All the Light We Cannot See

I can't say enough about this book. Seriously, I can't really say much. It's our first book club book and I don't want to give anything away.

Even the very first page is beautiful. It opens with two epigraphs, one for each of the main characters in the novel, Werner and Marie-Laure.

Werner is a German orphan and Marie-Laure is a blind French girl. All the Light We Cannot See is a book written in the Nazi Occupation time of 1941-1944 and tells the story of how the two lives are connected. The weaving back and forth between time is outstanding. Doerr leaves you in agony as you have to wait to see what happens. And unlike other books that go back and forth between time and people, this one isn't confusing at all.

It's a new and interesting viewpoint of WW2.  A different side of German soldiers and the civilians they keep. What hatred can do to shatter peoples lives irrevocably. And the good we can find in others.

The book is in my top favorite 3 books and I highly recommend to everyone to read it. You will experience shock, terror, joy, sadness, and delight.

All the Light We Cannot See is remarkable and moving. I can only say I hope Doerr's next novel doesn't take another 10 years to write.


Update: My husband read this book and wrote his review on Goodreads. Because it's a great review and exactly what I think, I put it here:


All the Light We Cannot See 
by Anthony Doerr (Goodreads Author) 

Matthew's review 

Sep 03, 14

5 of 5 stars

bookshelves: entertainment

Read in September, 2014

I want to give this book six stars; it is perfection in what I enjoy in literature. I feel there is so much I can say and yet anything I attempt to say would feel ridiculously inadequate. Some quick-hit reactions:

*HISTORICAL FICTION: I love and read a lot of historical fiction and can say that this author has nailed the genre with this book. Clearly he did a ton of research and it is beautifully and seamlessly woven throughout.

*LITERATURE: The writing is simply a masterpiece and an instant classic. It was so beautiful to read and yet so very readable.

*NARRATION: The narration style jumping back and forth between several characters and several time periods was incredible. It takes a few chapters to get used to it, but once you get into the book you appreciate the incredible depth that this narration style provides. Well done!

*CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: Like every great book, at its core this book was character driven. I cared about every main character. I love the humanity, the depth and the growth of each and every one of them.

*MYSTERY: He pulls off the underlying mysteries of the book so well and I loved the last few chapters in particular, but won't give any spoilers here.

I am sure there is so much more that I can say, but ultimately there is only one thing to say: READ THIS BOOK.

Because of Mr. Terupt

This is a precious little gem of a young adult book. It's about a 5th grade class who gets a 1st year teacher, Mr. Terupt. There is some name calling and an introduction to mean girls in the book, so if you don't want your kids to be exposed to that yet, pass on this book. However, the redemptive value of this book is amazing.

It helps you see that everyone has a story and when kids in your class act a certain way, it's usually for a reason. Good issues to discuss are bullying, things happen for a reason (the sovereignty of God), blame and guilt, and prayer. Keep in mind, this is not a Christian book. But, one of the 5th graders is a Christian, so she pray throughout the book.

The only negative thing I can say about the novel is the lack of strong good fathers. But that is accurate for many, many kids so that criticism is just due to my bias. But I like that the teacher was male and the book showcases why having men in the teaching profession is important especially for the multitude of kids without a father figure.

Counting By 7s

Counting by 7s is a great little Young Adult fiction book about a genius kid (she's 12 years-old) who's life changes when her counselor brings her home one day from school. I loved the book and my 9 year old also loved it. Issues to discuss with a child who reads it might include: adoption, kids who are different, sacrifice, community responsibility, labeling kids. If you are an adult, you may find it a bit unbelievable at times, but that's not the point. It's not a book about the process of adoption or foster care system. It's a book about an endearing little girl who is not like her peers and how she changes the lives of those around her.

So, adults - read it. And if you have kids who like to read, have them read it too.

The Rosie Project

The Rosie Project is a quick cute little read. When starting it, you think it has no substance, but when you finish it you realize the redemptive value in it. It's about a 39 year-old University Genetics professor who is quirky to say the least. Although it's never named, he probably has Aspergers. The beginning of the book is very clever and funny. This man decides that he would like to get married and sets out to find an appropriate wife. I couldn't put the book down and read it in a day. The sequel, The Rosie Effect comes out in the spring of 2014 and I can't help but think movie rights will be sold.

Great beach read, very engaging book, and very funny.

The Invention of Wings

I really liked The Secret Life of Bees. So I read Mermaid Chair; I hated it. It basically endorsed adultery and I can't stand books like that.

When I saw that Sue Monk Kidd came out with a new book and the setting was Charleston in the early 1800s, I had a gut feeling this was going to be a stellar book. I had very high expectations for this book and they were exceeded.

If you read my blog, you know I love stories that weave the lives of two people together, alternating the narration of the chapters. This is one of those books and it was masterfully done. Hetty is one narrator, and is a slave. Sarah is the other narrator and is the white aristocracy of Charleston. The way their lives entwine and divorce throughout the book is wonderful. The voices of their characters (who actually existed - this is historical fiction, which I didn't learn until the end of the book but was hoping it was the whole way through) were so beautifully written and distinct.

The story itself was riveting and one I can't describe...the book is better when you have no idea who these people really were and what they did. So, do NOT research anything about it, just read it. And after you read the novel (being a little depressed that it's over), read the authors notes and then be ready to be awed and a little more depressed.

The language in Kidd's novel is just beautiful. To quote my husband, Matt: "I read a lot of books and every now and then I read literature." This is in the later category.

Just one of the many beautiful art written in this book:

"There's no pain on Earth that doesn't crave a benevolent witness."

The Magician's Assistant

I so badly wanted to love this book. I wanted it to end redemptively. It didn't though. The book was an interesting character study, but just not all that well written, which is a shame since I loved State of Wonder and wanted to jump into another fantastic story.

This book drags on and while I can't call it slow, it's boring. The author tried to keep you interested and while it was a quick read, I still don't like it. Sabine is the magicians assistant and is thrown into depression when her husband (who is the magician and happens to be gay) dies. All though out the novel, her husbands partner and love of his life, Phan, visits her in her dreams. And while I'm all for using dreams to move on in life, I think Patchett tried to hard to make them something they weren't.

All in all, I can't recommend this book. But, I will recommend State of Wonder, by the same author!