srosa037'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
5.0
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
- 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
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
- 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
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
- 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
Graphic: War, Violence, Toxic friendship, Rape, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Blood, Cancer, Alcoholism, Deportation, and Child abuse
monikapuff'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
4.5
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.
Graphic: War and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
kastoomey's review against another edition
5.0
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.”
Graphic: Violence, Rape, and War
jdjd2025'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? It's complicated
4.5
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
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
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
- 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
Graphic: War, Antisemitism, and Rape
kelleymccandless'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? Yes
2.75
Graphic: War, Sexual assault, and Antisemitism