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Here is our reading and discussion schedule for All the Light We Cannot See, our March Group Read. Since this book is over 500 pages long I have divided it into 5 reading/discussion sections, so this discussion will go into the first week of April. Who is joining in on this one?

Schedule:
Start reading by March 1st
March 8th: Discuss Chapters 1 and 2 (through page 103 on my hardcover copy)
March 15th: Discuss Chapters 3 and 4 (through page 213 hardcover)
March 22nd: Discuss Chapters 5 and 6 (through page 313 hardcover)
March 29th: Discuss Chapters 7, 8, and 9 (through page 438 hardcover)
April 5th: Discuss Chapters 10, 11, 12, and 13 (through the end of the book, page 531)

My copy doesn't have chapters, it has short title sections.

I'm not sure they are actually "chapters" but they are what seem like major headings. I also have lots of short title sections too. But my book opens with "Zero - 7 August 1944", then goes through a bunch of headings (Leaflets, Bombers, The Girl, The Boy, Saint-Malo, Number 4 rue Vauborel, Cellar, Bombs Away), then the next Chapter (or heading)starts, with a page saying "One-1934". Then a whole bunch more short sections with titles, before "Two - 8 August 1944", then more, then "Three - June 1940", etc.

Does yours not have the One, Two, Three, etc Sections (Chapters) with dates?

Yeah that is how it is set up but I wasn't reading those as chapters but Parts

Sorry. Bad terminology on my part then. :-)

Sounds good

I actually started this last Saturday.

I just read it and it will be very hard to not continue reading it once you start

I'm so excited I'm finally caught up and able to read this coming Month's book choice.

I love it so far! Can't wait to talk it over with all of you!

Welcome all ladies! Looking forward to a wonderful discussion of this book with all of you! I started it last night and it sucked me right in.

This book is told in short chapters, alternating between our two main characters. What does everyone think of this format?
Also the time frame is going back and forth in time, starting in the war, then going back in time, then returning to the war. Any thoughts on this? Would you prefer a chronological story?

Personally, I find I am enjoying it, and find it easy to switch back and forth between the two of them in view points, but I find the back and forth in time distracting. Making for too much changing overall.

Our two main characters in this book are Marie and Werner. Which story are you most interested in and why?

I read this several months ago and loved it. I did find the short chapters from alternating points of view a bit jarring. I would no more than get into one character's head and thoughts than I would be yanked away into the other's. I understand what the author is doing, but it did keep the story "out there" rather than really allowing me to sink into the narrative.

Hello ladies! I'm excited to say that I will be joining in this discussion! :-)

I thought the constant back and forth was confusing with the time line and with the characters stories. I also preferred Marie's story more.

Finally finished The Light between Oceans. Now to start this novel! I love reading.

I just finished.

I have book hangover right now.

I have to say I have never minded POV books. But this time, changing between character viewpoints in addition to going back and forth in time was distracting and really ruined this book for me. I had the desire to go cut the book (not really!) up, and reassembe it in order. I kept having to go back and reread and figure out where we were, where we left off. It seemed just as I would really get going and get into what was going to happen next, poof, off we would go. I didn't enjoy this, at least not in this book that I think ultimately would have been a very good read for me. It just didn't work for me.

Jayme, I find I am preferring Marie's story over Werner's also.

DK, had to laugh about your comment about wanting to cut up the book. I agree though that all the switching is getting to be too much. Just switching point of views would have been fine for me. But switching points of views ever 2-3 pages, and then switching time periods every few chapters, is becoming annoying! Author should have done one or the other, but probably not both.

I didn't even notice it switched time periods. I was just confused. I preferred Marie's story because she was blind. I am visually impaired so I had a connection with that character and there are not many books that have a person with disability as a main character, specifically, a blind one and that was seen in an accurate light. For those reasons, I liked Marie's story better.

Jayme, my teenage daughter is totally blind, so I think that also influenced me in preferring Marie's story over Werner's. I always appreciate a well portrayed blind character in a book.

So this is another WWII book, which there seem to be a lot of out lately. How is this book comparing to other WWII books you may have read? Does it feel like a "war story" or does it feel like more of a character driven novel?

