The Nightingale Published by St. Martin's Press by Kristin Hannah
on February 3, 2015
Genres: Adult, European Literature, French, Romance, War, WW II, Book Club, Historical
Pages: 440
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Find the Author: Website, Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram
Also by this author: The Four Winds
Find the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
ISBN: 0312577222
Rating:
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 good-bye 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 a German captain requisitions Vianne’s home, she and her daughter must live with the enemy or lose everything. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates all around them, she is forced to make one impossible choice after another to keep her family alive.
Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets Gaëtan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can…completely. But when he betrays her, Isabelle joins the Resistance and never looks back, risking her life time and again to save others.
With courage, grace and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah captures the epic panorama of World War II 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.
Honestly, this is a difficult review to write–only because I feel like there’s so much to say about it. And getting all my words out–when there are this many–can be daunting. Also, all you really have to do it read all the other millions of reviews about this book to know how wonderful it it.
So I’m just going to do my best, here…
Admittedly, I’ve been reading a lot of historical fiction taking place during WWII. There’s just something about that time period that really strikes me. Especially when you delve into the occupation of France. Because I think it’s so difficult to accurately portray what the French–especially those that were Jewish–were dealing with.
Now that I’ve read a few (and I’m still going), I can very comfortably tell you, that while there will probably never be anyone who can really get across how horrendous it was–Kristin Hannah did the best I’ve seen yet.
The Nightingale is about two sisters; Vianne and Isabelle. Vianne and Isabelle are not terribly close to begin with because Isabelle has been under the care of various schools for the past while and Vianne has a husband and child, living in their family home.
After their mother died, when they were young, their father was absent. And while Vianne married young and found her place–Isabelle was thrust aside. Not making for close sisterly bonding.
Now the Germans have come to France.
This story is really about how these two sisters deal with German occupation is entirely different ways. Vianne, a wife and mother–will do anything to protect her child. Which means even when a German soldier is billeted at her home–she toes the line.
Isabelle has no problem, however, showing her disdain for the Germans. And is willing to do whatever it takes to help the French be liberated.
There really is just so much to this story. It goes very deep into the lives of these women. We learn that no matter what choice you make, there are always consequences, and life was never easy.
I probably sobbed about three times in this book. Because you should prepare to be attached to the characters. You should prepare to have some heartbreak, some joy, mourning, and above-all–you should prepare for this book to stick with you for a very long time.
About Kristin Hannah
Kristin Hannah is the award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 novels including the international blockbuster, The Nightingale, which was named Goodreads Best Historical fiction novel for 2015 and won the coveted People's Choice award for best fiction in the same year. Additionally, it was named a Best Book of the Year by Amazon, iTunes, Buzzfeed, the Wall Street Journal, Paste, and The Week. Her novel, The Great Alone, was also voted as Goodreads best historical novel of the year in 2018.
