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All the Light We Cannot See
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Zach Appelman
- Length: 16 hrs and 2 mins
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All the Light We Cannot See
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In a narrative as beguiling and mysterious as memory itself - shadowed and luminous at once - we hear the story of 14-year-old Nathaniel, and his older sister, Rachel. In 1945, just after World War II, they stay behind in London when their parents move to Singapore, leaving them in the care of a mysterious figure named The Moth. They suspect he might be a criminal, and they grow both more convinced and less concerned as they come to know his eccentric crew of friends.
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Publisher's Summary
All the Light We Cannot See traces the stories of three main characters whose lives intersect during the WWII bombing of the German-occupied French town of Saint-Malo in August 1944.
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr is an intimate and personal story of a French girl and a German boy who are drawn together while trying to keep out of the reach of Nazis during the devastation of World War II and French Resistance.
Marie-Laure Leblanc lives in Paris, France, where her father, Daniel Leblanc, works as a locksmith at the Museum of Natural History. As a young girl, Marie-Laure loses her eyesight but not her independence. Her father builds a miniature model of her neighbourhood so she can learn by touch and navigate her way home. In June 1940, when she was 12 years old, the threat of German occupation grew too great to ignore. Marie-Laure and Daniel flee from Paris to Saint-Malo, where they move in with her great-uncle, Etienne, and his housekeeper, Madame Manec. It is there that their paths cross with Werner Pfennig.
An orphan, Werner lives in Germany with his younger sister, Jutta. After becoming enchanted by a crude radio they find, Werner develops a knack for building and fixing these vital new communication instruments. His skill wins him a place at the academy for Hitler Youth–but his heart rebels at the brutality. He winds up in Saint-Malo, where he meets a blind girl and her father, who carry the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel - the Sea of Flames.
All the Light We Cannot See is a New York Times Best Seller, which also won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and was a National Book Award Finalist. The Netflix limited series will be released sometime in 2023, starring Mark Ruffalo, Hugh Laurie, and Aria Mia Loberti.
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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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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ben
- 2018-01-31
Best book, but narration brings it down a bit
I re-read this book on Audible in 2017. I was not as into the narration for, while the narrator is good in English, his French is ATROCIOUS! The story requires someone who can read French. Another idea would be to have two or three voices, since the majority of the story is either Werner or Marie-Laure's voice/thoughts (and then maybe a narrator for the other parts?). I'd still say 4/5 stars, but would recommend the physical book to allow the full imagination needed for a masterpiece of fiction like this. Below is my review of the book itself from my previous review (which I gave 5/5 stars)
This book was one of the best I've ever read, both in terms of fiction or war. And that comes as little surprise.
Anthony Doerr's All the Light we Cannot See was over a decade in the making, so a lot of thought has gone into both the realism of the subject (Second World War Germany and France with large portions of the book dealing with natural science and disabilities) and also the feel or style. Doerr's writing is excellent, I felt I could understand and feel the thinking parts especially, capturing the mental images created in the confusion and uncertainty of a nation caught up in fanaticism just as much as in the head of a young blind girl.
The short sections do not detract from understanding more of the characters or following them closely, instead it perfectly fulfills what I can only assume was Doerr's goal: of linking and intertwining the two, sometimes three, occasionally four points of view together. It worked flawlessly in my mind and I never felt like it took anything away from one character.
This hints at, what I believe, is the actual point of the book. The paperback edition's back cover descriptor is a bit misleading as it describes the story as one that "illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another." In my mind, this isn't what the book is about, and while there are definitely many examples of this throughout the narrative (especially from Werner), I would suggest that the moral does not translate in all the characters. Marie-Laure herself doesn't show any propensity to going out of her way to do good for others, she just leads the life presented in front of her. She is good to Madame Manec for sure, but there's no surprise there, and to her uncle in his agoraphobia, but in many ways she would not survive without taking on more responsibility and she wants to help the resistance cause just so she is not cooped up in the house all the time. She does not save Werner (knowingly), but in the same way she could not really do him any harm in the brief time they are together. Most relationships are simply familiar, and I'd argue Werner's friendships are because of a lack of family.
