About the book
Marie-Laure has been blind since the age of six. Her father builds a perfect miniature of their Paris neighbourhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. But when the Nazis invade, father and daughter flee with a dangerous secret. Werner is a German orphan, destined to labour in the same mine that claimed his father’s life, until he discovers a knack for engineering. His talent wins him a place at a brutal military academy, but his way out of obscurity is built on suffering. At the same time, far away in a walled city by the sea, an old man discovers new worlds without ever setting foot outside his home. But all around him, impending danger closes in. Doerr’s combination of soaring imagination and meticulous observation is electric.
Reviewed by Fareham 5:30
Read this book! Read it now. It is wonderful – for many of us the best book we’ve read.
The descriptive writing is haunting. Each short chapter is so beautiful part of you wants to linger. The story is interesting, particularly how he weaves the tow key charcaters’ lives. The book is full of well-rounded characters that you care about.
The book provoked a good discussion on the morality and horrors of war – especially useful as seen from French and German perspectives.
This is a haunting story. We would definitely read all books by this author.
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