Tag: Book Review

Lovely War by Julie Berry - Book Review by Ended Up Reading

Book Review: Lovely War by Julie Berry

Published on by Yhel @ Ended Up Reading8 Comments

I’m not a big fan of mythology. But Greek gods and goddesses telling two love stories set in the Great War? Feel free to sign me up!

I was quite hesitant, at first, to pick up Lovely War. In my reading goals post, I mentioned that I was curious how the author would handle the romance in this book. I was afraid that Julie Berry would romanticize war.

But I was pleased with how she managed to weave a multi-layered romance while staying true to the horrors of war. There were so many unspeakable things that happened in this historical fiction novel, but the romance part was really handled well.

Lovely War made me smile. It made me cry. It made me hope for a happy ending for the four young people who have seen and suffered so much. And if these feelings are not enough to show how much I love this book and highly recommend it, then keep reading to find out my full thoughts about this novel!

Book Title: Lovely War

Author: Julie Berry

Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance

Date Published: May 30th 2017 by Greenwillow Books

Rating: 4 stars

Content Warning: War, Murder, Hate Crime/Racism, PTSD

Synopsis

(From Goodreads) It’s 1917, and World War I is at its zenith when Hazel and James first catch sight of each other at a London party. She’s a shy and talented pianist; he’s a newly minted soldier with dreams of becoming an architect. When they fall in love, it’s immediate and deep–and cut short when James is shipped off to the killing fields.

Aubrey Edwards is also headed toward the trenches. A gifted musician who’s played Carnegie Hall, he’s a member of the 15th New York Infantry, an all-African-American regiment being sent to Europe to help end the Great War. Love is the last thing on his mind. But that’s before he meets Colette Fournier, a Belgian chanteuse who’s already survived unspeakable tragedy at the hands of the Germans.

Thirty years after these four lovers’ fates collide, the Greek goddess Aphrodite tells their stories to her husband, Hephaestus, and her lover, Ares, in a luxe Manhattan hotel room at the height of World War II. She seeks to answer the age-old question: Why are Love and War eternally drawn to one another? But her quest for a conclusion that will satisfy her jealous husband uncovers a multi-threaded tale of prejudice, trauma, and music and reveals that War is no match for the power of Love.

Book Review

Writing Style

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Lovely War is written in multiple first-person POVs of Greek gods. But since they are merely telling the main story of two couples, the book is mostly in third-person POV.

I love the way Julie Berry wrote a story within a story. The subplot of the Greek gods were hilarious and witty. It’s clear which god is narrating the stories of the main characters because their voices are so distinct.

But Julie Berry’s excellent writing style stand out the most through the main plot of the two couples. I love the way she described the romantic feelings of the main characters in a unique way!

Everyone’s familiar with first loves (racing of hearts, butterflies in the stomach, secretive glances and longing stares). And I’ve read countless romance novels that describe the feeling of being in love with a person.

BUT!

There’s just something about Julie Berry’s description that sets this romance story apart from the rest. I absolutely love how she manages to capture the raw emotion of being in love. It made me connect to the characters, understand their yearning for their beloved, and sincerely hope for them to be happy.

Aside from effectively showing the romance between the characters, Julie Berry also managed to depict the horrors of war. The writing style is vivid and realistic. It was hard for me to read about the life in the trenches and the ever-present racism during that time.

Overall, Lovely War has a heart-wrenching and beautifully written prose that elevated my reading experience. My only critic is that the first-person writing can be distracting at times, so it took me more than a week to finish the book. This is mostly because of the framing of the story which I would discuss in detail below.

Plot

Rating: 3 out of 5.

The idea of Greek gods narrating two love stories is a nice twist to an otherwise typical historical romance. In fact, that’s the main reason why I want to read Lovely War. It’s just unique!

However, as much as I love the idea, I’m not a big fan of the plot execution. I found the stories of the Greek gods to be distracting. Sure, I did enjoy their banter and their distinct narrative voices, but I just didn’t care for them!

