This Boise author’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book is an ‘epic’ new Netflix series

Michael Deeds
·2 min read
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Nearly a decade has passed since Boise author Anthony Doerr unveiled his novel “All the Light We Cannot See,” which won a Pulitzer Prize and sold over 15 million copies.

Thanks to Netflix, sales could tick up again this month.

Doerr’s extraordinary work will be reimagined as a four-part series premiering Thursday, Nov. 2. Promising that the screen translation “will sweep you away,” Netflix calls it “an epic adaptation of the beloved book.”

The synopsis: “In the final days of (World War) II, the paths of a blind French girl and a German soldier collide in a story of the extraordinary power of human connection.”

That’s fair. But fans know that Doerr’s tale sets the bar high.

The series stars Aria Mia Loberti as French girl Marie-Laure LeBlanc and Louis Hofmann as young soldier Werner Pfennig. Other, more seasoned actors include Mark Ruffalo (as Daniel LeBlanc) and Hugh Laurie (as Etienne LeBlanc).

Wait, the Hulk? And Dr. House?

Fear not. (Hopefully.) The literary source material was treated with reverence, according to director and executive producer Shawn Levy. You might know him from the “Night at the Museum” fantasy-comedy film franchise. He also was the main producer of the hit Netflix sci-fi series “Stranger Things.”

“My central message to fans of the book — and I’m screaming this from the top of the mountain here — is, ‘I’m as big a fan as you,’ “ Levy told Netflix’s Tudum. “(My goal was) to do justice to this gorgeous novel that touched me deeply.”

Still, whenever a highly regarded work of fiction is translated to film, an artistic minefield materializes.

Did Levy successfully navigate it?

Doerr started work on “All the Light We Cannot See” in 2004, the year that his first novel, “About Grace,” was released.
Doerr started work on “All the Light We Cannot See” in 2004, the year that his first novel, “About Grace,” was released.

Early feedback suggests that expectations should be held in check. With reviews from 19 critics, “All the Light We Cannot See” scores 32 percent on aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes. It rates a marginally better 42 — “mixed or average” — from 10 reviews on Metacritic.

Curmudgeonly critics tend to be more brutal than enthusiastic audience reviewers. So there’s still a chance, right? One of the more promising assessments, from Mashable, calls it a “sweet, if heavy-handed, adaption.”

Worst-case scenario, Netflix sends viewers back to Doerr’s novel for a second read. Everyone from former President Barack Obama to talk-show host Seth Meyers found it gripping and inspiring.

And if you flame out early watching the series? Another alternative is to cozy up to the fireplace with Doerr’s third novel, “Cloud Cuckoo Land.” It was released in 2021 — also to rave reviews.

Louis Hofmann in a scene from Netflix’s “All the Light We Cannot See,” which it describes as “an epic adaptation of the beloved book.”
Louis Hofmann in a scene from Netflix’s “All the Light We Cannot See,” which it describes as “an epic adaptation of the beloved book.”