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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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Diane Severson
- 27-10-16
Touching story marred a bit by narrator
I purchased this book because a book club I belong to scheduled it to read. I'm not sure I would've otherwise, given the subject matter. But having lived in both Germany and France at least the settings were interesting to me. It took quite a while, but eventually I was sucked into the story and i found it fascinating how these two young people were brought together. I was quite moved near the end of the book, which shows how the characters and their situation wormed their way into my heart.
The narrator has a pleasant voice and her rhythm of speaking and inflection is nice to listen to. However, her pretty horrendous pronunciation of both German and French words and names, not to mention the countless mispronunciation of English words, brought me out of the story time and again. Such a shame. It's really not too much to ask of a narrator to double check on the pronunciation of unfamiliar words (or of an engineer to correct them!) or to get help with the foreign words and names. It's part of their job! It makes you wonder if anyone listen to it who actually speaks any of these languages with any proficiency! English is so full of words that hardly anyone knows how to pronounce, but it's not impossible to find out. A google search is enough.
Anyway, I wish I had read this on paper.
One more thing. The book has 170+ chapters and they all have titles, but they are not named in the chapter listing in the app. I wish they had been.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Victoria
- 15-07-23
Beautifully written but shocking narration
Beautifully written story. Loved the descriptions and interwoven plots. However extremely disappointed by the narration. I ended up continuing the book by reading it myself. How can someone not know how to pronounce vineyard or abyss and many many more words!!! This needs to be re narrated by someone who has a grasp of the English language. What a shame for such a great book.
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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
- Christine Clegg
- 06-02-19
A must read
One of the best books I have ever read about people in the Second World War
The time switches could be confusing to some
I liked the contrast between the lives of the two main characters - a blind French girl and an orphaned young German soldier
The story is well crafted with a magical pace
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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
- Andrea Wolahan
- 28-02-20
Beautiful story
Best book I have listened to all year, wanted to start again the minute I had finished it. Love it so much I am going to buy a physical copy as well.
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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
- oliver whittle
- 06-11-16
Great book
I loved this book. Listened mostly on 1.15 speed because a bit slow, but just an amazing story brilliantly written. Excellent narration too.
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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
- Durdur
- 30-08-17
a good read
slow to start but refreshing . nicely written. words create pictures sounds and smells..old school well written book. enjoyable and easy to listen to. great narration.
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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
- Philip
- 06-11-17
A MUST READ
I loved this book from start to finish. Clever, romantic and perfectly narrated. I would recommend that everyone reads this unique novel.
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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
- Bridget Cordy
- 27-05-16
Faultless
Completely mesmerising from start to finish, wonderful performance and outstanding story. Just listen, like Marie-Laure did.
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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
- Disorganised Mum
- 27-03-17
Wonderful
I'm not the first to say it, but this is a truly stunning book. Every word seems perfectly placed. It's amazing in its detail and it's scope.
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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
- Moira macdonald
- 14-10-21
Spectacular
The most amazing, moving , riveting book that I have listened to. A must for everyone!
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