Reviews with content warning for Grief - The Nightingale

It has been so, so long since I have been as captivated by a book as I was by The Nightingale.

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.

Content Warnings

harleyglynn's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

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stephmcoakley's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective 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? No

5.0

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ishanigs12's review against another edition

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emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
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

This novel has broken me, utterly devastating, raw but powerful; moving but tender. The characters are as real as the history in it, their bravery transcends everything.
It is very easy to forget that there were really people like this. We need to remember, always, never forget.
I was especially impressed with the narrative, it transports you to the time effortlessly and straight to the brutality of war and conflict. The author is a master storyteller of epic proportions. I cannot wait to delve into more of her work.

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dfrye626's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective 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

Wow. This book is an absolute masterpiece. It was hard to read at times because of the horrible events that took place during WWII and because of the things the characters had to experience but it was a beautifully written book that was hard to put down.

It taught me so much about WWII and from a perspective you don't typically think or hear of in regards to WWII (women and France).

I would definitely recommend being in a good headspace before reading this book due to the difficult topics covered.

Heartbreaking yet beautifully written. I will likely read this book again and will be thinking of it in the years to come.

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