I wanted to read more of the four lovely characters—Hazel and James, Colette and Aubrey. I wanted to read their stories without the Greek gods subplot. I know, it’s confusing. I love the idea, but I wish I got the two love stories alone instead.

Aside from the “distracting” subplot, I also didn’t like the slow pacing. And no, I’m not talking about a slow-burn romance because there’s none of that—it’s mostly insta-love and attraction (much to my slight desmay). I’m talking about the long pauses in between the romances.

I mean, sure, the tension of the war kept these couples from being together. I understand that and I absolutely enjoyed reading the yearning and the get-togethers. But it just took too long to get anywhere for my taste! I feel like if Lovely War was shorter, I would’ve loved the plot more.

Lastly, the last third of the book felt contrived in my opinion. I badly want the story to finish, but Julie Berry still have ideas to throw out which seemed so random. That’s all I’m going to say because I don’t want to spoil things for those who want to read this book.

With all that being said, I appreciated that Lovely War is historically accurate. Julie Berry certainly did her research before writing this novel. I learned about the treatment of women, the birth of Jazz music in Europe, the experiences of Black people during World War I, and so much more from the historical notes at the end! I also loved reading a glimpse of James Reese Europe’s life. I think it was a wise idea to feature real-life people in a fictional work.

Characters

Rating: 5 out of 5.

The characters of this book are all so endearing in their own unique ways! And if you don’t already know, I’m a sucker for character-driven stories! So despite the slightly disappointing plot, I still loved reading Lovely War because of the characters.

Hazel and James. Oh, how my heart hurts so much for this couple! I wasn’t a big fan of this pairing in the beginning because their romance does develop quickly (insta-romance). But damn it, near the end of the book, I cared for them more than Colette and Aubrey!

By themselves, Hazel and James are a bit vanilla (ordinary and boring) compared to the complexity of the two other characters. However, when together, the romance between them is incredible and undeniable. I absolutely enjoyed reading their love for each other and even made me wish for a love as great as theirs. (LOL! Single and hopeless romantic alert!)

“If you think I can live without you, Miss Windicott,” James said, “you don’t know me at all.”

Colette and Aubrey. If Hazel and James hurt me, then Colette and Aubrey BROKE my heart. What lovely characters who have been through so much! I’m so glad that they found each other!

I love the way that music played a big part of their romance. I also enjoyed reading Aubrey, the self-proclaimed King of Ragtime, lose his confidence (even just a tiny bit) whenever he’s near Colette. I just LOVE everything about their relationship because it’s so complex just like their personalities.

“They’d found each other once, then found each other once more. Here she stood—not a jazz singer, not a glamorous Belgian, but a grieving girl who understood.”

And the friendship between Hazel, Colette, and Aubrey? As mademoiselle Colette would say, magnifique!

Of course, my book review of Lovely War wouldn’t be complete without discussing the Greek gods themselves. They’re so witty and hilarious which added lightness to the story.

I really enjoyed reading Aphrodite’s inner monologue whenever she does what she knows best. She wouldn’t let everything left to chance, especially when it comes to love. I also liked reading the perspective of Apollo and Hades!

“Let them start their dreadful wars, let destruction rain down, and let plague sweep through, but I will still be here, doing my work, holding humankind together with love like this.”

Overall Thoughts

Rating: 4 out of 5.

If you’ve made it far into this review, then I’m pretty sure you have an idea of how much I enjoyed reading this book!

Lovely War is definitely one of the best Young Adult Historical Fiction novels out there! It will make you smile, laugh, hope, cry, and most importantly, learn many things about this time period. I highly recommend it to readers who like to read war stories and of course, romance!

Lastly, don’t forget to keep tissues nearby. Trust me, this book will hurt you. I won’t tell you if it’s the good kind or not. Figure it out yourself and read Lovely War asap!

Book Rating (Summary)

Writing Style: 4 stars

Plot: 3 stars

Characters: 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4 stars

My book review for Lovely War can also be found on Goodreads!

