All the Light we Cannot See - book review

All the Light we Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

This wonderful book follows the stories of Marie-Laure, a blind french girl, and Werner, a German orphan before and in the midst of World War II. Their stories and lives are so different but each so interesting and both characters are easily lovable, and when they inevitably meet each other, a relationship sparks between them, showing care and a humane sense of goodness to help each other ignoring the fact that their countries are at war, from which both have lost people close to them. 

I found this book fascinating, as it tells a war story but from a different angle and one that isn't often done, especially from a blind french girl's perspective. I loved both Marie-Laure and Werner so much, and although they are obviously different, they are also quite similar in some ways. I did find that jumping in and out of different years confusing at some points, but it did make the whole story far more interesting, and I thought that the chapters towards the end of the book, in much later years had a huge and powerful effect on the story. 

Interesting elements of the time were also subtly incorporated into the story, such as the use of radio technology, music and society. Some of this is also delivered from the perspective of a blind girl, so you experience how she got around using her father's models and it is written in a way that you can almost feel what she feels, such as the shells and sand, and I completely understood how wonderful the idea of the sea was to her, yet so terrifying and daunting. I also felt the anger of Werner and his self hatred and grief at losing his friend and his family, and I understood his determination to do something good despite his situation. 

The writing. The writing of this author is just phenomenal. I found it so beautiful and perfectly fitting and he manages to use words and phrases that enable you to see exactly what he is describing in such a vivid and fantastic way. His writing is so original and intricate, yet so easy to grasp and understand. 'As quick as a swallow' is one simile that really made me smile; I just think it is so simple but so pure and elegant. 

Overall, this book made such an impression on me and I often think a lot of war stories are quite similar and they don't always appeal to me, (that being said, Goodnight Mister Tom is my favourite book!), but this one I found different and original, and so beautifully moving. I would, and already have recommended this book to quite a few people, and would certainly recommend it to a lot of different personality types, as I feel it has the capacity to be a very broadly loved book. 

Keep smiling! :-) 

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time - book review

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, by Mark Haddon

This book is brilliant in so many ways. 

The main character, Christopher, has Asperger's and after finding his neighbours dog dead he sets out on a mission to discover who murdered Wellington, the dog. The story encompasses issues such as family conflict, as well as obviously mental illnesses, namely Autism. 

The story is told from Christopher's perspective, allowing the reader to really experience how he thinks. For example, when he travels on a train, I really felt as if I understood why he was so anxious, but at the same time not fully getting it. 

Asperger's is a type of autism, where the individual often struggles with social interaction and communication, but often has intense interests or talents, such as Christopher's amazing maths ability. It is caused by a lack of cognitive (brain) development, but usually improves into adulthood. 

I really enjoyed that is was written from his point of view, as I said, and also the images and diagrams that were scattered throughout made it easy reading and separated the text out. I thought that even the small details like the chapters only being prime numbers and Christopher's little explanations that sort of diverted from the story but still allowed you to be with him, they added to the effect and show just how much thought was put into the book. 

This book offers a subtle yet engaging insight into autism, whilst being entertaining and so cleverly written. Personally, although none of my close family or friends are autistic, I found this book so insightful and interesting, and was able to relate Christopher's behaviour to people I know with autism. 

I would most definitely recommend this to others (I already have!), as I think it would suit so many different reading interests and what people look for and want to get out of a book. 

There is a stage adaption that has recently been advertised unfortunately I have not seen it, but I would love to as it looks incredible...maybe soon! 

Keep Smiling! :-)