All the Light We Cannot See
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All the Light We Cannot See
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Narrated by:
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Julie Teal
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By:
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Anthony Doerr
About this listen
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
WINNER OF THE CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR FICTION
A beautiful, stunningly ambitious novel about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II
Marie Laure lives with her father in Paris within walking distance of the Museum of Natural History where he works as the master of the locks (there are thousands of locks in the museum). When she is six, she goes blind, and her father builds her a model of their neighborhood, every house, every manhole, so she can memorize it with her fingers and navigate the real streets with her feet and cane. When the Germans occupy Paris, father and daughter flee to Saint-Malo on the Brittany coast, where Marie-Laure’s agoraphobic great uncle lives in a tall, narrow house by the sea wall.
In another world in Germany, an orphan boy, Werner, grows up with his younger sister, Jutta, both enchanted by a crude radio Werner finds. He becomes a master at building and fixing radios, a talent that wins him a place at an elite and brutal military academy and, ultimately, makes him a highly specialized tracker of the Resistance. Werner travels through the heart of Hitler Youth to the far-flung outskirts of Russia, and finally into Saint-Malo, where his path converges with Marie-Laure.
Doerr’s gorgeous combination of soaring imagination with observation is electric. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another. Ten years in the writing, All the Light We Cannot See is his most ambitious and dazzling work.
©2014 Anthony Doerr (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers LtdListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
'Far more than a conventional war story, It's a tightly focused epic revolving around two unusual main characters … Doerr paints with a rich palette, using prose that resonates deeply and conveys the ephemera of daily existence along with high drama, sadness and hope … A bittersweet and moving novel that lingers in the mind' Clifford Beal, Daily Mail
‘TIt is easy to understand why Doerr’s book is regarded by many as an epic and a masterpiece’ Justin Cartwright, Observer
‘This novel will be a piece of luck for anyone with a long plane journey or beach holiday ahead. It is such a page-turner, entirely absorbing… [Doerr’s] attention to detail is magnificent’ Carmen Callil, Guardian
‘Doerr’s novel seems poised somewhere between the sublime and the twee. It very much lands on the right side of things, thanks to the author’s eye for detail and the suspenseful rhythm of his chapters — often only a page or two — which expertly cut back and forth in time. He can bring a scene to life in a single paragraph … Delicate and moving … the novel takes hold and will not easily let go’ Lidija Haas, The Times
‘Boy meets girl in Anthony Doerr’s hauntingly beautiful new book, but the circumstances are as elegantly circuitous as they can be’ Janet Maslin, The New York Times
‘I’m not sure I will read a better novel this year … Enthrallingly told, beautifully written and so emotionally plangent that some passages bring tears’ Amanda Vaill, Washington Post
‘This jewel of a story is put together like a vintage timepiece … Doerr’s writing and imagery are stunning. It’s been a while since a novel had me under its spell in this fashion.’ Abraham Verghese
‘“All the Light We Cannot See” is a dazzling, epic work of fiction. Anthony Doerr writes beautifully about the mythic and the intimate, about snails on beaches and armies on the move, about fate and love and history and those breathless, unbearable moments when they all come crashing together.’ Jess Walter
What listeners say about All the Light We Cannot See
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Pen Name
- 13-03-19
A truly great book, despite the narration
The writing is sublime; elegant, evocative, nuanced prose. Engaging, and irresistible. I don't really get on with fiction generally, though I can blaze through history, biography etc. I just find fiction often just isn't written very well. Exceptions would be Henry James, Edith Wharton, John Updike, Brett Easton Ellis, perhaps a few of the better short story writers. A totally personal take on this I know! But this book absolutely hits the spot, the best prose I've read for ages.
I'm not going to discuss the plot at all. I simply suggest you read it at your earliest opportunity, I doubt you will be disappointed.
However -and it's a big 'however' - the narration is, shall we say, less than ideal.
The narrator would have been perfect for Jane Austen maybe? But not for this. There's plenty of mis-pronounciations.
I nearly gave up after 10 minutes, viz: One of the American bombers was named 'Pistol Packing Mama' after a 1940s song of the same name. Mama as in Mamma/Momma. It's an American thing(!)
The narrator pronounces it "Pistol Packing M'Ma" -(MuhMah). M'ma? Really? This sets the tone for what is to come - upper crust accent, totally out of place in this context, a narrator often pronouncing words she possibly hasn't encountered before, 'Deadlock' is another example. And it goes on, and on...An obstacle between you the listener and the prose itself.
There are a few factual errors in the story too, but acceptably few I think. Surprised though to find two errors on the same page: the great uncle is showing off his radio collection, on one of them he apparently manages to listen to Pakistan, quite a feat in 1940 as Pakistan didn't exist until 1947. And one of his radios is stereo? Nope. There were only occasional, very primitive, experimental stereo radio broadcasts until the technology grew up in the late 1950s.
These are very minor points in a well-researched book But read it, that's my advice.,
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- K. J. Bute
- 31-03-20
Amazing Book
I was riveted by this book. Brilliantly constructed from difference perspectives on both sides of WW2. I had never thought how the cruelty of some during the war could have been ingrained in them as children. It gives a real and painful account of the horrors from both sides. All linked with a fascination of radio wave, relationships and glimpses of beauty.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 25-04-20
A Real Gem
Amazingly descritive and enticing story. One of my favorite listens so far, would contemplate buying this book to read it, it's so beautifully written. Sensory details that take you right into the lives and times of the characters. The tastes, smells, noises make this such an immersive listen. Fantastic.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Aisling
- 10-05-18
So beautiful
A story about the horrors of war, told in the voices of the good, decent people who were caught up in it, just trying to survive. The writing evokes such beauty and the scientific detail is just fascinating.
There's not so much as a word out of place. this book was a pure joy to listen to.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anna
- 07-08-18
An epic story about life, love, loss and war.
Beautifully written, sensitively read and lovely to listen to. The writer describes the complexities of human nature with rare skill. I was especially struck by the choice of the two central characters; a visually impaired young woman with enormous courage and a gentle, unassuming young man whose talents lead him, almost unwittingly, into committing war atrocities under Nazi rule. We are reminded what we might all be capable of under different circumstances. Recommended.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Emily Tomkins
- 04-12-17
Amazing story
Loved the story to bits, just the narrator was a bit off. I followed the book at the same time and found a sentence missing and that Hubert in the book is Harold in the audiobook I think.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mary
- 23-09-18
Beautiful!
An amazing story which pulls you in. Truly magical and heartfelt. One of my favourite ever!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Pete
- 21-12-18
Worth buying with ebook
Worth getting ebook because you’ll want to continue reading after your commute and listen.
Performance v good apart from some mispronunciations of mathematical terms. My book of the year 2018
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 10-03-21
Great listen
I absolutely adored listening to this book and would highly recommend it to anyone it was so descriptive I felt like I was actually there and the way it was written I really cared about the characters...I’m not a writer so this review might sound lame-but I thoroughly enjoyed it and would probably listen to it again...
Thumbs up...
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Yellow
- 26-10-20
Great book
Love this book. I recommend it highly.I only criticism is that the book is very long.
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