Let’s Talk!

Do you like reading historical fiction novels? Any lovely book recommendations?

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank | Book Review by Ended Up Reading

Book Review: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Published on by Yhel @ Ended Up Reading5 Comments
The Diary of a Young Girl (The Definitive Edition) by Anne Frank

Book Title: The Diary of a Young Girl

Author: Anne Frank

Genre: Non-fiction, Autobiography

Date (First) Published: June 25th 1947

Content Warning: Sexually explicit content (The Definitive Edition), Heavy subject matters (Holocaust, war)

Synopsis

(From Amazon) Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank’s remarkable diary has since become a world classic—a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit. 

In 1942, with Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, they and another family lived cloistered in the “Secret Annex” of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death. In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. By turns thoughtful, moving, and amusing, her account offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman whose promise was tragically cut short.

Book Review

I rarely pick up non-fiction books because I find that they don’t really have an impact on me, unlike fiction novels. However, I decided to break out of my comfort zone by reading a popular memoir/autobiography.

Almost everyone is familiar with the story of the Frank family. But how many people really know their story?

The Frank family together with the Van Pels went into hiding during World War II, spent 2 years of their lives in the Secret Annex, but unfortunately, got caught from their hiding place mere weeks away from liberation. The only one who survived is Otto Frank, who was later given the diary of his daughter, Anne Frank. After long deliberation, he decided to publish his daughter’s work. Readers know this as The Diary of a Young Girl.

I find it difficult to read Anne Frank’s diary, at first, for two main reasons. In fact, I even temporarily put it down because I can’t seem to continue reading her memoir/autobiography.

The first reason is that I suffered from a reading slump when I was in the middle of reading this book. It seemed like I have lost the motivation to read and was distracted by Netflix shows.

The second reason is that I find it unsettling to read Anne’s innermost thoughts and opinions about things. I should’ve prepared myself because after all, this is her diary. But it’s just hard to read it because I felt like I was invading her privacy. I felt like I shouldn’t be reading this because a diary is an intimate thing that contains the unfiltered words of a stranger.

With that said, I’m glad I decided to finish reading The Diary of a Young Girl. I have several realizations after I finished Anne’s autobiography. Because like many people, I am familiar with the Secret Annex story, but I have no idea what the residents are like.

The Diary of a Young Girl allowed me to get to know them through the eyes of an opinionated girl.

And that’s one of my realizations when I read this book. I didn’t expect that Anne is such a highly opinionated and outspoken girl! I mean, I kind of expected her to pour out her thoughts and angst into her diary. After all, that’s the point of having a diary. But what I did not expect is how strong her opinions about her own family and the other residents of the Secret Annex.

I was definitely surprised to read her thoughts about her own mother! I can’t believe she felt no remorse or guilt when she wrote down those hateful comments towards her mother. It’s no wonder Otto Frank decided to omit some passages from the first published version of Anne’s diary.

“I love them, but only because they’re Mother and Margot. I don’t give a darn about them as people. As far as I’m concerned, they can go jump in a lake.”

Personally, I can relate to Anne to some extent. When I was in my early teens, I also hated my own family because I felt like I was “misunderstood” or not taken seriously. I felt like I was also mature for my own age, but of course, when I grew up, I realized that I was actually immature back then. I realized I was such a pain in the ass for my parents and that I was ungrateful.

Unfortunately, that’s not something Anne will realize because her life was cut too short.

Another thing that I learned from reading The Diary of a Young Girl is that Anne is indeed mature for her age! I was surprised to read that she’s aware of her own sexuality at a young age. I was even more surprised when she shared an intimate account of her relationship with another girl.

Of course, that was your typical teenage behavior. After all, exploring one’s own body and sexuality happens during adolescence. But that’s usually not something you will write in a diary! I know because I also have a diary and I rarely talk about my sexual desires. It must’ve taken bravery and a lot of guts for Anne to wrote, without reserve, about those things! And for that, I really admire her.

