All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
About the Book
Published in 2014, All the Light We Cannot See was composed in Idaho, USA. The book became an immediate worldwide best-seller, appealing to a wide segment of readers. This is the kind of book a spouse buys a partner who loves great stories but hasn’t read one in years, choosing the easier path of watching dramas on screen instead.
Readers of this novel enjoy weaving transcendent language with a plot that never stops, even as it hops back and forth in time. With every jump, the astute reader is feeling the question, “Damn, I wonder what happens next,” until the ending drops a burden of time and sorrow on the reader from which we sensitive ones will never recover.
About the Author
Anthony Doerr (1973) was born an Ohio boy. He earned his BA in History from Bowdoin College and his MFA from Bowling Green State University (my alma mater). Anthony was a graduate student when I was accepted into the BFA Creative Writing Workshop program during the late 1990s. He published his first novel, The Shell Collector, in 2002 and his second novel, About Grace, in 2004. Ten years later, he published All the Light We Cannot See.
Anthony is one of the rare writers who balance the skill of language with the craft of storytelling. I regret that I didn’t attend his Prout Chapel MFA reading in College. He won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Literature for All The Light We Cannot See. He published his latest novel, Cloud Cuckoo Land, in 2021. I am proud to graduate from the same writing program that produced this man’s growing library of world-class fiction.
What Happens?
Like most great fiction, this novel is a love story and a tragedy of fate. There is no sex in this book and little violence (for a war novel). But there is a great threat woven throughout this story, and it’s the same threat we face in 2024 - Fascism ripping up the lives of good people in this world.
Set against the backdrop of World War II, All The Light We Cannot See unfolds in alternating chapters, offering glimpses into the two main characters' divergent yet interconnected lives as they navigate the tumultuous landscape of war-torn Europe.
Marie-Laure LeBlanc is a blind French girl, and Werner Pfennig is a German orphan with a gift for engineering. Fate and love of science will unite them in the most unlikely circumstances, where tragedy unfolds and becomes survival for one of them.
Why does this book matter?
The only books worth reading about World War II are the ones that inspire empathy for the suffering of nearly a hundred million civilians who perished during that awful and unnecessary global conflict. This is a moral tale, not a Hero’s Journey, though there is heroism in this story.
This book gives the reader an experience of the lead-up to war that displaces civilian populations, where foreign armies quarter in local houses and hotels, and battles are fought in what were once civilian places. This book is a cautionary tale and a celebration of Humanity, a book that intelligent and caring people keep close on their home library shelf.
Who would like this book?
Historical Fiction enthusiasts
Literary Fiction fans
Character-driven readers
Fans of dual narratives (it’s masterfully done here)
Book clubs looking for good community novels
Readers who crave emotional impact
About Easton Press & Their Books
Established in 1958, Easton Press is a renowned American publishing company known for its exquisite, leather-bound books, specializing in producing collector's editions of classic literature, history, science, and other notable works.
Easton Press books feature premium leather covers that are hand-selected for quality and durability. These covers are often adorned with intricate embossing, 22-karat gold accents, and elegant gilded page edges.
Every Easton Press book boasts a Smyth-sewn binding, meticulously crafted to ensure durability and longevity. This binding technique allows the book to lie flat and open smoothly, preserving the integrity of the text and illustrations.