I would suggest that instead of a moral about being good, this book demonstrates the often-described way that timelines and lives get intertwined in wars, brought together in seemingly unexplainable ways with life-altering impacts. Many books touch on this concept, drawing characters together from diverse backgrounds, conveniently placing soul mates together when one needs saving, or having death arrive at tragic moments - all very real situations in our romantic notions of times of conflict - but none do it all too convincingly while really showing how deep those interconnecting points can run. In All the Light we Cannot See those interconnecting lines begin in childhood with Werner and his sister listening to a radio and end 30 years or more after the war with two characters coming together for the first (and only) time. [I'm being vague here in an attempt not to have spoilers!] There are multiple connections, multiple levels of interconnectedness with multiple characters, and Doerr does not shy away from the fact that not all of these are positive, happy, life-affirming connections. Many are hard, trying to piece together lives cut short or finding out what you didn't know about someone you thought you knew. And it is done in a beautiful way where you know it is happening, you know it is coming, you make the connections yourself, but it doesn't effect how you feel about the story.
There are very few criticisms I can have with this book. There were only two things that I noticed as ripples in my pond of happiness about this book. First, characters come and go in the story, just fading into nothing. This is SO WELL DONE, and is so true - people disappear in times of war and are never seen from again, it happens, people die, people live on without them - but Doerr does not always explain these major characters' deaths or show them (except in one instance). It's not necessarily a bad thing - it would change the feel of the story especially in the sections written in Marie-Laure's perspective - but I couldn't help but think either the character served their point and were not brought back, or that the tragedy of their deaths was not felt. Some characters have major connections with the deceased, and we see some references to their feelings of loss, but I suppose it just didn't hit me as I'd expected. Most of the deaths - in fact none of them - really surprised me or came unexpected, even if I did want them (one in particular) to live. The deaths make complete literary sense and I wasn't even that sad about their passing or how they passed, in fact one major character's exit, though unexpected as to how he dies, was beautiful in its tragic simplicity and timing.
The second thing that stuck in my mind was the final section, the standalone chapter in 2014 (a jump of 40 years since the previous chapter). I didn't feel it was needed. It serves a purpose only of reminding the reader of the stone with magical properties, a plot line that seemed to have taken a secondary level of importance once the story brought the protagonists together, and reinforcing those properties both of long life and tragedy for the person holding it (written about in the book) and of it connecting people together (the moral, not written about as a property). But...it was inherent in the story, it didn't need repeating. We've already seen that life goes on and that new life begins. We are well aware of the loss of memory of the war. To me the final chapter seemed to hammer home a sad happy ending just a little too much, and it could simply be that it felt disconnected from the rest of the book or that it brought it too close to current day for it to feel like a story removed from my life. Small points, as the whole book was well done.
I was very happy to see a book, especially one about war, that had a disabled lead character but that doesn't use the disability as a crutch or superpower. I don't think the book would have worked without her being blind, there was a poetry in that connection to Werner and the audible connection of radio, but the book wasn't about her being blind. Her blindness, in the end, seemed no different than Werner's technical expertise, or Volkheimer's size, or von Rumpel's rather mysterious cancerous growth that keeps getting mentioned. It seems much less of a hinderance than Ettiene's paranoia.
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8 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2019-11-25
Not sure why this is so highly rated?
Not sure if it was the narrator or the story itself but I found my mind wandering on more than one occasion. I didn't connect any of the characters and felt as though the story bounced around too much, also making it hard to stay engaged. No real climax, and a sub-par ending. I wish I could get my 16 hrs and 2 mins back.
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5 people 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
- Abdhud
- 2018-01-25
Great Story, average narration
Enjoyes the story from start to finish. Good narrator but not the best. Worth listening to.
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5 people found this helpful
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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
- Debbie Krueger
- 2020-06-23
Captivating
Once in a while a special book comes along. This is one of them. It is the story of a brilliant German boy and a blind French girl whose lives touch briefly during WW2. It is a story of innocence and the destruction of innocence; of compassion and atrocity; of bravery, futility, greed, ingenuity, and everyday lives torn to pieces in a blink of an eye.
It is certainly one of the best audio books I've listened to, and one of the few I will listen to again.
The narration is a little flat, but the reader thankfully makes no attempts to sound like a teenaged boy or girl, or a French woman or German mother. As I listened I found that this style allowed me to make my own interpretations about the story and the characters, much like when I read a book, which was a definite plus.
