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| 5 out of 5 Stars |
This book was amazing. After a slow start (I had put it down for a few months), I finally picked it back up again and finished it in about a week and a half. Once you start reading, you can't stop. The chapters are super short which makes the story fly by. This follows two different perspectives. The first is a young girl named Marie-Laure who lives with her father in Paris. When she is six years old she goes blind. The other perspective is of a young German boy named Werner who finds a radio and realizes that he has a gift with fixing machines (not as boring as it sounds). The book follows the two as they live life while World War II is in progress. The story is enchanting. It draws you in. I would highly recommend this book. It is 530 pages of pure gold. It made me laugh, cry, and think deeply. I was talking to my grandma about it (she read it before me) and I agreed with her when she said that this was a book that "sticks." After I finished, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I wanted to know more. It is incredible and I cannot recommend it enough.
**WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD. DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED!**
Oh man...this book...this book...
Going into it, I didn't know much about it. Regan (PeruseProject on YouTube), one of my favorite book tubers, said that this was one of her favorite books and she kept recommending it. I was intrigued because I really trust her opinion. All I knew going in was that it followed two different perspectives and that the little girl was blind. I fell in love with this book and grew to really love the characters.
Werner's Death
I could not believe it when I read that Werner died. I was shocked. I had to reread the passage a couple times before I finally came to terms with the fact that he died. I was absolutely heartbroken. In my head, I had set up a perfect little fairy tale for him and Marie-Laure where he would go back and find her and they would fall in love and live happily ever after. When Volkheimer came to Jutta to deliver Werner's things, I about lost it. Volkheimer said that he thought Werner had been in love and in a way, I believe him. I think that Werner fell in love with Marie-Laure after hearing her on the radio and then finally meeting her in person. Did Marie-Laure love him? That I'm not sure of. He did save her and they spent time together, even if it was just for a little bit. If Werner hadn't died and had gone back to find her, I think they would have fallen in love.
Marie-Laure's Father
I can't remember for sure but I don't think there was ever any clear conclusion about what happened to her father. When he was taken, I cried. I felt so bad for Marie. In a perfect world, they would have been reunited. The author may have said this, but it's safe to assume that he died while at the camp.
All the Light We Cannot See gave me new look inside WWII. I had learned about it in school but never truly understood how terrible it was. My heart broke when I read about all of the hardships that the characters had to endure. I became so attached and invested in the characters that it was difficult to see them go through everything. I had always known that WWII was awful but reading this book and seeing it through the eyes of characters I loved opened my eyes even more.
This was an incredible book that makes you think. I finished it around 12:30 a.m. and just sat there for about 10 minutes thinking. I thought about it the next day and even a week later. It had that much of an impact on me. Consider picking this up because I guarantee you won't regret it.
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