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dkamada's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Genocide, Antisemitism, and Abandonment
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation
Minor: Animal death, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Excrement, and Fire/Fire injury
fablemoss2424's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This isn’t a higher star rating for me because I could put it down and walk away instead of having to keep reading to find out what happened next (plus pacing issues, some plot point grievances especially with the ending) but I think that’s a good thing given the nature of the book. At times, especially the last maybe 150 pages, it got pretty brutal. The book doesn’t shy away from the horrors the Nazis committed during the war, and the ending made me ugly cry because it was just so…sad, and bittersweet, do also rage-inducing *SPOILERS* because Isabelle’s ending and Ari’s story and being taken away, while realistic, made me so freaking angry *SPOILERS*
A really good book, and one I do recommend if you like her writing and WW2 historical fiction, but keep in mind that, like I said above, the book doesn’t shy away from the horrors of war. Especially at the end when the story really picks up steam without enough time to really explore it all.
Graphic: Hate crime, Antisemitism, and War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Rape, Torture, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Alcoholism, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
mboutlaw's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
However, I kept reading because I felt a need to find closure of this story and I am glad that I did. Truly. Isabelle/Vianne’s story of loss, hope, and unending compassion was life-changing. By this book, I will forever be reminded of the thousands of stories of the small (and yet huge) acts of kindness, love, and rebellion during times where people were forced to look into the very face of evil.
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and War
Moderate: Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Infertility, and Miscarriage
This is a book about WWII, it will describe war crimes against Jewish people and those suspected of helping them. It describes multiple graphic instances of child death at the hands of Nazis. Would not recommend this book to anyone sensitive to any of these themes and moreover would encourage mothers of small children to avoid this book.megcat13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Torture, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, War, and Deportation
Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, and Pregnancy
jeggert10's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Genocide, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Deportation
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Confinement, Hate crime, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Terminal illness, Blood, Excrement, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Racial slurs
eemadeeberry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Genocide, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, War, and Deportation
Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
darianreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Confinement, Genocide, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Violence, Trafficking, War, and Deportation
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Rape, and Blood
b00kishnurse's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
madisonrose1519's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I have been WAITING for that ravenous, all-consuming feeling of not being able to put a book down for years. I started it on a Saturday night and had finished all 564 pages before bed on Sunday! The last time I was even remotely as absorbed in a book was while reading The Silent Patient.
The Nightingale follows a regular flaw-filled French family from the rumblings of a potential German invasion of France through the release of the innocent people held in concentration camps. The familial love, hate, and idiosyncrasies—and the friendships and love affairs mixed in—are engaging and relatable. The courage, cunning, and athleticism of Isabelle and the strength and development of Vianne are enthralling.
The only reason I had to deduct a quarter star from my rating is because I felt like the ending tied things up in a bit too neat a bow. How can you write an entire 500 page novel evoking such visceral reactions to the gruesome suffering and risky sacrifices people were actually enduring during this time period, and then have as satisfying an ending as this book did? I know it’s historical fiction, but the last 40 or so pages didn’t sit right with me, despite how much I enjoyed them.
Grab your tissues, make sure you don’t have anywhere to be for the next 24-48 hours, and buckle up. The empathy this story stirs up is going rattle you.
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
heyyyyitskatelyn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
Moderate: Genocide