Reviews with content warning for Grief - The Nightingale

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

theycallmerash's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Content Warnings

gymjam_reads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-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? Yes

3.75

An insightful and emotional read into life in France during ww2. Focusing mainly on two sisters, it's a tale of how they endured the horror and did their bit for the war effort in the shadows. They were a drop in an ocean of women who were somewhat invisible yet powerful and invaluable weapons.
There were many times I almost stopped reading as it got too slow but I'm glad I persisted. Even though it's a piece of fiction, it felt very real. I've not really delved into or learnt much about how it was to be in France during that time-frame so it felt like a history lesson wrapped in a believable story. It leaves you feeling reflective, heart-broken and inspired.

Content Warnings

ehamlett's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-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

5.0

Content Warnings

nikimorr's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I was a little disappointed that I struggled to get into this book. It was so highly raved about, and I have recently begun an interest in WW2 historical fiction. However, I had a very hard time connecting with these characters until much later in the book. Even at some of the more emotional moments, I was not fully invested and did not feel the story the way I would want to in a book(and I am a very easy crier). I may have been comparing it too much to The Alice Network, which had me hooked start to finish. Otherwise, I’m not quite sure what was missing for me.

I wanted to stick this book out because I appreciated the story and wanted to see it end. I preferred the story from Vianne’s point of view as a woman just trying to survive in the war - I found it most interesting and relatable. I liked exploring how Vianne as a a citizen of occupied France lived, not just how the heroes and heroines lived. The dynamic with Vianne and Herr Beck was particularly fascinating - the enemy (a nazi) not being a horrible person/maybe even worth liking is a gray area I love to explore. The last 150 pages were by far the best of the book, and it all came together very beautifully. I loved the ending for “Papa” and for Isabelle in particular. I always appreciate endings for characters that aren’t entirely perfect and happy but still feel right.

I had a suspicion of who the “present day” character was - which proved to be correct - which I’m sure was an emotional plot twist for many readers.

Content Warnings