Blurb
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.
First Published
2014
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Bannus.van.der.kloot
Masterful characterization work with Marie Laure and Werner. The brief chapters alternate rapidly between two distinct viewpoints. ML's revolves around sounds, smells, and feelings of perseverance. Werner's begins with the thrill of scientific leaning but trends towards self-doubt with often horrifically vivid imagery. Beautiful prose throughout, although it sometimes feels like it's reaching for a perfectly poignant phrase at the end of a chapter (and there are lots of chapters that need ending...).
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Andy.ashton
brilliant
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