Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - All the Light We Cannot See

I greatly enjoyed this book. ATLWCS is an interesting perspective of World War 2 that I have not read much; children caught in the war, both victims of their countries choices, and the helplessness of their situations. The short chapters made this book an easy page turner. Just one more chapter..

I loved the invisible string of radio signals that tie together the two main characters throughout their entire lives. Two opposite sides in the war but united together by the incredible technology of radio.

I appreciated that the ending of the book brought out all the different horrors of the war; ptsd, loved ones never being found, or dying a pointless death like countless others in the war. Like Werner’s death. He spent his entire short life wanting to escape the mines, just to die from one.

Overall the book was written wonderfully and evoked many different human experiences. I especially loved Marie-Laure chapters where we ‘see’ how she views the world around her. I cannot imagine the research that went into this book to deliver such detailed accounts.

I’d gladly read again!

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cinnamontwisty's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

The best thing about this book is by far the writing, it feels almost lyrical or poetic. Absolutely gorgeous, like reading a fairy tale. I feel like the characters and the way their stories connected was a bit underwhelming, but still very good. Definitely worth a read!

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nycrose's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This was a really great story all the way through. I really like the descriptions of what the environment was like, how the people looked and what they were doing. He really paints a picture with words. It gave a very interesting (new to me) perspective on WW2 and what civilians just like us in Europe might have gone through at the time. And along with that was a really great story of mystery, rebellion, danger, bravery, adventure, despair, moral and courage. It will stick with you for a good while.

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