Book Club Selection August : “All The Light We Cannot See”
Photograph By Carolina Caruso
Well, it took a while because this month’s book is a long one but I am happy to say I have another recommendation and a book on the book stack. When I started the Book Club in January I have always asked for suggestions on what to read next and “All The Light We Cannot See” was probably the most recommended book. I can now see why. I don’t know where I was when this came out and I am not sure why I waited so long to read it.
The story is touching and beautiful and gave me goosebumps and made me cry in one sitting. The minute I finished I wanted to read it all over again. The ending answered a lot of questions but led me to more. If you are thinking that the book is lengthy the answer is yes, it is long but it goes pretty quickly. I started reading it on my way to Portugal and my travels throughout Europe. I will say, don’t put it down and pick it back up weeks or months later you will loose part of the story. You want to carve out time for this one.
The book is about a blind French girl and a German orphan boy whose lives intertwine as they are trying to survive during the World War II during the Nazi Occupation. The story bounces between one character and the other as you learn about the characters. Marie Laure lives with her father in Paris she goes blind at an early age. Her father builds her a model of their neighborhood with every little detail down to the manhole so she can navigate the city. When the Germans occupy Paris the two flee to Saint Malo where they stay with Marie Laure’s great uncle and caretaker. In Germany, Werner an orphan lives with his sister Jutta. Werner finds a passion in the discovery of fixing and building radios. His talent finds him in a spot in the military and a part of Hitler Youth which brings him all the way to Saint Malo.
For those of you who have read this book or have this on your reading list, this is one I would love to discuss. It is lengthy and I am sure every one of us had different parts that tugged at our heart strings. Feel free to comment below if you have read the book and your own personal thoughts. If you haven’t read it yet please tell me where you follow from and I have one copy that I will send a reader next week.
If you are looking for other book recommendations you can always look at past months:
Thank you so much reading along. Feel free to pass this list off to any Francophile friends that are in search of a good read. For Chicago people there will be a meetup this month I am working out the details now and will have a date soon!
