Wednesday, March 4, 2015

More Snow and A Book Review


There is a driveway there somewhere.

Looking back through my posts this winter, I noticed I never wrote my usual post on the first snowfall. There is a good reason for that: most of the winter the big snowstorms have passed either to the north or south of us, leaving us with only a few inches of snow at the most.  That is, until the past weekend.  Apparently, Old Man Winter decided we shouldn't feel left out and dumped at least 10 inches of snow here this weekend.  On March 1, for pete's sake, the beginning of meteorological spring!  Oh well, there's nothing I can do about it, and since I can't get in the garden, it's a good time to join in for another meeting of the Book Review Club.  This month's recommendation for an excellent book:  All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.


August, 1944:  As American bombers approach the city of Saint-Malo, France, "the last German strongpoint on the Breton coast," 16-year-old Marie-Laure LeBlanc waits on the sixth floor of the tall old house for her uncle to return.  She hears the air raid sirens and knows she should find her way to the cellar, but instead runs her fingers over the model city her father crafted for her and clutches the tiny replica of their house for comfort as she crawls to safety under her bed.  Five streets away, an eighteen-year-old German private, Werner Pfennig, finds himself in the dark cellar of the Hotel of Bees waiting for the bombing to begin.  He hears the anti-aircraft artillery booming above his head but can only think of home and childhood memories.




Flashback 10 years:  The LeBlanc family is cursed, neighbors say, when young Marie-Laure goes blind due to a congenital condition.  Her life becomes one of frustration as her bed with the quilt pulled up to her chin becomes her only refuge.
The despair doesn't last. Marie-Laure is too young and her father is too patient.  There are, he assures her, no such things as curses.  There is luck, maybe, bad or good.  A slight inclination of each day toward success or failure.  But no curses.

Her father helps her to learn Braille, and every evening he works on a miniature scale model of their neighborhood in Paris.  Days are spent at the National Museum of Natural History, where Marie-Laure's father is principal locksmith.  He takes her on his rounds, quizzing her on objects, and in the afternoon he leaves her in the laboratory of an old mollusk expert where Marie is allowed to touch thousands of seashells and learns to identify each by its weight, texture, and curves.

Marie-Laure is an inquisitive child, and her father is determined to help her achieve independence.  When the model of the neighborhood is finished, he asks her to memorize every home, shop, and intersection, then takes her on walks until she can navigate the streets by herself.  The bond between these two is strong, and they live a happy life until the German army approaches Paris, and they must flee to safety at the home of Monsieur LeBlanc's uncle in Saint-Malo.  There Marie learns to travel through a new neighborhood once again and wins the trust of strange Uncle Etienne.  As the war comes closer and closer, they find themselves playing a role in the French Resistance.

Coneflowers stand as sentinels in the garden.

Three hundred miles to the east, young Werner Pfennig grows up in Zollverein, a coal-mining complex outside of Essen, Germany, where the sky is permanently gray, and the landscape is covered with the fine black soot of coal.  He lives in an orphanage where food is hard to come by, and he and his sister Jutta often spend their days scavenging for scraps of food and small "treasures."  One day they find a discarded broken radio, and they take it home where Werner studies it and studies it until he figures out a way to fix it.  The sudden sound of music coming across the airwaves is a miracle, and soon evenings are spent listening to broadcasts from far-off places.




Werner's reputation as a genius with radios grows, and soon townspeople bring him their broken radios to be fixed.  Then a Nazi captain asks him to his home to fix the most magnificent radio Werner has ever seen, and when the radio is repaired, the captain recognizes that Werner is something special and recommends that he be selected to attend a school for exceptional boys where he will learn the latest in science.  Werner is apprehensive about leaving his home and his sister, but at the same time excited to escape his certain fate in the coal mines, the place that claimed the life of his father.  However, the school is actually a training ground where young boys are molded into future Nazi soldiers.  Young Werner sees the cruelty in the training methods of the instructors and tries to protect his sensitive friend Frederick.  But in the end he realizes that he has no choice but to follow directives if he is to survive.

Icy Clematis

How and when will these two very different characters meet?  The novel alternates between the stories of Marie-Laure and Werner and begins with the scenes in 1944 where they are both trapped in Saint-Malo, so you know that it is inevitable their paths will cross at some point.  Waiting for their stories to intersect kept me reading as I wondered what that meeting would be like.


Not little ghosts, but a line of shrubs blanketed in snow.