Aside from her sexual maturity, I also realized that Anne is intelligent for her own age. She already knows what she wants—to become a writer. She is aware of the prejudice against women, she knows that something’s wrong with the unfair expectations towards women. And in her last entries, it is clear that Anne has grown so much! She even questions a lot of things about life!

“Why are millions spent on war each day, while not a penny available for medical science, artists, or the poor? Why do people have to starve when mountains of food are rotting away in other parts of the world? Oh, why are people so crazy?”

Last but not least, I realized how relatable the struggles of the residents of the Secret Annex. At first, I was actually laughing because of how absurd and “comical” they seem to act. In almost every entry, Anne shares a story of the Frank family fighting the Van Daan (Van Pels) family and Dussel (Pfeffer) or vice versa.

“Mr. and Mrs. Van D have had more raging battles. The reason is simple: they’re broke…You can’t imagine the screaming, shouting, stamping of feet and swearing that went on. It was terrifying.”

I was expecting the adults to act mature for their age, to set a good example for the three young individuals living in the Secret Annex. But like Anne pointed out, “the grown-ups are such idiots.”

At the end of the day, though, I get where they are coming from. All the residents have been stuck in the Secret Annex for years, and I think they have every right to feel and act crazy. Sometimes, cabin fever will just get you. In fact, I can’t help but compare it to what’s happening right now with the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are all forced to stay home in quarantine for just a few months, but we already long for a day to be free and back to normal. Just imagine what’s going on inside the minds of the residents of the Secret Annex. Just imagine how they’re feeling.

Right now, I can’t help but wonder how many people are forced into hiding during the war. How many stories have been left untold?

The Diary of a Young Girl is one of the books that made me realize how lucky I am to be born in an era of (arguably and relatively) peace. Once again, I am reminded to be grateful for what I have right now, to cherish my family, and that it’s okay to feel hopeless sometimes but never ever give up your ideals and dreams.

“I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.”

Overall, The Diary of a Young Girl is a vivid account of life in hiding during World War II. But more than that, it is a fascinating account of a young teenager’s innermost thoughts and opinions. It is an eye-opening document of the human behavior.

Rating: 4 stars

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I highly recommend this book to all readers, especially those who are particularly interested in real-life stories and the human psyche!

You can also find this book review on Goodreads.

Let’s Talk!

Have you read The Diary of a Young Girl? Do you agree with me that it’s an eye-opening book and should be read by everyone?

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia | Book Review by Ended Up Reading

Book Review: Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

Published on by Yhel @ Ended Up ReadingLeave a comment

Book Title: Eliza and Her Monsters

Author: Francesca Zappia

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Date Published: May 30th 2017 by Greenwillow Books

Content Warning: Anxiety, Depression

Synopsis

(From Goodreads) Her story is a phenomenon. Her life is a disaster.

In the real world, Eliza Mirk is shy, weird, and friendless. Online, she’s LadyConstellation, the anonymous creator of the wildly popular webcomic Monstrous Sea. Eliza can’t imagine enjoying the real world as much as she loves the online one, and she has no desire to try.

Then Wallace Warland, Monstrous Sea’s biggest fanfiction writer, transfers to her school. Wallace thinks Eliza is just another fan, and as he draws her out of her shell, she begins to wonder if a life offline might be worthwhile.

But when Eliza’s secret is accidentally shared with the world, everything she’s built—her story, her relationship with Wallace, and even her sanity—begins to fall apart.

Book Review

I’ve recently suffered from a reading slump (a.k.a. burnout) for the past two weeks. I tried to read mostly historical books for this month because I’m trying to read outside my comfort zone. Sadly, I got exhausted pretty fast and temporarily DNF’d my “current” read—Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl.

Anyway, moral of the story: don’t try to read historical books in such a short time (especially if those books revolve around war) because you need to reflect and take in such heavy and serious subject matters.

So now, you might be thinking what’s this experience got to do with my book review today. Well, in order to “get out” of my reading burnout, I decided to pick up a book that I’ve been wanting to read for a while—Francesca Zappia’s Eliza and Her Monsters.

