September Review: 'All the Light We Cannot See'

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Book: All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr

Publication date: 2014

WCRG meeting: 19 September 2018

Rating: 8.3



Thank you for those of you who turned up to our meeting in September, where there was a lively discussion on the novel All the light we cannot see by Anthony Doerr:

The book was very well received by our reading group. The beautiful, lyrical language was what many found most appealing and outstanding. Great imagery was created on the page. One member who sent in his review via e-mail, could hardly stop himself from just quoting passages from the book.

Some would have preferred a chronological narrative, and others found the short chapters to be tedious and making the book feel too long. Many were also disappointed by the ending, having preferred a shorter more poignant ending than the drawn out ending over decades.

We enjoyed how the different stories intertwined, however some found it a bit frustrating that we knew all along that Marie-Laure and Werner would meet, and we were just waiting for the when and how.

The title was a play on words, showing how much there is to see in life. The book was felt to be also very effective to show the effects war has on people caught up in it, showing the waste of life, skill etc., which made the book basically an anti-war book.

Interestingly, many members read the book previously after the book was recommended to them, a couple of our book club member even discussed the book at other bookclubs.

The book received an impressive score of 8.3 out of 10.