Over a year ago, I vowed I would not read another book set in Nazi Germany for a long time--the events and atrocities during this time period are just too depressing for me.  But my book club chose this book for our last meeting, so I didn't have much choice, but once I began reading Doerr's beautifully written prose, I was glad I had decided to participate.  The book certainly has some sad scenes and a one particularly cruel character, but does not include graphic violence, fortunately. Some reviewers have called it "surprisingly uplifting," and I agree that is the best way to describe its message.



It is the characters once again, however, who make this book so appealing.  One can't help but admire the curious and optimistic Marie-Laure who overcomes her handicap to "see" what others cannot.  Her enthusiasm for knowledge is infectious, and she changes others for the better.  Werner is also a likeable character, but mostly one feels sorry for him as he is forced into circumstances over which he has no control.  As his comrade Volkheimer says, "what you could be."  In another time and another place, Werner could have become a brilliant scientist. But he does find a way to defy authority and finally follow his morals as he remembers that long-ago voice on the radio:
" Open your eyes," the Frenchman on the radio used to say, "and see what you can with them before they close forever.'"



This is a story of survival and the resiliency of the human spirit and of unlikely heroes who remind us that even in the worst of times there is goodness to be found and people who will rise above to do what is right.



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@Barrie Summy


Disclaimer:  I received no compensation of any kind for this review, and as always, I review only books I like. After noticing how long the waiting list at my library was for this book,  I purchased my own copy of All The Light We Cannot See. 

41 comments:

  1. My husband just read this and loved it except he found the ending disappointing. I am trying to decide whether to give it a try right now. Thanks for the great review.

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    1. I agree with your husband, Pattinase. We were especially disappointed in the meeting between Marie and Werner's sister--I wonder if that is part of what he is referring to.

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  2. It's an interesting theme, Rose because many people survived and also million people didn't. As my family during the 400 days blockade of Saint Petersburg. Love your snowy pictures, but the vernal ones are better!

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    1. I have the greatest admiration for the people who survived this horrible time, Nadezda. I'm sure your family's hardships helped you to appreciate life that much more. I hope I don't have too many more snow photos to show!

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  3. If anyone has read this book, I would love to hear your thoughts on the ending. I don't want to give it away, but all of us in my book club were disappointed with the meeting between Marie and Jutta and wondered why the author chose not to reveal certain information.

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  4. My husband is currently reading this book and has high praise for it. He has encouraged me to read it, but, like you, I'm really not a fan of books about the Nazi era. I grew up on those stories and at some point I said, "Enough already!" But so many people have had such nice things to say about this book, I may have to break down and read it.

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    1. This book really doesn't dwell on the Nazis, Dorothy, or I'm not sure I could have finished it either. I meant to add in the review that it's a good reminder that not everyone who puts on an enemy uniform is really an enemy. Werner is a remarkable character and in no way a Nazi.

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  5. What a contrast between your blog border and the pictures in this post!

    I loved this book . . . the characters were extraordinary, and I was intrigued by the way the author tied them all together. I think you are right in emphasizing the aspects of survival and resiliency.

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    1. Bee, I usually use a header photo that relates to the seasons, but I just love this photo so much that I can't bear to change it:) Glad you liked the book, too--I agree, the characters are extraordinary.

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  6. I'm reading this book now so will bookmark your review to read after I finish it. Yes, we're getting more snow too, but at least some of it is melting on this sunny 43 degree day. You capture winter so well.

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    1. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the book when you finish, Sarah, especially about the ending.

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  7. Excellent review. This one is definitely on the TBR pile!

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    1. Thanks, Cloudbuster! With the long winter, I have been making considerable headway through my own TBR pile:)

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  8. I too am sick of the snow and cold. Nice photos, though. What is that bird, a warbler? As for the book, it does sound interesting. I have an interest in books and movies about the World War II era, though I much prefer the parts where the Allies are winning.

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    1. The bird in the photo is a white-breasted nuthatch, Jason; I should have identified it. Usually I see them upside down on my feeders. This book focuses more on the people than on the war, but I think you would enjoy it.

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  9. Hi Rose, you have a wonderful collection of photos. So many people cut their gardens back to the ground for a neater look over winter. I think they may be missing some wonderful views. Your photos prove my point. The little caps and cloaks of snow only last an hour or a day but they are so pretty.

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    1. Marnie, we cut back everything at the gardens where I volunteer, and I always think what a shame. I cut a little more back this fall than usual because I had the time, but I left a lot up for the birds and of course, for some pretty snow photos:)

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  10. Nice review, Rose. I read that book and really liked it.

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    1. Hi, Janie--thanks for visiting! Glad you enjoyed the book, too.

