Marie Laure is blind and lives in Paris with her father. When war comes to their door, they run away to her uncle's house in Saint-Malo but the museum where her father works at assigned him with a special task. He has to hide a cursed gem that is claimed to be able to give eternal life to the beholder and terrible bad luck to those around. Everything goes well until one day when Marie Laure's father suddenly disappears...and leaves the cursed gem in her hands without her knowing it.
Meanwhile in Germany...
Werner is a brilliant young orphan boy that has the ability to fix radios. His wits wins him a place in Hitler's Youth program where he travels throughout Europe until he reaches Saint-Malo and meets Marie Laure.
~CONTAINS SPOILERS~
As a book about the Second World War, I think that Doerr could've added more violence and cruelty to the events that he wrote about but instead, what I got from this book was more like a brief not-so-touching storyline leaving out all the violent and nasty sides of war. After all, it's not exactly a kids' book right? Make it more realistic. I didn't really connect with Marie Laure. The fact that she was blind frustrated me because Doerr could've added SO MUCH MORE emotion to the story. I was also very disappointed with Werner. I don't mind that Doerr killed him off but the way his died was just not tragic and emotional. This book had so much potential. He could've also added a beautiful love story between Werner and Marie Laure; it would've showed the contrast between love and war/hate. It could've been an action-packed AND a tear-jerking book, but it was neither. It was just plain and quite boring.
2.5 stars
Meanwhile in Germany...
Werner is a brilliant young orphan boy that has the ability to fix radios. His wits wins him a place in Hitler's Youth program where he travels throughout Europe until he reaches Saint-Malo and meets Marie Laure.
~CONTAINS SPOILERS~
As a book about the Second World War, I think that Doerr could've added more violence and cruelty to the events that he wrote about but instead, what I got from this book was more like a brief not-so-touching storyline leaving out all the violent and nasty sides of war. After all, it's not exactly a kids' book right? Make it more realistic. I didn't really connect with Marie Laure. The fact that she was blind frustrated me because Doerr could've added SO MUCH MORE emotion to the story. I was also very disappointed with Werner. I don't mind that Doerr killed him off but the way his died was just not tragic and emotional. This book had so much potential. He could've also added a beautiful love story between Werner and Marie Laure; it would've showed the contrast between love and war/hate. It could've been an action-packed AND a tear-jerking book, but it was neither. It was just plain and quite boring.
2.5 stars