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  • All the Light We Cannot See

  • A Novel
  • Written by: Anthony Doerr
  • Narrated by: Zach Appelman
  • Length: 16 hrs and 2 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (954 ratings)

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All the Light We Cannot See

Written by: Anthony Doerr
Narrated by: Zach Appelman
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Publisher's Summary

Winner of the 2015 Audie Award for Fiction

Marie-Laure lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where he works as the master of its thousands of locks. When she is six, Marie-Laure goes blind and her father builds a perfect miniature of their neighborhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. When she is 12, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great-uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.

In a mining town in Germany, the orphan Werner grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments, a talent that wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth, then a special assignment to track the resistance. More and more aware of the human cost of his intelligence, Werner travels through the heart of the war and, finally, into Saint-Malo, where his story and Marie-Laure’s converge.

©2014 Anthony Doerr (P)2014 Simon & Schuster Audio
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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.

What listeners say about All the Light We Cannot See

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Mesmerizing!

A great tale, fantastic research, a wonderful backdrop to the lives of everyone who lived through the 40’s. Everyone lived such a story, very few could tell it that well. Thank you Anthony.

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Gripping tale

I really enjoyed this tale with WWII in the background. The narrator was excellent however I have one small quibble. As a French speaker I found the words said in French were awkward as the narrator clearly does not speak the language. The author presents a dramatic tale which is sometimes hard to listen too.

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An Amazing Book

I loved this narrative with its descriptions and setting. The characters were lovely and I wish it could have gone differently, lol. Prepare to get ruined with this book :)

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Wonderful Story

Beautifully written descriptions of the characters, the locations and conversations between characters.

Overall plot, very good and enjoyed every minute.

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I enjoyed the story

I really enjoy a story that is told by going back and forth in time and unraveling as it goes. I think this book would of been more enjoyable had I read it, rather than audible. I found the quick jumps from person to person sometimes hard to follow, a lot of going back and listening to the previous chapter to catch the jump. But the last 1/3 of the book it all came together!

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    4 out of 5 stars
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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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This might have been the best book I've ever read

incredible, beautiful story. what an amazing cast of characters. I wasn't really find of the narrator at the beginning but I warmed to him by the end.

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Never judge a book by its cover

It's true when they say don't judge a book by its cover. I am not one to take interest in a story that involves world war II as I find it heart breaking however this is an absolutely amazing story and I could not put the book down. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone and I believe that I have to those who are around me. Would I read it again? Absolutely I would in a heartbeat! Very well written!

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Rich in so much detail, you could put yourself in the book’s scenes!

Authors are continuously trying to engage all five sense of their readers to put them in the shoes and the places that their novels are occurring.
This novel is the one and only novel I have yet to read that uses all five senses to make you feel like you’re really in the novel itself.
The prose is haunting but elegant, and metaphorically, it provides beautiful landscapes of imagery. I definitely didn’t want this book to end and hope to find more like this in the future! #Audible1

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Started slowly for me

I’m 4 chapters into All The Light We Cannot See and I’m finally invested. The language is very flowery right out of the gate. But over the first few chapters you meet intriguing characters and begin to wonder how their paths will eventually cross. I know this will be 60 hours well spent. #Audible1

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