If by typical war story, one thinks of front line battle sceens, than this book does not give us much of that. But, as the dates get later into the European conflict, we see more of the impact of war on civilians. I think it felt more like a war story in the later portions. But, it is definitely also a character story since we watch these two primary characters develop over time.

I thought this was more of a character story which took place during World War II.

@Shelia, I came across this book at Barnes and Noble
Blind. I bought it but haven't read it yet.

It is a character driven story influenced by the war.

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "@Shelia, I came across this book at Barnes and Noble
Blind. I bought it but haven't read it yet."

Thanks Jayme, I will check it out! :-)

Discussion on Marie. What is everyone else thinking of this character? Are you enjoying having the story told through the feelings and experiences of a blind person? Is there anything about how she interprets what is happening that interests you?

I love the Marie character because I think it gives a new perspective on the story. Well just a different perspective, period. I really liked how she learned to get around by feeling the model of the city with her hands and then how she counted how many steps it took to get from one place to another. The only downfall to this method would be if a location changed.

I enjoy reading about Marie because it's interesting how the author can speak from her viewpoint .

The other downfall with that step counting method is that she would have to take the exact same size step every time. This is highly unlikely in the most perfect set of circumstances. It is unthinkable if we acknowledge that her legs and feet are growing which changes her stride. And that sometimes she is hurrying which also alters your stride.

Hi! I just finished this last night and really enjoyed it. I liked the bavk and forth structure of the book, but appreciated that he gave dates for me to follow! I feel like the author spent more time crafting Marie Laure's story, perhaps because she is blind and he is trying to bring us into her very tactilely (sp?) rich world?

It was interesting that her father built her maps of both places there were at. It is almost like he knew there was a good chance something would happen to him, and he wanted to make her as independent as he could.

He made sure she was capable of understanding her environment.

When the father tells Marie that the clocks may be pushed forward,I wonder if the is a pun on the United States because that's what we do twice a year.

Marie's father loved her a great deal to build her a model and map for her to learn. That had to be time consuming.

Irene wrote: "When the father tells Marie that the clocks may be pushed forward,I wonder if the is a pun on the United States because that's what we do twice a year."

Could be! And I detest daylight savings time. I wish we would do away with it. (especially on days like this when I am tired because of losing an hour sleep!) LOL

I agree, they should adjust it with the sun and leave it alone.

The US did not always employ this stupid clock adjusting practice. I wonder if we were doing it when that comment was made. I can't recall it in the book.

South Bend, IN doesn't have daylight savings time.

Supposedly the legislature in my state (Washington) is considering a bill to end daylight savings time here. I wish they would pass it!

In part two of the reading the citizens are first asked to turn in all their guns, then their radios. It seems as if they readily do this, without any protest. Why were they so willing to go along with these directives (other than the transmitter in the attic which the family didn't know about)

Fear, I suspect.

There was so much fear generated about the Nazis that people were genuinely afraid to protest. The people had heard all these horrible rumors about the atrocities committed by the Nazis and felt pretty powerless to resist the directives.

I agree with the others, I think fear made them give up what they had. The stories going around about the Nazis I'm sure frightened the public. Because we focused on Marie and her family, I wonder if other didn't "hide" a cache of weapons or radios as well.

I would agree with the fear factor.

I would have to imagine that some (many?) people did hide things. How would you react today? If the government (for whatever country you may live in, USA or any other) suddenly said "you have to turn in your guns" and "you have to turn in your cell phones and smart phones and computers" (the equivalent of a radio in those days) how would you act? How do you think others would act? Can you think of any place where people would still comply with directives like this?

Oh my gosh. If my students ate any indication, mass rioting would ensue if someone tried to take phones! I think these directives would still be followed today, but but necessarily in the US. I think it would take a huge show if force -- and probably nanny deaths before we willingly handed over the cell phones.

Speaking for me and my family, that wouldn't happen here. We'd hide stuff.

Sheila wrote: "In part two of the reading the citizens are first asked to turn in all their guns, then their radios. It seems as if they readily do this, without any protest. Why were they so willing to go along ..."

They went along with it because the Germans had possession of the city and they would kill anyone who didn't comply. They didn't have enough numbers to revolt.

And, we have to remember that France had a strong resistance movement.