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3 people 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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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2022-08-13
Slow
The story was good but there’s just too much unnecessary information which makes it very long and hard to engage.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Patricia Devine
- 2022-07-08
Brilliant novel disappointing narration
I read All the Light You Cannot See a few years ago and loved it. The story capturing a part of World War Two from the unique perspectives of Marie-Laure and Werner was riveting.
It was annoying and very disappointing to listen to a book set in France told by a narrator with a terrible French accent - so bad I couldn’t even understand some of the words. It would have been so much better had the narrator been bilingual English-French.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Karen Scholz
- 2022-07-07
Performance falls flat
Well crafted story arc with compelling characters, however the wooden tone of the narrator flattened my overall enjoyment.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- BRIAN GLEDHOW
- 2022-03-05
hard to read
did not like the fact that they were jumping from one time period to another, all through the book
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2022-03-01
Returned it - Horrible narration
I felt like Charlie Brown. This is absolutely the worzt narration that I've come across. Four chapters in I took zero of the story in. Narration is monotone and dry. I returned it.
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1 person 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
- cj
- 2021-02-20
Worthwhile
Although I struggled with the repetition of some story lines and the subject matter was disheartening, I’m glad I read it. It’s so well written, thoughtful, meaningful. I had to give it a few days to simmer before writing this. The chronology was sometimes confusing I had to rewind to confirm what I’d heard. But when I just sat back closed my eyes and listened, really listened I was there, able to visualise the scenery and characters, this is the sign of an impressive writer. Made my time in pandemic lockdown seem rather minor and more manageable.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Elizabeth
- 2014-08-06
Afraid to Write a "Less-Than-Positive" Review
I'm embarrassed and a little afraid to admit I was not a big fan of this book. One reviewer said that if you didn't like it, then you must be jealous of the author. Trust me. I am not jealous. I just have another opinion.
I thought this was a beautiful story. The characters were all well developed and I really got to know them. I loved that the author chose to write about teenagers and that one of the main characters was blind actually enhanced the book for me. The unbelievable horror of war and how it effects everyone was very well portrayed.
I have listened to many books that are not linear and usually enjoyed them. This book jumps back and forth in time, place and character over and over again. The narrator doesn't change his voice for the characters, so in the moment it took me to figure out where "we" were now, I would miss something. I do think this probably works better in written format.
However, the part I didn't like is what most people love and will probably make it win many awards. I found the book too descriptive and too poetic. Like another reviewer said, there were just too many metaphors. I got lost in the sugary details. I didn't enjoy the scientific detail, either. I don't care how many teeth a snail has. For me, it just got in the way. I can't wait until my daughter finishes reading it so I can get her opinion. Plus, even though I listened to the ending twice, I still am not sure what happened to the "stone".
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1,057 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- John S
- 2014-07-17
Really tough to follow as an audiobook
This was a rather good book. I loved the story. It was well written. But it is one of those books that is really tough to follow as an audiobook. There are two major storylines that jump back and forth and then forward and backward in time in a single chapter. If you don't pay attention you will be lost quite quickly.
The book is good and does not end as you would expect. Read this, don't listen.
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553 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Lionel
- 2014-11-20
An outlyer's opinion
Any additional comments?
This will likely enrage the other reviewers, but - and again this is just my opinion - I thought the writing was far too much an attempt at being poetic. Far too many metaphors, far too many dependent clauses - all, seemingly, in trying to create some beautiful prose. It did not for me. I did love the story and I was engaged in the characters and I did keep reading, but this despite the over-poetic approach and - kack - the horrible narration. His French was embarrassing and he simply did not impress me. But to each his own, right? I will now go and hide from the wrath of those who wrote of their love for the book.
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280 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
- Annie M.
- 2014-06-22
Time well spent
What made the experience of listening to All the Light We Cannot See the most enjoyable?
As someone who is legally blind, I loved reading how Doer brought to life the world of a young blind girl. That is the thing that initially caught my attention when I heard the NY Times review of this novel.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Oh, I just adore the character of Etienne, the uncle who must decide whether to sink into the PTSD he incurred during The Great War--or whether to help his blind niece during WWII. His character is so intricate, so damaged, and so lovely. I really cherish the relationship he develops with Marie Luare (not sure If I'm spelling that right, because I can't see how the author spells it).
