What would it like to be to live in the second World War? In Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize winner All the Light We Cannot See, we see an adequate explanation. Set in eastern Europe, this book follows two children, Werner and Marie-Laure, as they grow up in the midst of the Great war. The author also raises questions that readers are to think about.
The period of history in which this story is written, World War II, marked one of the lowest points of the past. Starting in 1939, Germany started taking over much of Europe. Meanwhile, in Asia, Japan began a series of invasions over China. Quickly, two groups emerged, the Axis, which included Germany, Italy, and Japan, and the Allies, including the U.S, Soviet Union, U.K, France, and China. Axis advance stopped in 1942, and within a few years, the Axis countries surrendered. A critical part of this war was the Holocaust and the genocide of Jews in Europe. Over 50 million people lost their lives in this brutal war. The events of this book were similar to the actual war, and one of the main cities, Saint-Malo, …show more content…
But continuing the book, the metaphorical and literal sense started to come together. The stories of both children seemed to be quite different, yet later in the book, influenced each other in the wildest of ways. Quite philosophical, this book raised questions about light and how war impacts regular civilians. The prose in this story was just truly beautiful. In such a book about war, you would expect there to be adventure and tension, but the disappointment in the climax, completely unsatisfactory, no hero was there to save the day. This point in the story may mean that life may be unsatisfactory, but it really ruins the experience of the reader. Considering that flaw, I wouldn’t recommend it to you if looking for a adventurous book, but really, this story contains just beautiful
The period of history in which this story is written, World War II, marked one of the lowest points of the past. Starting in 1939, Germany started taking over much of Europe. Meanwhile, in Asia, Japan began a series of invasions over China. Quickly, two groups emerged, the Axis, which included Germany, Italy, and Japan, and the Allies, including the U.S, Soviet Union, U.K, France, and China. Axis advance stopped in 1942, and within a few years, the Axis countries surrendered. A critical part of this war was the Holocaust and the genocide of Jews in Europe. Over 50 million people lost their lives in this brutal war. The events of this book were similar to the actual war, and one of the main cities, Saint-Malo, …show more content…
But continuing the book, the metaphorical and literal sense started to come together. The stories of both children seemed to be quite different, yet later in the book, influenced each other in the wildest of ways. Quite philosophical, this book raised questions about light and how war impacts regular civilians. The prose in this story was just truly beautiful. In such a book about war, you would expect there to be adventure and tension, but the disappointment in the climax, completely unsatisfactory, no hero was there to save the day. This point in the story may mean that life may be unsatisfactory, but it really ruins the experience of the reader. Considering that flaw, I wouldn’t recommend it to you if looking for a adventurous book, but really, this story contains just beautiful