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All the Light We Cannot See
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message 1: by [deleted user] (new)

Ann mentioned in Episode #280 that she had been hearing amazing things about All the Light We Cannot See but wasn't going to have time to read it quite yet. She still wanted to give it a blind recommendation and was hoping there might be a discussion going if anyone ended up reading it.

Did anyone else pick it up? I read it about a month ago and it totally blew me away. I keep saying that if it's not on my top ten at the end of the year we have some incredible books headed our way in the second half of the year.


kelly Fuller (kelfuller77) | 2 comments I just bought it yesterday! I started it last night and I can already tell it's going to be calling to me all weekend! (darn yardwork will be too!). We'll see who wins! I'm voting for the book.... lol!


message 3: by [deleted user] (new)

kelly wrote: "I just bought it yesterday! I started it last night and I can already tell it's going to be calling to me all weekend! (darn yardwork will be too!). We'll see who wins! I'm voting for the book.... ..."

Those short chapters make it almost impossible to put down! It becomes a game of "Ohh, I'll just read the next one...it's just two pages."


kelly Fuller (kelfuller77) | 2 comments Exactly!! I'm sitting in my preschool class right now, anxiously awaiting nap time so I can read! I forgot my booklight though! Guess I'll be reading by the light of my phone! Desperate times call for desperate measures!


message 5: by Tina (new) - added it

Tina (godmotherx5) | 92 comments I have a gift card burning a hole in my pocket. I guess I know what I am buying tomorrow!


Denise (deniseg53) | 221 comments I read an arc of it several months ago and loved it.


message 7: by Sue (new) - rated it 4 stars

Sue | 415 comments I'm listening to the audiobook and I guess I'm about a third of the way through. I'm wondering if it would be better appreciated in print? I'm not thrilled with the narrator - it's the first audiobook I've had to speed up because he was sooo slow. I'm not hating it, but it's not blowing me away yet and I keep wondering if I'm missing something. Maybe my expectations were too high?


message 8: by Gayle (last edited Jun 01, 2014 07:43AM) (new) - rated it 5 stars

Gayle (gpenrod) | 7 comments





Maureen (mlrekrut) | 7 comments Just finished last night and I certainly hope ann gets to it soon! definitely #1 this year for me (and I have had a good reading year!). I don't think I will ever forget Marie-Laure, Uncle Etienne or Werner. great companion piece to Life after Life (Atkinson, not McCorkle).


message 10: by Barb (new) - rated it 4 stars

Barb | 14 comments I really liked this one, too. This is a story that sticks with you. I can see myself rereading this in a few years, I think it will hold up.


message 11: by [deleted user] (new)

I just finished it yesterday and loved it. France and World War II are 2 of my genre kryptonites so I was prepared to love this book anyways but the fact that it is so beautifully written just made it even better.
I also highly recommend Doerr's memoir Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World.


Denise (deniseg53) | 221 comments I loved this book so much.


Theresa | 1 comments Dare I ask: what happened to the diamond? Or was that the point, no one really knows? You can preface your reply with "Spoiler Alert"


Gayle (gpenrod) | 7 comments Theresa wrote: "Dare I ask: what happened to the diamond? Or was that the point, no one really knows? You can preface your reply with "Spoiler Alert""
I have the same question!


Hermione (booksandtea20) | 11 comments Theresa wrote: "Dare I ask: what happened to the diamond? Or was that the point, no one really knows? You can preface your reply with "Spoiler Alert""

I so wished that the diamond was still in the house! Or she went back to the grotto and as she was feeling around the walls she came upon it! Sad that the diamond was just lost!


message 16: by Sally (new)

Sally (nana9596) | 31 comments Our book club decided that Werner took the diamond out of the box and replaced it with the iron key. He then left the diamond on the beach. Explained in the chapter called Sea of Flames. We all loved the book - right or wrong!


Gayle (gpenrod) | 7 comments Sally wrote: "Our book club decided that Werner took the diamond out of the box and replaced it with the iron key. He then left the diamond on the beach. Explained in the chapter called Sea of Flames. We all l..."

Sally -- I have another question about the ending [spoiler alert]

what did you think about Werner walking straight towards the beach when he must've known what would happen?


message 18: by Sally (new)

Sally (nana9596) | 31 comments Spoilers all around! I think Werner did not like what he was involved in - he could not live with what he had done. I really wanted them to get together, but knew way before the end that it could never happen.


Gayle (gpenrod) | 7 comments Sally wrote: "Spoilers all around! I think Werner did not like what he was involved in - he could not live with what he had done. I really wanted them to get together, but knew way before the end that it could..."

More Spoilers....

Sally -- I agree! I also was hoping that they would get together and live happily ever after. At least we did get some resolution of what happened to all the other characters in the last "epilogue" chapter. I know others have criticized this particular chapter as unnecessary, but I thought it provided perspective on how people who lived through horrible times were able to return to (somewhat) normal lives.


message 20: by Sally (new)

Sally (nana9596) | 31 comments I agree - I will thrilled to have the "epilogue" chapter!


Laura | 6 comments I read most of this book on a long car ride. What a fantastic book. I like the idea that Werner threw the diamond back into the ocean. And the wrap up of the characters was satisfying though I kept hoping her dad would show up at the end.


Gayle (gpenrod) | 7 comments Laura wrote: "I read most of this book on a long car ride. What a fantastic book. I like the idea that Werner threw the diamond back into the ocean. And the wrap up of the characters was satisfying though I kept..."
**Spoiler**
ok, I'm going to have to re-read that chapter about the diamond...missed that he threw it back in the ocean!


Holly (hollyg113) | 5 comments I just finished it and I LOVED it. What an amazing book. And my book buddy hasn't read it yet so I'm lost without a friend to discuss it with hahaha


Priscilla Dicarlo | 6 comments Holly, I loved it too.!


Becky (beckymurr) | 557 comments This was a beautifully written book...


Cindi (cindinj) | 19 comments As usual (leave it to me), I'm pulling up this year-old thread. After hearing Michael talk glowingly about this book, I finally got the audiobook. It never held much interest for me. I am so glad I finally read (well, listened to) it. Thank you, Michael! What a phenomenal book. Beautiful, moving, poignant. I'm stingy with giving 5-star ratings but this one there was no doubt, it deserves it.


message 27: by Lisa (new) - rated it 4 stars

Lisa | 43 comments Anthony Doerr is on tour right now. He's giving a talk about the benefits of failure. I highly recommend seeing him if you get the chance!


Leslie | 1 comments You can catch a live stream featuring Anthony Doerr on Monday, January 25th at 7:30 pm at www.houstonpublicmedia.org/inprint


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