All the Light We Cannot See (2014) is a war novel by American author Anthony Doerr.
… set during World War II. It revolves around the characters Marie-Laure LeBlanc, a blind French girl who takes refuge in her great-uncle’s house in Saint-Malo after Paris is invaded by Nazi Germany, and Werner Pfennig, a bright German boy who is accepted into a military school because of his skills in radio technology.
It won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
Overall, I was disappointed.
Too long. Poor storytelling. It rambled too much.
There were dozens of scenes that could have been left out — leaving the core story stronger.
WHY have 4 diamonds? That added nothing but unnecessary pages.
I’m astonished that the Pulitzer judges were impressed.
The mini-series — 4 episodes — is MUCH BETTER.
Don’t listen to the critics who gave it only 27% on Rotten Tomatoes.
I commend the screen writers for improving so much of the messy book.
Werner Pfennig is a much stronger character on screen.
Hugh Laurie is excellent as the World War I veteran suffering from PTSD.
Marie-Laure is played by Aria Mia Loberti who is legally blind. She responded on a whim to an All The Light We Cannot See open global casting search posted online. An amateur. Well cast.
I’d agree with critics that the NAZIs are cliche in the TV series . No nuance.
That was my biggest complaint with the mini-series.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Rick McCharles 