And I’m so glad that I did because damn, this book is AMAZING!

It follows the story of introverted and socially-awkward Eliza Mirk who anonymously created a popular fantasy webcomic called Monstrous Sea. When she meets a fan of her webcomic in real-life, she starts spending more time in the real world instead of the online one.

Eliza and Her Monsters probably has the most adorable tropes and plot devices ever!

Written correspondence? Check!

Internet culture and fandom appreciation? Check!

Geek male character who has a high school jock build? Check!

Friends to lovers? Check!

Beautiful artwork? Check!

But this book is so much more!

It might seem cute and feel-good, at first, but I was pleasantly surprised that Eliza and Her Monsters tackled mental health so accurately!

Writing Style

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I absolutely adored Francesca Zappia’s writing style! It was so easy to read and there are no info dumps at all.

I love how she depicted Eliza Mirk’s struggles in daily life. I love how she showed me the subtle signs of Eliza’s mental health, instead of telling me. I feel like I’m breathing the same space and living in the same world as the main character. Heck, I feel like the webcomics and the forums really exist!

In addition, I’m stunned at how Zappia seamlessly incorporated the webcomics within Eliza’s character arc. I love how she shares a story of the webcomics in every chapter that is relevant to what Eliza is feeling on that specific chapter.

When done well, stories within stories can definitely elevate the book! It just shows how talented and detail-oriented the author is.

But that’s not the best part yet!

I was surprised to learn that Eliza Mirk’s Monstrous Sea webcomic is inspired by Zappia’s actual Wattpad novel, The Children of Hypnos. And Zappia herself has plans to write and publish the Monstrous Sea webcomic.

I love to see layers of the story! I’ll definitely be checking out those two works by the author!

Plot

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Like mentioned before, Eliza and Her Monsters is so much more than an adorable, feel-good book about the internet culture and fandom appreciation.

The blurb and the first chapter instantly gripped me. But the more that I read this book, the more that I love it because it gets so much better!

I didn’t have any complaints about the pacing (for the first time in a while!) and I really think that Zappia did a great job writing the twists and turns in Eliza’s life.

“She drew so many monsters that she became a monster herself.”

The first twist happened, of course, when Eliza meets the new kid at school, Wallace. They started to become close friends as they share mutual love for the webcomics.

I absolutely love reading how their friendship progressed to love for each other. I also enjoyed reading the conflicts that they had, how they reacted to it, and how it affected people around them.

The other twists were kind of predictable. There are also several convenient plot devices. However, those didn’t stop me from loving the character-driven plot!

There was one “reveal,” though, that I didn’t see coming and it just made my whole reading experience so delightful!

Characters

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Objectively, the characters in Eliza and Her Monsters are the best and most developed part of the book. They are all written well—complex yet one-sided at the same time—and depicted realistically. However, I can’t help but to nitpick some of the character’s behaviors.

Eliza Mirk seems like a typical walking cliché at first. You’re familiar with her as you’ve read her numerous times in countless books already: she’s the “weird” girl, awkward as hell but still manages to look somehow beautiful and charming. However, it’s revealed that Eliza is so much more complex than your ordinary weird girl.

“People are too much sometimes. Friends, acquaintances, enemies, strangers. It doesn’t matter; they all crowd.”

Yes, she is shy and introverted (basic recipe for “weird”). But she simply doesn’t like talking to people in real-life because she has social anxiety. She’d rather curl up in her bed and chat with her online friends than go out partying. She hates her family, and like most teenagers, she feels like no one understands her.

And that part irked me. I have a love-and-hate relationship with Eliza because as much as I appreciate how she is portrayed realistically, she also annoyed the hell out of me. It was such a struggle to read her inner monologue about how her parents don’t understand her, but at the same time, it was such a relatable read.

“I’m doing it again—I’m shutting everything out because I’m frustrated and tired and because the real world is difficult and I’d rather live in one of my own making.”

