Play Book Tag discussion

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.

To my surprise, this World War II novel stood out among the rest. Instead of rehashing the same war atrocities, it tells the story of two teenagers caught in the crosshairs of those difficult times. This fresh approach captivated me from the very beginning, and I found myself thoroughly engrossed in their journey.

Alternating between the perspectives of a German boy and a French girl, the author keeps the pacing brisk with short, easy-to-read chapters. Both main characters elicit my empathy, especially Werner, who faced immense challenges beyond his control. I also found myself admiring Marie-Laure's father, who remained her unwavering pillar of support.

The inclusion of a plotline surrounding a mysterious, coveted diamond heightened the suspense of the story. Throughout the novel, I found myself wondering if the diamond would prove to have real power and if it was really cursed. The final reveal was satisfying and brought the story to a satisfying conclusion.

Wonderful review, Diana! This book is one of my all-time favorites.

Also one of my favorites-so glad you liked it

Good review! This book was also a five star rating for me. I loved how all the primary characters converged by the end of the novel, which I believe built the tension, too.

Agree, what a wonderful book. Someone may have mentioned this before (if so sorry for the repeat), but it is coming to Netflix as a series in November. Something to look forward to.

Steven wrote: "Agree, what a wonderful book. Someone may have mentioned this before (if so sorry for the repeat), but it is coming to Netflix as a series in November. Something to look forward to."

This is good to know! It fits a Popsugar prompt - read a book that is being made into a series or movie in 2023. I have an Agatha Christie option as well but I also have this book sitting in one of my ebook TBR Towers where it has sat since I burned out of WWII setting books a few years ago. The mention in the review that this felt new and a different story encourages me reading it as those are the one's set in in WWII I'm starting to read again.

Theresa, I would say that with all of the varying World War II novels, you only want to read the ones that rise to the highest. This would be one of them. I mean, there are always outliers who will say it wasn’t equal to the rave, but I am in the love camp.

Amy wrote: "Theresa, I would say that with all of the varying World War II novels, you only want to read the ones that rise to the highest. This would be one of them. I mean, there are always outliers who will..."

You are correct. This is one I purchased - which means it caught my attention not because of reviews or recommendations but because the story summary appealed to me. But then I just burned out before I got to it. I'm slowly getting to these - last year I managed to read several like The Paris Architect. I've even added a couple to the TBR. I also find myself interested in reading crime fiction again set in WWII - an Alan Furst has been put on my Porter Board.