Reviews tagging 'Genocide'

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

208 reviews

emandert's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Deportation, Genocide, Suicide, Torture, Death, Death of parent, Infertility, War, Antisemitism, Miscarriage, Violence, Homophobia, Rape, and Alcoholism

eesamel's review against another edition

dark 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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Rape, Death, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, Terminal illness, Child death, Police brutality, Pregnancy, War, Racial slurs, Grief, Infertility, Antisemitism, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Vomit, Miscarriage, and Xenophobia

saam_brownn's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

An absolutely incredible book from beginning to end. I was extremely emotional; I often felt what the main characters did along with them. While I could never possibly understand what they were going through to its core, I hurt when they hurt, I was apprehensive throughout the book as they were, etc. I have always been fascinated with historical fiction books though I’ve found myself drawn mostly to WWII books. That said, I absolutely loved this book and how considerately detailed it was given the heavy and heartbreaking topics that Kristin Hannah had to describe. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Death, Physical abuse, War, Genocide, Cancer, Torture, Kidnapping, Violence, Pregnancy, Child death, and Antisemitism

thebookishpaws's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• 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? No

4.5

Kristin Hannah's "The Nightingale" weaves a captivating story of love, sacrifice, and resilience. It’s both raw and thought-provoking throughout, especially poignant when read in November- a time of reflection on the courage of those who both served and lived through wars. The story had a slow start, but my initial reservations were shattered as the truly moving narrative unfolded. Be prepared for a tearful ending. A must-read that earns a heartfelt 4.5 stars.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, War, Xenophobia, Racism, Miscarriage, Infertility, Death, Gun violence, and Grief

silverhill's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Sexual assault, Child death, Deportation, Gore, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, War, Medical content, Torture, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Blood, Bullying, and Genocide

Moderate: Vomit, Alcoholism, and Pregnancy

Minor: Infidelity, Cancer, Infertility, Miscarriage, and Terminal illness

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 

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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

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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

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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

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

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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.

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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