I used to be like Eliza in a way. I remember when I was in my younger teenage years, I loathed my family for stupid reasons. But at the end of the day, it’s all just angst, you know?

In Eliza’s case, it was a matter of both teenage angst and misunderstanding/miscommunication. Sure, her parents are indeed horrible for forcing her to do things she doesn’t like and berating her for spending too much online. But I feel like this unnecessary tension in their family can be simply solved by communication. Eliza should let her parents in. She should let her parents get to know her and she has to, at least, make an effort for them to understand her.

Wallace Warland, on the other hand, was more likeable than Eliza. He is a ray of sunshine. He is like a huge dog that can easily dwarf you, but he is just a total softie deep down.

I enjoyed reading about his passion for both writing and sports! I also liked learning about his backstory and how it affected his everyday life. Lastly, I appreciate how realistic his reaction when Eliza’s secret was finally revealed. Again, there’s some part of me that thinks that he became selfish and annoying at some point but that’s so in-character of him!

The supporting characters are just as great as the main ones. I enjoyed reading the relationship dynamics of the Mirk family. I also can’t help but to smile when reading the friendships in this book. To summarize, I appreciated their role/part in supporting the main characters’ growth throughout the story.

Overall Thoughts

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Honestly speaking, I think Eliza and Her Monsters might be one of the best contemporary novels that I’ve read in a long time!

Again, I would like to praise Francesca Zappia’s writing style and her accurate portrayal of teenage characters.

I really appreciate how this book tackled so many different things at once—mental health, fandom and internet appreciation, friendships (whether online or in real-life), relationship between an artist and her art—and managed to incorporate each and every one into this magnificent story.

I look forward to reading more of the author’s books!

Book Rating (Summary)

Writing Style: 5 stars

Plot: 5 stars

Characters: 4 stars

Overall Rating: 4.5 stars

You can also check my initial thoughts about this book on Goodreads!

Let’s Talk!

Do you like reading books with mental health representation? If so, what is your favorite book that deals with such serious subject matter?

Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In Between by Jennifer E. Smith | Ended Up Reading - Book Reviews

Book Review: Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith

Published on by Yhel @ Ended Up Reading3 Comments

Book Title: Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between

Author: Jennifer E. Smith

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Date Published: September 1st 2015 by Poppy

Number of Pages: 272 (Paperback)

Synopsis

(From Goodreads) On the night before they leave for college, Clare and Aidan have only one thing left to do: figure out whether they should stay together or break up. Over the course of twelve hours, they retrace the steps of their relationship, trying to find something in their past that might help them decide what their future should be. The night leads them to family and friends, familiar landmarks and unexpected places, hard truths and surprising revelations. But as the clock winds down and morning approaches, so does their inevitable goodbye. The question is, will it be goodbye for now or goodbye forever?

Charming, bittersweet, and full of wisdom and heart, this irresistible novel from Jennifer E. Smith, author of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, explores the difficult choices that arise when life and love lead in different directions.

Book Review

After reading All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, I knew that I will need a simple and fluffy book to balance things out and avoid a reading “burnout.”

Fortunately, Jennifer E. Smith’s Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between is here to save me. This was the perfect light read after my heart-breaking experience with historical fiction!

Writing Style

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I find it fascinating how Jennifer E. Smith can effectively write “one night stories.” To be fair, this is my first time reading her works. And upon researching her other novels, I found out that she likes to incorporate the element of time in her love stories. I do commend her for that!

In this particular book, I really like how she switches from present to past. This successfully showed the strong bond between Clare and Aidan, even though in the present, I’m perfectly aware that their relationship is coming to an end. I just appreciate how I can learn more about their relationship through the stops they visit in their last 12 hours together. It’s a nice twist to an otherwise typical romance/break-up story.

Plot

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

The plot falls short for me. But since I have no expectations whatsoever coming into this book, I didn’t mind it.

Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between is your typical run-of-the-mill love story. The drama between Clare and Aidan, the so-called “reasons” why they should break up, are downright petty. It’s there just for the sake of creating unnecessary drama. Basically, the whole story is pointless.

