All the Light We Cannot See
by Anthony Doerr · first published 2014
69% recommend31% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Lyrical, emotionally absorbing WWII novel following a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths converge; readers praise its beauty and haunting tone and often list it among favorite fiction.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, a stunningly ambitious and beautiful novel about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II. Marie Laure lives with her father in Paris within walking distance of the Museum of Natural History where he works as the master of the locks (there are thousands of locks in the museum). When she is six, she goes blind, and her father builds her a model of their neighborhood, every house, every manhole, so she can memorize it with her fingers and navi
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…daily life) * Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Voss Chris (meh) * Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days by Knapp Jake (meh) * All the Light We Cannot See by Doerr Anthony (loved it) * The Remains of the Day by Ishiguro Kazuo (loved it)
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗…looking at covers and titles to see if it seems interesting to look into deeper). I also used to follow some reviewers. For more "literary" fiction, I look mostly at what mainstream reviewers say. I found All the Light we Cannot See that way, and loved it (except for one scene I felt was just completely unnecessary to the novel). Then, perhaps, look for major authors. Umberto Eco is one that comes to mind that I'm fixing to start.
on “Learning to Read in Your 30s Profoundly Transforms the Brain” ↗The book that changed me was All the light we cannot see by Anthony Doerr. This book was so beautiful and haunting. Set in occupied France during World War II, the novel centers on a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths eventually cross.
on “Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?” ↗Life is short and so is this book -Peter Atkins Novel/fiction... All the light we cannot see
on “Ask HN: What are some good inspirational and uplifting books?” ↗…questions. Vinge absolutely nails the micro and macro structure of the book. The build up, introduction to and revealing of mysteries, are all perfectly timed to keep you hanging onto every word. 2. All the Light We Cannot See - Doerr 3. Cloud Atlas - Mitchell
on “Ask HN: What are the best Well-Written Books?” ↗Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr The Three-Body Problem Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024” ↗…police procedurals: John Sanford, Lee Child, and William Kent Krueger. I still read them, but during lockdown I made a conscious decision to widen my horizons. Some of my favorites over the last year: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr Most of Joe Abercrombie; particularly the First Law series. God of the Woods by Liz Moore In Cold Blood by Truman Capote Life We Bury by Allen Eskens Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots
on “The Mensa Reading List for Grades 9-12” ↗It’s also great in wartime, when communications are likely to be interrupted. For an example read the book “All the light we cannot See” by Doerr
on “It's a shame what's happened to radio” ↗…order): 01. Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett) 02. Lonesome Dove (Larry McMurtry) 03. A Painted House (John Grisham) 04. A Gentleman in Moscow (Amor Towles) 05. The Great Alone (Kristin Hannah) 06. All the Light We Cannot See (Anthony Doerr) 07. Annihilation (Jeff VanderMeer) 08. The First Law Trilogy (Joe Abercrombie) * this encompasses three long books; however, I consider them one long epic novel 09. Mailman (Stephen…
on “Book recommendations from Hacker News?” ↗This reminds me a lot of the father in 'All the Light We Cannot See', building their neighbourhood in miniature for his blind daughter to learn from. As a novice woodworker and obsessive builder of all things small and useful, I find small scale construction like this…
on “Tiny, Perfect Staircases Made by French Woodworkers” ↗…Keigo Higashino - House In the Cerulean Sea - How to Stop Time by Matt Haig Others that I like: The Rosie Project, The Books of Babel, A long way to a small Angry Planet, Wool/Shift/Dust, Lockstep, All the Light We Cannot See, Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore, Earth Abides, Project Hail Mary, The Martian Also, check out https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/
on “Ask HN: What is your favorite fiction book?” ↗…https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publishers_Weekly_list_of_best... It is true that there isn't that much literary stuff that breaks through, and the stuff that does is usually somewhat crossover (e.g., All the Light We Cannot See in 2015 or Song of Achilles in 2021) but it exists. These two books are shelved under literary codes (though also historical). Song of Achilles in particular is beautifully written and a personal favorite…
on “The cultural decline of literary fiction” ↗…this for you[1]. [1] https://gist.github.com/anonymous/84449fe7860e292e904f The list: Category: FICTION & POETRY 1. 'All Our Names' by Dinaw Mengestu 2. 'All The Birds, Singing' by Evie Wyld 3. 'All The Light We Cannot See' by Anthony Doerr 4. 'American Innovations' by Rivka Galchen 5. 'The Assassination Of Margaret Thatcher: Stories' by Hilary Mantel 6. 'The Ballad Of A Small Player' by Lawrence Osborne 7. 'Bark: Stories'…
on “Notable Books of 2014” ↗Deep Learning With Python, Third Edition by Francois Chollet and Matthew Watson Recently read books by Anthony Doerr (Shell Collector, About Grace, Memory Wall, All the Light We Cannot See) and Simon Singh (Code Book, Fermat's Last Theorem, Trick or Treatment, The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets).
on “Ask HN: What are you reading?” ↗…tried to spend some time reading some high quality fiction this year and stumbled upon Kristin Hannah's "The Four Winds." This says a lot since I read some classics this year including "Anna Karenina", "All the Light We Cannot See", and "Where the Crawdads Sing." I enjoyed "The Four Winds" the most. So beautifully written and so much emotion. I managed to read 50 books this year which was huge because I have never considered myself…
on “Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?” ↗