Book 4 Project

After Reading this it’s easy to see why this book is as popular as it is. Described by many people as Anthony Doerr's finest piece of work and the greatest book of 2014 All The Light We Cannot See is a smash hit for people of all ages. But what is it that makes this book so popular? I think I have found the answer to this question. All The Light We Cannot See is so popular due to its appeal to people's emotions. Just think about it, right off the bat the story is historical fiction so it’s an event that people remember and already have an opinion about. Anthony Doerr takes this opinion and twists it with a heartfelt story. The story tops it all off, I mean who can resist the power of a small blind girl who is run out of her home town by Nazis? I don't care how tough you think you are, get ready to shed tears, a lot of them.

All The Light We Cannot See is centered on two main characters Werner and Marie-Laurie. Werner is in studying in s Nazi school and Marie-Laurie is with her father who has been forced out of Paris to the country side. They are tasked with hiding a gem known as the Sea of Flames a very precious stone that is sacred in France. The Sea of Flames holds a legendary curse and Marie and her father must protect it at all costs. But there are people looking for the stone, bad people. Sergeant Major Renold is a Nazi leader that is looking for the gem to make him rich and won’t let anyone get in his way of him getting power. As if that isn't bad enough Marie is blind and left by herself when her dad gets sent to a work camp. The gem stays hidden and Werner meets Marie when he gets stationed in Saint-Melo.

In an interview about the book, Anthony Doerr reveals where he got the inspiration to write the book. He tells a story about how he was on an underground subway and he overheard a man complain about bad cellular connection and how Doerr started thinking to himself that this guy is complaining about something that 500 years ago no one would have believed to be possible! He realized how fortunate we are to even have technology like this and transformed this event into a key factor in 'All The Light We Cannot See'. Then he tells about his trip to a French city that was once destroyed by the U.S. during WW2. And just like that Doerr wrote a New York Times Bestseller.

 

 All things considered it’s amazing how one person could come up with such a masterpiece from just overhearing a conversation and going on vacation. It's no wonder why this book is so popular. It has a perfect mix of historical accuracy with a little bit of fantasy and fiction blended in to make a very entertaining story. Also the characters aren’t bad either. Marie is strong and proved you can do anything no matter what is wrong with you, meanwhile Werner’s dedication and talent got him out of his bad situation and brought new opportunities for him. This is without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read.