Nevertheless, I did enjoy reading their angst and obvious reluctance to break up. After all, I’m a sucker for characters pining over each other.

Characters

Rating: 3 out of 5.

I didn’t have any strong feelings for the characters in this novel. They’re average and pretty forgettable.

Clare is your typical brunette girl who thinks of herself as “unremarkable.” She has understanding and supportive parents, and she’s always ahead of her class. And oh, she likes to stick with rules and lists. That’s why she annoyed the heck out of me. I hate how she pushes this break-up thing with her boyfriend when it’s so clear that she still loves him. Not only is she selfish but she is also indecisive for the majority of the book.

Aidan, on the other hand, is the complete opposite of Clare. He’s a go-with-the-flow type of guy—the carefree type whose mind is only on playing lacrosse. I was actually surprised that his relationship with Clare managed to last for almost 2 years, considering their differences and all. I kind of felt bad for him at some parts of the book. It seemed like he’s the only one who’s “giving” in the relationship. And he’s the only one who wants to try a long-distance relationship (because duh, technology).

Luckily, I still enjoyed reading about their dynamic. They do act like love-sick teenagers—which makes the book so cheesy—but I didn’t mind it as much since it’s a high school relationship anyway. I think some readers can relate to them, especially those who are going away to college or university. But as for me, I just feel indifferent.

Overall Thoughts

Rating: 3 out of 5.

To sum it all up, Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between is a cute and fun contemporary book. It’s the kind of novel to read if you need some cheering up or if you want to get out of a reading slump. No big, life-changing lessons, just pure and simple fluff.

Book Rating (Summary)

Writing Style: 4 stars

Plot: 2.5 stars

Characters: 3 stars

Overall Rating: 3 stars

My book review of Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between is also posted on Goodreads!

Let’s Talk!

Have you read Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between? What is your favorite light and “feel good” book?

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr | Book Review by Ended Up Reading

Book Review: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Published on by Yhel @ Ended Up Reading6 Comments
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Book Title: All The Light We Cannot See

Author: Anthony Doerr

Genre: Historical Fiction

Date Published: May 6th 2014 by Scribner

Number of Pages: 531 (Hardcover)

Synopsis

(From Goodreads) From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, the stunningly beautiful instant New York Times bestseller 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.

Marie-Laure lives in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where her father works. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.

In a mining town in Germany, Werner Pfennig, an orphan, grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find that brings them news and stories from places they have never seen or imagined. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments and is enlisted to use his talent to track down the resistance. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another. 

Book Review

It’s been a while since I read a historical fiction book, and as expected, my chest is bursting with so many emotions after reading this Pulitzer Prize winner. I was suddenly reminded of the reason why I love reading historical books so much: because despite their heavy subject matter, they mainly tell stories of love, hope, and bravery even in the face of atrocities.

All The Light We Cannot See tugged at my heartstrings. I’m not ashamed to admit that I teared up twice or thrice (or so many times that I lost count) while reading this book.

I absolutely enjoyed reading and getting to know the two central characters—blind French girl named Marie-Laure LeBlanc and German orphan Werner Pfennig. Both so young, but both were not spared from the horrors of war.

I also appreciated that I learned so many things from this book! For someone like me who’s not really a history buff, I think that the story is refreshing account of the German occupation in France.

Writing Style

Rating: 4 out of 5.

All The Light We Cannot See is mostly written in third-person limited perspective of Marie-Laure and Werner. Occasionally, Anthony Doerr also included the perspectives of other characters, such as Marie-Laure’s father and great-uncle, which added another layer and context to the whole story.

Doerr’s writing style was absolutely beautiful and poetic without going into “ornate” or purple prose territory. This allows for an easy read, especially for people like me who mostly read Young Adult.

I love how Doerr described things, making it easy to imagine myself in the shoes of the characters. I also enjoyed his writing because it evoked imagery and metaphors.

