Got the book ordered in Sheffield as it not available yet in France. Waiting to read the book before watching the series. Sometimes it can prove disappointing.
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Omg I started the TV show and wasn’t very impressed so far, so I might give it up and read the book first - I’ve heard such good things!! x
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I read the book earlier this year, then watched the series and re-read the book. There are similarities between the book and the series, though I prefer the book. I liked the story and the style of Doerr’s writing. I loved the main characters as they are quite “unusual” - a blind girl and an orphan boy. The story is captivating and the ending is bittersweet. Also there are some “events” in the book which make you wonder what really happened - it allows the reader to come up with ideas as to what happened to certain characters.
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I’m doing the same – book first, then I’ll watch the series over the Christmas break!
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I have my book! Can’t wait to get stuck in - this is the sort of book I’m looking forward to reading but wouldn’t have picked up without the book club suggestion 
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So good to hear!
Book ordered and at the ready! Nearly finished Really Good Actually.
Following last weeks Podcast I also have Good Material ready to go, based on Heathers recommendation
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Amazing! How did you get on with Really Good, Actually? Hope you enjoy Good Material too, I’ve got a load of my friends onto it too!
I haven’t started it yet – looking forward to catching up over the Christmas break!
I spent the last 4 hours finishing this yesterday, that’s how engrossed I was! I agree with above about not being my usual choice if it wasn’t for the book club. Definitely a slow burner for me, at times it dragged on but once the main characters storylines start to intertwine and they eventually meet, it’s a little disappointing that part isn’t as well developed - especially when Von Rumpel tracks down Marie-Laure and Werner arrives at the house. I was satisfied with the ending though and intrigued to see how the show compares.
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Love it when an ending makes you ignore everything else! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I read this book a few years ago, and it’s a book that has stayed with me. Which says a lot as I read on a daily basis.
I recently watched the tv adaption, and although I enjoyed it - the book is a million times better
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I’m inclined to agree! The book is so engrossing, especially when the characters are brought together - so much drama at the end, I was up all night reading it. Did anyone prefer the TV to the book? What about the casting? I have thoughts on Mark Ruffalo’s accent!
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Finished it and loved it…. Hubby has just started to read it… so far he is enjoying it.
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What did you think of how the author starts with the bombing of St Malo and then takes us back in time so we journey with the characters to get to that pivotal ending?
Doerr doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable viewpoints through his characters developments. Did you find you were able to empathise with them?
I finished this book in 3 days, so so engrossing! When I was reading it I felt I was IN the book! I agree with some comments above, sometimes especially at the beginning, is a bit slow but then what a whirlwind of emotions! Now do I watch the series or shall I keep the magic of the book with me for a little longer?
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As mentioned before xmas I watched the first episode on Netflix and then decided to read the book first - and I am SO happy I did. I couldn’t put the book down, it was so gripping in so many ways even though the narrative wasn’t moving at hyper speed.
I loved the back and forth on the time line and the historical references, and the descriptions of the different characters (how they smelled, what their movements were like - I felt like I could really envision them)
I’m usually the one that hates the end of every book, but I actually wasn’t mad at this one - it was real and honest, without romanticising anything too much. The uncertainty of the fate of some of the characters added to the real feel of the story.
And I don’t know if anyone else felt like this, but the whole book I was just waiting for Werner and Marie Laure to meet. I kept thinking to myself ‘please tell me they are meant to find each other’…
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LOVE this, thanks Vanessa!
The fourth Book Club podcast is now live!
You’ve been reading & commenting & now the latest Book Club podcast is live…
Listen to it here.
Heather & Georgina are joined by Waterstones’ Head of Books Bea Carvalho to delve deep into Anthony Doerr’s prize-winning historical novel All The Light We Cannot See, including reader reviews on the SL Community.
Watch it here.
We also announced the next book on the Book Club: Tom Lake by Ann Patchett.
Click here to order the book.
You have six weeks to read it. Once you’ve finished reading, share your thoughts & reviews with other readers in the new Book Club thread.
If you’ve already read the book, start commenting now!
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Rather late to comment but I wanted to let you know how much I benefited from the podcast for “All the Light We Cannot See”. I thoroughly enjoyed the book even though I initially found it hard to engage with. I have three points from the podcast:
- The suggestions for books from 2023 and the guidance for 2024 all seem excellent recommendations.
- I personally don’t think the podcast made enough of the themes of light and dark running through the entire book and their importance when other senses are absent.
- I too thought the final chapter superfluous until I registered the date 100 years after the start of the First World War (often referred to as when the world went dark) plus it was the year a billion smartphones were shipped (IDC Market Research, BBC News 28 January 2014) thinking of Michel’s virtual war game on a hand-held device.
Now I better get busy reading the next book. Many thanks.
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