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  11. My kind of book as I love accurate & well written historical fiction. And incidentally took my English teacher spouse to France (including St. Malo which she loved) upon her retirement.......

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    1. Wow, what a wonderful retirement gift for your wife! I would love to see St. Malo; it sounded so beautiful in the book--until the bombs fell, of course.

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  12. Thanks for the great review, Rose. I saw this book made the top list at Amazon and thought it sounded interesting, but I have the same general reservations you do about books set during this period. After reading your review, I'm more inclined to give it a chance.

    Nice photos. I sure hope winter will end soon. Most of the country has been slammed this year!

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    1. Linda, most of the book is very uplifting, so I was pleased about that. The characters really are remarkable. We're supposed to get up to the 50's next week, so I have my fingers crossed that spring is on its way

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  13. i started this, loved it, and had to return it to the library because I had too many research books getting in the way. Thanks for the reminder--I'll get my name on the waiting list now! (

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    1. Ellen, I waited and waited for the book to come from my library and finally decided it must be very popular. I hope you have time to finish it soon!

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  14. Hi Rose, I too did not post a first snowfall post on GWGT. Mainly because our first snowfall came with the blast that dumped 7 feet of snow on Buffalo. I photographed my area, but did not make a big deal about is as so many in our area were in dire circumstance. Our area was hardly touched by that blizzard. Also on your book, I don't read on Nazi Germany because being 100% German, my family has too much history there. I also did not visit concentration camps when I visited Eastern Europe for this reason. Too close for comfort. for me. Someday I hope to visit Germany though. It would be nice to see where my family began.

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    1. Donna, all my ancestors were German, too. They came here nearly 150 years ago, so those that fought in WWI or WWII were in the U.S. Army. Still, I know there were some hard feelings they faced here because of their heritage at that time. I had the chance to visit Dachau when I was in Germany many years ago, but had no desire to. I think it's important we don't forget the past, but I just don't want to re-visit it too much.

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  15. Wow, 10 inches of snow late in the season. Ick. But it sounds like the Midwest will be warming up in the days ahead. Yay! This book sounds like a good read, though a difficult topic. Thanks for the review.

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    1. Beth, it's supposed to reach 60 today! There are only a few small patches of snow left, and I suspect they will be gone by the end of the day. I have my fingers crossed that the warm weather will stay.

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  16. oh dear, 10 inches is quite a dump of snow. That must have been a bit of a surprise, especially when you haven't had any snow thus far. Hopefully spring will soon be on its way and the white stuff will be just a memory.

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    1. Marguerite, the snow is melting fast! I can't complain because this was really the only significant snow we had this year; nothing like last year.

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  17. Eventhough you beautiful captures of the snow in your garden I can imagine that you think it is enough now with the snow.
    I hope springtemperatures are coming your way soon.

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    1. It's much warmer this week, Marijke; I hope I'll have some green coming up soon to show instead of white!

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  18. That sounds like an interesting book. I don't usually read books like that either, as they are usually too depressing or graphic, but this one sounds like it's better. (I usually get my fill of depressing just reading the news.) It's also a little depressing having snow when we feel it should be turning into spring. That's quite a storm you got! Hope it melts soon!

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    1. Indie, I agree about the news--I read books like this and think, thank goodness that will never happen again, and then I see something just as horrific on the news. That's why I usually like to read books that good me some escape.

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  19. Fabulous review...I started the novel and put it down when I thought there might be more violence than I wanted to deal with this winter, when I was stuck inside! I shall resume reading it! Hope you get a good thaw and soon. You've had entirely too much winter!

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    1. I do hope you finish the book, Gail! I won't say there aren't some sad moments in the book, but there is not the violence I've read in so many other novels set in WWII. We're thawing out here as I type!

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  20. I struggle a little with wartime stories in a similar way to your reluctance to take on this book club novel. But I liked the Book Thief and this story reminds me of it a little. It sounds like a very compelling story that would draw you in.
    Hope your snow melts soon. It is finally warmish here thank goodness. I can't wait for the snow to disappear!

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    1. Jennifer, I loved The Book Thief despite its setting! If you enjoyed that book, then you will definitely like this one.

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  21. Chiming in late… :)

    Lovely review! This sounds like one I'd really enjoy. Unlike you, I like reading the stories set around WWII. While it is horrifying to imagine the atrocities committed during that time, it is also inspiring--and uplifting--to read of the true heroics than occurred despite them.

    Alyssa

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  22. This one sounds interesting. Thanks for reviewing it!!!!

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