Two award-winning historical fiction novels set in WWII. One them stole my heart.
I recently read two historical fiction novels set during WWII back to back. Both have awards and acclaim, but I was blown away by the different taste each of them left in my mouth.
If you’ve heard of either or both (or even if you never have), I’m here to give you my review of both books so you can decide if they deserve a spot on your TBR list.
Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan
The first book was Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan (author of the legendary Esperanza Rising). Echo won the silver Newberry Honor Award in 2016. It was written for kids (10 and up is probably a good age) but it is completely captivating for adults. In fact I just heard back from THREE friends that I consider to be very well read and honest with their opinions and they all loved it!
One of them even shared it in their adult book club and the whole group enjoyed it (a very rare occurence indeed, especially in this book club).
The gist of Echo (no spoilers, promise!)
Echo is a historical fantasy novel (very light on the fantasy side, though). It’s a story that “follows 3 children, in 3 different times and places whose lives mysteriously interact.
You’ll meet Friedrich in 1930s Germany, Mike in 1930s Pennsylvania, and Ivy in 1940s California. Their lives become intertwined when the very same harmonica enters into their lives. All the children face daunting challenges and ultimately, pulled by the invisible thread of destiny, their suspensful solo stories converge.”
My review of Echo
I loved this book with my full heart. 5 stars, all the way. The writing was so beautiful, yet simple enough for kids (again, probably 10 and older) to understand. What is the famous saying? Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication? That is Echo.
The challenges these children face were grueling, and in no way unrealistic to their time period. But through it all, the book teaches beautiful, glorious, hope through loss and hardship.
The audiobook is a MUST if you can get your hands (or ears) on it. The narrators are fantastic, and as music is a big part of the story, the audiobook incorporates literal music throughout the book at the appropriate times.
The only thing that made me a little crazy is that I would be on the edge of my seat at the climax of one of the stories, and then the point of view would suddenly change and a new story would begin. The third time I literally groaned, “NOOOOO,” to myself in the kitchen as I was doing dishes.
I get why the author did it, but just be ready to throw your hands in the air when the story shifts. Don’t worry though, it will all be worth it.
In sum
Echo is 100 percent a glittering read. I will absolutely be sharing it with my kids once it’s age appropriate in a few years.
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The gist of the book (spoiler free)
This book takes place in Germany and in France from the point of view of a young German Nazi and “a blind French girl whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of WWII.”
My review of All the Light We Cannot See
All the Light We Cannot See is also masterfully written. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 2015. However, sometimes the language was so full of metaphors and rich vocabulary that my brain tripped over parts and I had to re-listen, sometimes several times. I feel like I could understand the main plot, but often wondered if I was missing some of the little nuances.
In Echo, major hardship occurs, but the tone of the book weaves hope and light throughout.
All the Light We Cannot See, on the other hand, is raw and really quite sad. It’s definitely not devoid of hope, and I think it paints a very real picture of what WWII really did to European families. It showcases how the effects of the war even creeped into their lives decades later. I believe this is the point the author was trying to make and I can appreciate that.
But where personal preference is involved, I preferred the light and hope woven in Echo.
The bone to pick - don’t read this if you don’t want biased preconceived notions about All The Light We Cannot See
I’m not going to spoil it, but I had one major issue with this book. There is ONE thing the author could have done that would have provided so much closure and beauty and unless I and my entire book club missed it (yes I polled them), he did not do it.
And it seemed so obvious that I’m sure it was a deliberate and artsy-fartsy move, but in my opinion it was actually very unrealistic that it did NOT happen.
This reason alone knocked off a star for me.
Don’t worry, I’m not going to spoil it, but if you finish the book, message me on my instagram @glitterringreadswithash so we can talk about it!!!
All the Light We Cannot See: Audiobook vs/ physical book
I listened to the audiobook, it is very well done, but if I could do it over I would read it instead. This book takes focus, and I think I would have tripped over the metaphors less if I was looking at a page.
In summary
In sum, both books deserve their awards, and if I hadn’t just read Echo, I may have enjoyed All the Light We Cannot See more. But I really can’t get over the aforementioned “bone to pick” with All the Light We Cannot See and Echo was just chef’s kiss.
Are you going to read either of these? If so, tell me all about it, and if you finish All the Light We Cannot See, you MUST DM me on @glitteringreadswithash on Insta so we can talk about the “bone to pick.”
