scenes were so angsty and cute and I was waiting for 9:30, and IT NEVER CAME. i could read romance scenes between these two foreverrrrr. (view spoiler)[ i'm just so glad they survived (hide spoiler)] they're perfect, i love them.
but in conclusion, there was so much more depth to this book than i imagined. the characters played a big role with their backstories, yes, but small details grabbed at me and had me in tears. like when the ship was departing, and the women in the harbor were throwing their babies to the passengers, only for the babies to slam into the side of the ship and fall into the sea. the writing style was incredibly easy to follow, but also held so much emotion and gruesome details. so quotable.
my only nitpicks were that it was sometimes hard to discern between joana and florian's POV. and the chapters were pretty short. and it was hard to understand what was going on at times.
but this was utterly horrible, and i loved it. as always, my review doesn't cut it. this book is wonderful. ...more
“I belong to a generation that didn't expect to be protected from every danger. We knew the risks and took them anyway.”
I can now say, for a fact, “I belong to a generation that didn't expect to be protected from every danger. We knew the risks and took them anyway.”
I can now say, for a fact, that wartime fiction is one of my favourite genres. The Nightingale has a story that immediately connected and intrigued me. I never expected this; a story of strong female background, the sacrifices that need to be taken during the wartime, and the brave acts of heroic women left unheard. It was empowering, life-changing, breathtaking and now I need to read more of this author’s works. Kristin Hannah, you’ve wow-ed me.
Vianne Mauriac has lived her life isolated from her blood family; but she’s not exactly complaining. Despite a turbulent three miscarriages, starting from age sixteen, she is living happily in the French town of Carriveau with her loving husband Antoine, and sweet daughter Sophie. She may be disconnected physically from her father and sister, but the former prefers it and the latter is too much trouble to handle. With a large age and personality difference between them, Vianne doubts her deceased mother’s words saying that the two sisters were to become best of friends.
Isabelle Rossignol has a reputation, and not one to be envied. Left time and time again by her father at various boarding schools, all she yearns for is to be wanted. She looks up to a hero of the Great War, Edith Cavell, and wishes to do something that would mark her place in the world.
“I always thought it was what I wanted: to be loved and admired. Now I think perhaps I'd like to be known.”
But, as it has done to countless others, the war changed the stories of these two sisters.
I’ll have to start off by saying; the character development was brilliant. At first, I was wary to accept Isabelle; coming off to show why everyone else in the novel felt the same as well. But her stubborn and unflinching determination made her, truly, a nightingale; a free spirit, able to fly to heights that nobody else could reach. Vianne’s story was probably one that touched me immediately; as a mother, a wife, a sister and a friend, the war didn’t treat her well. I felt every emotion and struggle, appreciated what she did to protect the ones she loved, and understood her logic and reason behind every action.
Even the secondary characters made a place in my heart; Captain Beck, most especially. Some forget that despite the fact that Nazis were cruel and vindictive, many struggled with the acceptance of the Holocaust and had their own families at home. I loved how Hannah presented this information in a way that seemed so subtle; how some men couldn’t look in the mirror, afraid to see the monster they had become. This, alongside his hidden gestures of love, made me adore Beck despite his shortcomings and title. (view spoiler)[ Yeah, still not over that death. (hide spoiler)]
Most of the time, when I hear “ oh my, I was a sobbing mess when I read this book ”, I tend to be indifferent because I haven’t been able to relate to that statement too many times. But this book was genuinely so sad, crafted in the most heart wrenching way, and I felt the knot of tears before I gulped it down. (that sounds weird, but you get what I mean). Trust me, you may seem uninterested at the beginning; it took me a while to get into reading this as well. But a gradual build up to the final 100 pages… it had me shocked, and I’m going to have to reread it later on to truly get the experience from it.
(view spoiler)[ Moments I felt sadness/was about to cry; Sarah being shot. The pieces of fabric on the tree. Julien leaving Vianne, and her putting the fabric of his coat onto the tree. Julien proclaiming he was the Nightingale, and ultimately dying. Antoine’s happiness at the pregnancy announcement. Daniel/Ari leaving Vianne (THIS WAS WHEN I WAS ABOUT TO CRY and would have to, if I was reading alone). Way too much sadness for this heart over here.
The subject of rape and Vianne’s struggle was so raw. I couldn’t even wrap my head around these ugly truths, a side of the war I wasn’t accustomed to. My heart beats faster in sadness and anger whenever I think about it.
Originally, I wasn’t so sure about Gaetan and Isabelle… despite the fact that they had been through the worst side by side, I still felt like there was insta-love present. Their romance didn’t necessarily add to the experience… but their final scene did break my heart.
Vianne and Beck… I CALLED IT. I loved it, too, despite how horrible the prospect of two married people in love would be. I also couldn’t understand if it was just love, or desperate measures in wartime, but I seriously wanted it to happen.
Also, anybody else thought that the 1995 POV was from Isabelle’s side ?
“But when he looked at her—and she looked at him—they both knew that there was something worse than kissing the wrong person. It was wanting to.”
There is so much I could say for this book and how it made me feel, but even trying to give a summary to my friend on the way home today didn’t do it justice. This is quite the read, and I would just say that to truly appreciate it would be possible only if it’s read. Pull this up from the dusty corners of your tbr, place a hold at the library, grab it from your bookstore… it won’t disappoint.
“Men tell stories. Women get on with it. For us it was a shadow war. There were no parades for us when it was over, no medals or mentions in history books. We did what we had to during the war, and when it was over, we picked up the pieces and started our lives over.”
----------------------------
IMMEDIATE FINISH REACTION- (and a bit of backstory) my heart is a bit of a mess right now - long story short, this book was overdue (yes, I’m that person) and I read the last 60 pgs skimming through, while my mom was speeding to the library. and oh my god. I was so close to tears. I had to swallow down that knot in my throat. if I had been reading that scene at home, rest assured there would be way too many tears to count. BUT MY MOM WAS SPEEDING and like, I didn’t really want to cry in front of her. -so. now I need to find a free online PDF or something (yes, I’m that person also) and read the final 60 pages in peace and try not to cry (even though writing these words and thinking about the said scene is breaking me apart) and then... I shall write a full review. I thought this was going to be a 4 star read, but that ending was insane and holy let me just go find my free version now so I can read it :’(...more
reread #1: i’m honestly in tears. like i can’t even explain how good this book is. I LOVE IT SO MUCH. and it’s saving my reading challenge so yeet
5 reread #1: i’m honestly in tears. like i can’t even explain how good this book is. I LOVE IT SO MUCH. and it’s saving my reading challenge so yeet
5 stars ✨
"Seventeen years is a long time to wait for a family."
I can't express in words how much I loved this book. It was just what I needed, everything I wanted and so much more . It's been a loooong time since I've had a 5 star read (actually, I think this is my first 5 star of 2018? correct me if I'm wrong? but yay?).
When I say I love contemporary, or whenever I get the need to read contemporary books this is what I'm talking about. This is the feeling I crave for when I'm done with reading fantasy or dystopian novels, or have just recovered from a slump, or a really bad book. Seriously, this was so freaking good & please let the author release more books. Maybe pt. 2 of this book would be nice. like REALLY NICE.
"Far from the Tree" is a book oriented mainly around family, loss, acceptance, and so much more. & everything was executed so so so well, in the most perfect of ways. this is one of the books that made my heart feel heavy and sad and depressed but also gave me such happiness? how is this possible?
Loading...
