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Review: The Nightingale

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The Nightingale

In love we find out who we want to be.
In war we find out who we are.

FRANCE, 1939

In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade France...but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When France is overrun, Vianne is forced to take an enemy into her house, and suddenly her every move is watched; her life and her child’s life is at constant risk. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates around her, she must make one terrible choice after another.

Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old girl, searching for purpose with all the TheNightingalereckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets the compelling and mysterious Gäetan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can...completely. When he betrays her, Isabelle races headlong into danger and joins the Resistance, never looking back or giving a thought to the real--and deadly--consequences.

With courage, grace and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah takes her talented pen to the epic panorama of WWII and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women’s war. The Nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France--a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women. It is a novel for everyone, a novel for a lifetime.

~ Goodreads

My review.............4.5 stars

Wow, what an amazing read! I've read a few books by Kristin Hannah in the past, but this one was different than others. Ms. Hannah delves into historical fiction, and does she ever deliver! This is set during WWII in France, and focuses on the role the women played in the war effort. Unlike All The Light We Cannot See (which I did not enjoy), this one was what I'd been waiting for.  So many things to like about this book, starting with the characters. I thought all of the characters were well drawn out, even those that we did not follow throughout the course of the book. Even though I was more drawn to Vianne and her story, it was Isabelle's story that provided the tension and kept me turning pages. I loved that there was the hint of romance, but the author never went there, which (for me) was huge plus. In my opinion the story would have lost some lustre if romance had become a focus. I'm not going to lie and tell you this is a pleasing read, it is dark and gritty with all the images of war ravaging throughout. The end was such an incredible climax to the story. Your heart goes out to these characters, I was not without tissues on several occasions. The only reason this did not rate 5 stars was because I felt it was a little slow to take off (which is bound to happen when setting up historical novels), and thought it was maybe a tad too long in the middle. Very minor things.

If you have any interest in this time period, or even in women's roles in historical fiction, you must pick this up! Many kudos to Kristin Hannah for her research and engrossing story! It's one I won't soon forget. Thanks to my Indie bookstore, I had the pleasure of attending an author event with Ms. Hannah, where she spoke about her research and the impetus for writing this novel. It was a wonderful event!

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7 thoughts on “Review: The Nightingale”

  5. Kristy Woodson Harvey

    Hi Donna! Oh, the fateful signing where we missed each other... Haha! Believe it or not, I'm just delving into this one. I went to see Heather Webb last night. She's great, and I can't wait to get started on her new historical, Rodin's Lover. Stay warm, my friend! xo Kristy

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