WINNER OF THE 2015 PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR FICTION A beautiful, stunningly ambitious novel about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever.' For Marie-Laure, blind since the age of six, the world is full of mazes. The ...
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WINNER OF THE 2015 PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR FICTION A beautiful, stunningly ambitious novel about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever.' For Marie-Laure, blind since the age of six, the world is full of mazes. The miniature of a Paris neighbourhood, made by her father to teach her the way home. The microscopic layers within the invaluable diamond that her father guards in the Museum of Natural History. The walled city by the sea, where father and daughter take refuge when the Nazis invade Paris. And a future which draws her ever closer to Werner, a German orphan, destined to labour in the mines until a broken radio fills his life with possibility and brings him to the notice of the Hitler Youth. In this magnificent, deeply moving novel, the stories of Marie-Laure and Werner illuminate the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another.
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Well written novel about a blind French girl and an orphaned German boy trying to grow up during WWII. It has several themes not just war, but also knowledge, survival, endurance and the legacy of the past. The main characters (there are 63 total) survive in the end and have to learn how to deal with what they have endured. There are several motifs and many symbols. The time line of the novel is not laid out in sequence so it makes an interesting read. I think anyone who enjoys reading will like it too.
Miriam J
Apr 29, 2016
Maybe the most beautiful book I've read
I read this at least a year ago, but it left such a deep impact on me, it's one of the few books that I remember. It was instantly engrossing and I was hardly able to put it down until I finished it. I was fully involved with the two main characters, the German boy and the French girl, and their star-crossed paths. The beautifully developed characters and their profound perceptions of their respective worlds were so empathetically described, it was impossible to not feel their stories throughout. I happened to be on a train when I read the last part of the book, and was openly weeping for the last 30 minutes - just at the beauty of the life and achievement described.
Robert S
Dec 30, 2015
Must Read!
A Modern classic! I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys wonderfully crafted fiction set in pre-war Europe. Sweet personal relationships woven into the story of German soldier raised in an orphanage and a blind French girl and her father in Paris. Set aside some time for a cover to cover read... it's that good!