I saw that a lot of reviewers loved this book, but I must say I have mixed feelings. There were beautiful parts, there were parts where I really wanted to read on; but there were also a lot of parts that seemed to drag on and on or that did not feel relevant to the story. There is a story, but it moves very slowly and it feels unresolved, in the end. I can't really put my finger on it. 
 Many people have praised the prose of this book, but to be completely honest, I found it rather dreary. So many details are described, so much is written, but so little actually happens. Very few books that are considered 'proper literature' are books that I can really immerse myself in and love. They're usually written in such a way that I just can't really get into the story, unlike the much more easy-to-read books on my Favourites shelf. I'm still trying to develop real love for literary novels, but although I appreciate them, I suppose I'm a bit culturally barbaric that way and I just prefer Young Adult and fantasy books with an exciting plot. 
 Nevertheless, All the Light We Cannot See has something beautiful about it. The characters are brought to life and the book shows the reader World War II from the point of view of a German boy and that of a French girl, creating an interesting contrast between their two worlds and lives and the way they act when they are confronted with the war. Both sides suffer and both characters face choices - life-and-death choices or ethical choices. 
 For me, the subplot about the diamond didn't add much value to the story. I found it much more interesting to read about Werner and Marie-Laure's lives during the war than about a supposedly cursed diamond that everyone wants to have, but that in no way appears to be connected to the war (view spoiler)[ and that just ends up on the bottom of the ocean at the end of the book without anything about the curse being further explained (hide spoiler)]. In short, it's a good book, but it's just not really my kind of book.