All the Light We Cannot See

Discussion in 'TMB Book Club' started by LKRFN88jp, Jul 29, 2015.

  1. Lorne Malvo

    Lorne Malvo Aces!
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    I've seen this posted about quite about on the board, so figured I would start a thread on it. Probably 30% in and it is fantastic thus far. Writing is so good. I don't really think I have an idea on where it's going and I love that about it. Such short chapters threw me off at first, but I've gotten into that as it's gone on.
     
  2. KJROD20

    KJROD20 the ends will justify the means.
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    This is on my list and may be next after I finish Armada. Isn't it the most highly praised book of the past year?
     
  3. laxjoe

    laxjoe Well-Known Member
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    I've read the last 3 pullitzers, tons of the real popular novels (ready player 1,armada, the Martian, etc) and some random books added in. This is still my favorite book I've read in the last year +. Just a fantastic story. Amazing writing. An absolute must read
     
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  4. prerecordedlive

    prerecordedlive Sworn Enemy of Standard Time
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    I'm about 130 pages in. It's fantastic so far. The imagery of Marie-Laure and her dad dealing with blindness is hauntingly beautiful stuff. And I truly have no idea where it's going either and love that as well.
     
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  5. laxjoe

    laxjoe Well-Known Member
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    Couldn't agree more.
     
  6. BigRed

    BigRed Well-Known Member
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    If you liked All the Light We Cannot See. Then read The Book Thief next if you haven't already. They are somewhat similar IMO.
     
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  7. Lorne Malvo

    Lorne Malvo Aces!
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    Little over 300 pages in, so 40% of the book is left. Holy crap, this is getting amazing. Just finished another time jump forward to 1944
    I was on the edge of my seat as he walked through the house where Marie-Laure was. I cannot imagine being blind in a moment like this, not knowing if it's safe to leave or not. Also, the stuff with Werner and Frederick was incredibly sad. When he was first called out for being the weakest, I thought he was done. Didn't think it would unfold the way it did though. Wow.
    I read a bunch before work this morning after staying up late to do so last night. I might just power through and try to finish it tonight. Will probably be done by tomorrow though. Getting hard to put down.
     
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  8. BigRed

    BigRed Well-Known Member
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    Worth mentioning here: 20th Century Fox bought the rights for the film back in May last year.
     
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  9. BB3

    BB3 watch our for your cornhole bud...
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    WERNER!

    I was absolutely devastated after that god damn land-mine. I had to take a breather from the book I was so mad. I'm still not sure whether Werner was delirious / ill or if he realized Jutta was right and he hated what he had become.
     
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  10. Lorne Malvo

    Lorne Malvo Aces!
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    I have about 15% left. Cannot wait to finish it tonight, hated going in to work this morning as I wanted to keep reading.
     
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  11. laxjoe

    laxjoe Well-Known Member
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    i certainly wouldn't say it's as good, but if you like historical fiction, especially ww2 stuff, I just finished the nightingale. it was a really good book as well. tells the story of two french sisters in nazi occupied france. certainly would recommend it

    also, so glad more people are reading this book. and i am even more pleased that it seems everyone is really enjoying it.
     
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  12. BigRed

    BigRed Well-Known Member
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    Also worth noting, All the Light We Cannot See won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction novels this year.
     
  13. Lorne Malvo

    Lorne Malvo Aces!
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    Just finished. That was phenomenal. So happy I read it. Feels hit me so many damn times throughout.
    I thought that the end was a great touch. So many of these stories, non-fiction or fiction, we focus so much on the war itself but we never really go beyond it. Skipping ahead 30 years (and then another 40) was really interesting and I thought it was incredibly well done. I cannot imagine going through that type of event and then living life again. And that's what so many did. Wow. Great book.
     
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  14. RonBurgundy

    RonBurgundy Well-Known Member

    Just starting this today after finishing up Seveneves. Just from reading the prologue I'm impressed with his writing skills.

    FTR I thought Book Thief was mostly shit fwiw.
     
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  15. rv12

    rv12 Cowabunga
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    Just finished it tonight. Loved it. As said above, the scene where the German officer is in the house with Marie-Laure, super great.
     
  16. Boner_Jihad

    Boner_Jihad "Do you like hurting people?"

    Sort of glad I stumbled upon this thread before I went to America on Holiday and decided to compliment the title book with The Book Thief. Would love to wash the taste of Catch 22 off my mind with these two books and then Armada when I'm finally done with it.
     
  17. RonBurgundy

    RonBurgundy Well-Known Member

    Finished it late last night. Very, very good book. Well written minutiae, deep and dynamic characters, just enough plot to keep me interested.
     
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  18. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
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    Just finished, and thought throughout reading it felt a lot like The Book Thief, which I also enjoyed very much.

    Hopefully Hollywood does a better job with this than the shit sandwich they made of The Book Thief.
     
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  19. soulfly

    soulfly Well-Known Member
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    Nm
     
    #19 soulfly, Oct 1, 2015
    Last edited: Oct 7, 2015
  20. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    Just started this today. Only 50 pages in, but Doerr can really write.
     
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  21. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    50%

    Not much of an update, but Frederick's treatment has me feeling pretty bad. Poor guy just wanted to study birds. I'm starting to think Werner doesn't survive this story. Just a feeling.
     
  22. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    Finished the book earlier today. Loved it, just beautifully written. The story was great, though crushing at times.
     
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  23. prerecordedlive

    prerecordedlive Sworn Enemy of Standard Time
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    So I put this book down after about 200 pages and I realized it was about a year between when I last picked it up and when I decided to commit to finishing it.

    I'm glad I started over. This is such a beautiful book. Not my favorite, but I love the subject matter and having a totally different perspective of WWII.
    Von Rumpel
    chapters were pretty weird but it made sense to weave the story together.
     
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  24. Thoros of Beer

    Thoros of Beer Academy Award-Winning Actor, Tim Allen
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    This book crushed me
     
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  25. Gin Buckets

    Gin Buckets Well-Known Member
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    I was bored all the way through. Reminded me of the Book Thief. I can tell that it's well written, but for some reason I find both stories snoozers overall.
     
  26. tylerdolphin

    tylerdolphin My spoon is too big
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    I thought The Book Thief was pretty meh, but really enjoyed this one. The guy who recommended Book Thief to me raved about it. Different stroke I guess.
     
  27. CBH

    CBH Well-Known Member
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    Looks like I'm about three years behind on this book and it has been sitting on a shelf for at least two of those years but at about 60% in and it has been very good so far. If it wasn't for finishing papers for grad school I would probably be finishing it today.
     
  28. laxjoe

    laxjoe Well-Known Member
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    Decided to reread this one. And after getting back into it, I saw that it was optioned to Netflix as a limited series. Looking forward to that whenever it comes
     
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