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
Friendship across enemy lines.
Any additional comments?
The NY Times made a comment that Anthony Doer could be a literary writer. I already considered him so, and partly listened to this book to prove the Times wrong. Happy to say, I believe fervently that this is a very strong literary foray. I don't know what other category I'd put it in. Very strong story, strong writing, and good characters who develop and learn.
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239 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
- Hank Reads!
- 2014-05-31
Completely absorbing!
This novel helps the reader understand what it was like to be trapped in the machinations of World War II. Because the two protagonists are children in 1934, they are not able to escape the coming war. The girl is French, while the boy is German. Each are rendered even more powerless by inescapable circumstances: Marie-Laure is blind, while Werner is an orphan. Doerr plunges the reader into their experience of the war through precisely described vignettes--fragments of their experience that resonate powerfully.
The two characters eventually meet, and these scenes are haunting.
If you are a reader who enjoyed the poetic, humanism of The English Patient or the masterful point-of-view of Code Name Verity or the intense personal quality of All Quiet in the Western Front, you will love this book.
The story is absolutely riveting in itself, but the way the writer parses his words creates a spareness that matches the emotional trauma the two characters stoically endure.
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210 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
- Kelly
- 2014-05-12
Bad reviewers must be jealous
The only reason I can think that someone would give this beautiful book a poor review is that they're jealous that they didn't write it. Do they not like the narrator? Zach is great, but honestly Kermit the Frog could read it to me and I would still listen. Get this book and tell all your friends. (But, don't tell your friends that you listened to it because then they'll get all self-righteous about how they could never listen because they just love to hold a book in their hands and they'll judge you and they'll correct you in public if you mention that you "read" a book when you really listened to a book.)
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173 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
- Tawney
- 2014-05-22
A remarkable listening experience
What a wonderfully well written story, and a fine narrator. I find it refreshing when the narration is done simply, without changing the voice significantly for different characters. For me, this is much less distracting than a male making his voice light and high for female characters, and vice versa for a woman narrator. What a pleasure this book was, in every way. I will probably listen to it again some day.
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141 people found this helpful
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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
- cristina
- 2014-07-24
Deeply human
When I started listening to this story, I realized it was the wrong novel for me at this particular time. I needed something lighter. I kept telling myself I'd stop listening and go back to it at another time...but the writing kept me hooked. Something was going on here that went beyond the two children whose day-to-day lives Doerr was describing.
I am so glad I kept listening. The story builds and builds. The two children's lives connect in magical ways...and towards the last third of the novel, you find yourself holding your breath.
I don't want to give anything away. Does it have a happy ending? Does it have a sad ending? You'll have to listen for yourselves. I highly recommend the experience. It couldn't be more real, or human.
Can't wait for Mr. Doerr's next novel.
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120 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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Story5 out of 5 stars
- ibillinsly@gmail
- 2017-08-08
4.72 stars......one of the best
This is one of the better audiobooks on Audible. The narrator is great, and so is the story, which alternates between two protagonists. This novel won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and there are countless reviews, so I won't go into a summary of it. I will say that it won The Pulitzer for a reason, and the narration only enhances the story. You can't go wrong with this one.
Overall rating: 4.72 stars
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100 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
- Sandra
- 2014-06-07
Be prepared to love the characters.
A wonderful story of young people caught in the net of the Nazis in WWII. In this book Anthony Doerr shows the tragedy from both inside the Nazi party, and on the life of a blind young French woman. A classic story about doing the right thing, at the risk of your own life. I loved the book.
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91 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
- JaneyKay
- 2016-08-11
Resilience
It was difficult to get into the story for me, but then it became an addiction.... It's a wonderful story of courage and resilience.
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3 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
- kika
- 2023-10-12
Beautiful
I enjoyed every moment of it and I would listen to it again maybe in French if there is a great reader.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Susan SHARP
- 2023-01-24
Difficult read
A well written book but personally I found it too harsh to read which I suppose is normal considering the subject matter.
Very disappointed with Audible that I could not change the book.
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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
- Antoinette Fairhurst
- 2021-04-09
wonderful weaving of words
A great story, wonderful characters, good imagery, I couldn't put it down. I would highly recommend it.
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