However, sometimes, I feel exhausted reading the book. I feel like I’m exerting too much effort into reading in between words. But then again, maybe it’s just because of the story structure which I’ll talk more about below.

Plot

Rating: 4 out of 5.

All The Light We Cannot See is basically a book about hope and love amidst the horrors of war. It follows two central characters whose stories seem disconnected, at first, but will eventually intertwine with each other.

I love reading both Marie-Laure and Werner’s growth (from children to late teenagers) throughout the years. It might be slow at the beginning, but I personally enjoyed the slice-of-life approach. It allowed me to understand the characters (their motivations, their actions or lack of it, etc.) more. Finally, when their stories starts to interweave, the plot also begin to pick up. I can’t help but fly through the pages quickly!

I think the plot was really clever and carefully crafted! There are some aspects that I wasn’t a fan of in the beginning (story within a story, the Sea of Flames myth that veers toward fantasy, Werner’s military training), but the further I read, the more it all makes sense. I love how the book has so many underlying and meaningful themes!

However, to be perfectly honest, I wasn’t a big fan of the climax and ending. I feel like it was rushed. I spent most of my time looking forward to Marie-Laure and Werner’s meeting but it only comprised of 5 or so chapters. I wished that it was fleshed out a little bit more.

In addition to the ending, I don’t like the story structure. The chapters were so short that you expect them to be easy-to-read and ideal for young, inexperienced readers. But that was not the case, at least for me.

I feel like the short chapters prevented me from fully enjoying this book. At times, it was a struggle to finish because the story often jumped back and forth between different time periods. I always have to backtrack to understand what’s happening to this particular character or storyline because the author keeps cutting in the middle of the action. I also have to put down the book several times because no matter how much I want to finish it as soon as possible, the format hinders me from doing so!

Characters

Rating: 5 out of 5.

The characters are, without doubt, the highlight of this book! All of them, with the exception of the antagonist, have complex personalities. This allows me to connect with their stories, or the very least—in the case of Reinhold von Rumpel (antagonist)—understand their predicaments.

Marie-Laure, in particular, is such a well-written character with obvious weaknesses (her blindness and her sheltered life) but she never lets those things define her. Instead, she is a strong character on her own—smart and curious and brave.

The other characters beside her—Papa, great-uncle Etienne LeBlanc, and Madame Manec—were just as endearing. I enjoyed reading their interactions with each other and how their bravery and love were shown instead of told.

Werner is a morally grey character who is struggling to find his own self in a tumultuous time period.. While naturally curious about the sciences and extremely talented in fixing things, he has no choice but to submit to Nazi Germany. I feel sympathy for his character because I know that he can be successful if he was born in another time but alas, that was not the case.

I also liked Werner’s relationship with Jutta (his sister) and Frederick (his friend from military training). However, I was kind of disappointed in the fact that Werner is pretty much an impassive character for the majority of the story.

I was really hoping that he will do something to prevent what happened to Frederick. But he barely did anything to prevent such atrocities from happening throughout the book. Then again, I understand where he’s coming from. It’s really hard to stand up for what is right during that time, especially considering that he is young.

Overall Thoughts

Rating: 4 out of 5.

All The Light We Cannot See is a beautiful, haunted, and poignant book. I really enjoyed reading from the perspectives of children and learning the meaning behind the title of the book. There are indeed lights our eyes cannot see—from the radio waves that connects both Marie-Laure and Werner to the untold stories of the individuals our two characters hold dearly to their hearts.

My only main critique would be the story structure. It will definitely take some time to get you hooked you into the main story because the author abruptly cuts in between actions. However, once you take a step back and look at the story as a whole, you’ll find the plot ingenious.

I would definitely re-read it in the future because I know there are so many things that I missed out on!

Book Rating (Summary)

Writing Style: 4 stars

Plot: 4 stars

Characters: 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4 stars

You can also find my book review of All The Light We Cannot See on Goodreads!

Let’s Talk!

Have you read All The Light We Cannot See? Any historical fiction book recommendations?