srosa037's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
I loved it from the beginning. It was a sometime sad, and emotional right. I am not usually one to enjoy historical fiction but this one got me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Deportation, Emotional abuse, Violence, Sexism, Gun violence, Religious bigotry, Miscarriage, Genocide, Bullying, Torture, Antisemitism, Blood, Death of parent, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Sexual violence, War, Sexual assault, and Injury/Injury detail
maxine_t96's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, War, Violence, Hate crime, Genocide, Racism, Physical abuse, Death, Antisemitism, and Slavery
Moderate: Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Rape, Grief, Death of parent, and Child death
Minor: Terminal illness and Cancer
daralexandria's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- 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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, Gun violence, Antisemitism, Genocide, War, Blood, Child death, Grief, Death, and Deportation
Minor: Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
kwheeler12's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
Incredible read, I struggled to work through the beginning of the book as I don’t understand French but slowly I made up words and continued on. This book made me feel so many feelings deep in my heart. So much pain for the loss that was World War 2. The characters, the growth, I cried multiple times reading this. I will be recommending to everyone!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Violence, Toxic friendship, Rape, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Blood, Cancer, Alcoholism, Deportation, and Child abuse
monikapuff's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.5
I don't really know how to put my feelings about this novel into words, I think I spent last twenty or so pages bawling my eyes out it was that painful.
The Nightingale is a work of fiction, but it's hard to draw a line between it and reality, knowing just how realistic it is(as far as I know, it is inspired by true story of Andrée de Jongh, as a direct inspiration for Isabelle) and that the society keeps forgetting that women live through the wars too, while trying to either have their families safe in danger of the full blown enemy occupation, or to stick to their beliefs and fight for them. Vianne's and Isabelle's stories are equally as tragic and heartbreaking, while on the flipside, showing how heroic they were.
I think it gave enough details of the horrific events without overtly describing them. It certainly packs a punch in the realism of the war and what it takes from people who are 'lucky' enough to survive it.
The Nightingale is a work of fiction, but it's hard to draw a line between it and reality, knowing just how realistic it is(as far as I know, it is inspired by true story of Andrée de Jongh, as a direct inspiration for Isabelle) and that the society keeps forgetting that women live through the wars too, while trying to either have their families safe in danger of the full blown enemy occupation, or to stick to their beliefs and fight for them. Vianne's and Isabelle's stories are equally as tragic and heartbreaking, while on the flipside, showing how heroic they were.
I think it gave enough details of the horrific events without overtly describing them. It certainly packs a punch in the realism of the war and what it takes from people who are 'lucky' enough to survive it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
kastoomey's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
5.0
This is such an incredibly important book to read. We never hear about the women who risked their lives trying to save others during a war. This book lets those women shine in such a hauntingly beautiful way.
It’s so easy to get lost in fictional books and in the characters, but this is a book where you have to remind yourself that while the characters themselves may be fictional, many of them were based off of real life women in a real war that resulted in the genocide of millions of innocent people.
“Men tell stories. Women get on with it. For us it was a shadow war. There were no parades for us when it was over, no medals or mentions in history books. We did what we had to during the war, and when it was over, we picked up the pieces and started our lives over.”
It’s so easy to get lost in fictional books and in the characters, but this is a book where you have to remind yourself that while the characters themselves may be fictional, many of them were based off of real life women in a real war that resulted in the genocide of millions of innocent people.
“Men tell stories. Women get on with it. For us it was a shadow war. There were no parades for us when it was over, no medals or mentions in history books. We did what we had to during the war, and when it was over, we picked up the pieces and started our lives over.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Rape, and War
jdjd2025's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Minor: Death, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Rape, Alcoholism, Gaslighting, Genocide, Torture, Death of parent, Police brutality, Violence, Abandonment, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, and Antisemitism
astoriareader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
SYNOPSIS:
- Two sisters, Isabelle & Vianne, are living in Nazi-occupied France in WWII, and we follow their two different stories & experiences during this time.
- There is also some chapters with an unknown narrator in 1995, who appears to be looking back on the time in France.
MY THOUGHTS
- This one lived up to the hype.
- Kristin Hannah has quickly become one of my favorite authors. This is my 3rd read by her. Previously, I read The Great Alone and The Women, so this is my 3rd read by her.
- Hannah’s writing is vivid and captivating. Even though this is a fairly lengthy book (around 570 pages), I found myself not being able to put it down, and I got through it pretty quickly. By the end of the book, I felt like I had been on the journey with the characters.
- Since this involves WWII, the topics are heavy. This isn’t an easy read. It is a harrowing, heartbreaking, and emotional story. Although there are a lot of sensitive topics involved, Hannah did a great job at not going overboard with grotesque descriptions. In fact, the lack of descriptions made it even more horrifying, as your mind can easily close the loop on what is happening.
- I loved the complex characters and the family dynamics. Throughout the book, we learn that the sisters are essentially estranged at the beginning of the war. They are very different people, and they have different stories. I enjoyed seeing the two sisters grow, and they learned a lot about themselves & each other. I could feel all the women were sacrificing & putting on the line.
- I can only imagine all the research that Hannah had to undertake while writing this, so hats off to her.
- Hannah masterfully shows readers a wide range of challenging situations that folks faces during this period of time. Since this involves WWII, I figured there would not be a happy ending. Although it is not a happy ending, it is a satisfying one.
- I loved having two strong, capable women as main characters.
- This book will stay with me for a long time. It is emotional & powerful, and the characters face unthinkable situations. Although it is historical fiction, it is moving reminder of what real people went through in WWII, and it is a tough pill to swallow.
TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️historical fiction about 2 sisters in Nazi-occupied France in WWII. Heartbreaking, harrowing, emotional, and powerful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Genocide, Hate crime, Rape, War, Antisemitism, Child death, Death, Murder, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Abandonment, Torture, Miscarriage, Sexism, Grief, and Violence
Minor: Cancer, Infertility, and Pregnancy
onlymagpie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Antisemitism, and Rape
kelleymccandless's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
2.75
The book was fine, but I found it a bit….melodramatic? Like improbably unfortunate even for a novel of its subject matter.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Sexual assault, and Antisemitism