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 LtdCritic 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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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Deb
- 12-03-2016
All the Light....... I enjoyed to hear
This story was brilliantly written. I was captivated.
Reader was excellent and kept me listening late into the night.
Marilyn and her Father and Uncle were so interesting with characters interwoven in a story that brings the life of France before and during the War to life.
The German children used for Hitler's demonic reign brought me to tears with the hardships they endured during their training.
Living in Australia we really have no idea of how hard it would be to live in a war torn environment. For that I am glad!
This story is a must read and I am looking forward to reading more from this author and hopefully with the same reader.
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6 people found this helpful
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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
- Peter Wijnsma
- 06-12-2023
Difficult to follow at times….
The story is very well written with a lovely use of words and sentences. I did find it very difficult to follow the story line with so many jumps and flashbacks. Unsatisfying ending. I’m left with too many questions. There is too much detail in the unimportant parts and too little detail in the actual story. I still enjoyed the book and hope the series can enlighten me.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- MTK
- 18-12-2016
Good story but let down by narrator
I loved the premise of the book, very original and touching. However, I think they should have chosen a different narrator- I am bilingual and she completely butchered the French phrases in the book (I very often couldn't actually understand what she meant) and it really ruined the mood for me!
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1 person 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
- Sheepish
- 24-11-2017
Wonderful Story
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
A great story well told. Interesting historical context with personal insight from the characters
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Noel Mathews
- 02-07-2019
Good read with superb narrator.
Narrator was excellent. she gave characters life and it was really enjoyable. The story was nice but i guess it's not my kind of book. Overly descriptive of things and I begin to drift away into a doze.
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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
- Suzanne
- 27-07-2019
Exquisite
Can't recommend this enough. The characters, the setting, the time in history, the story, the way beauty and innocence can still survive in the face of horror and ugly violence, the voice acting...everything.
This is truly heart-breaking stuff.
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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
- Anonymous User
- 12-09-2019
a rich and beautiful tale
stunning and heartbreaking. I love this story and will definately miss them from my life
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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
- Anonymous User
- 31-01-2022
Magnificent
Among the best novels ever written…superbly told. A tremendous work of art. I can’t wait to hear it all over again.
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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
- Anonymous User
- 22-08-2022
Heartwarming book. Which makes your heart glow
this is a fascinating read. The new ones within the story is the best bits. It is sadly lyrical. I like that it’s not predictable and I like the rhythm of the story.
I would recommend it to me does he like such as the God of small things.
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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
- Glenda Leonarduzzi
- 13-09-2022
Beautiful and Brilliant!
I loved and lived every word of this magnificent story. The writing is divine, the language so beautiful, each character so deftly brought to life, they linger in my heart and mind. So much I could say in praise of this book, I’m grateful I had the privilege to devour it.
Julie Teal gives a superb performance in narrating this book, her interpretation of the story and her perfect diction fell upon my ears so gently, the author and the story teller a perfect combination. Thank you, I have had a wonderful journey.
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