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A review by emilynied
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
challenging
dark
informative
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? Yes
5.0
As I finished this book, I first left the living room (that my entire family was sitting in) to go grab a tissue and then I couldn't drag my eyes away from the page so I finished it standing at the kitchen counter. I think there's literal wrinkles in the pages from my tears.
I feel like I can't even write out how this book made me feel and think because I've internalized it all probably in an effort to protect my own emotional stability. I think I'm quite selective about the content I consume about WWII just based on a number of personal factors, but I am so glad I picked up this book. The writing was absolutely beautiful and I could feel how much thought and care went into crafting the story. The writing might have been beautiful but the content absolutely wasn't - it felt very historically grounded and actually taught me a lot about the war and the front in France that I didn't know about previously. The characters are dynamic and interesting (and sometimes you just want to grab them and shake them) and the development was so so fascinating to read as the story spanned years and their own individual circumstances/settings changed throughout the book.
Vianne and Isabelle played off each other so well and the sister relationship felt so familiar to me despite the story taking place in the mid-1900s. I'm glad they weren't the "perfect" characters with the idealist morals and decision-making skills because it made the story all the more realistic. In summary, this book was amazing and I will absolutely be reading more Kristen Hannah in the future.
I feel like I can't even write out how this book made me feel and think because I've internalized it all probably in an effort to protect my own emotional stability. I think I'm quite selective about the content I consume about WWII just based on a number of personal factors, but I am so glad I picked up this book. The writing was absolutely beautiful and I could feel how much thought and care went into crafting the story. The writing might have been beautiful but the content absolutely wasn't - it felt very historically grounded and actually taught me a lot about the war and the front in France that I didn't know about previously. The characters are dynamic and interesting (and sometimes you just want to grab them and shake them) and the development was so so fascinating to read as the story spanned years and their own individual circumstances/settings changed throughout the book.
Vianne and Isabelle played off each other so well and the sister relationship felt so familiar to me despite the story taking place in the mid-1900s. I'm glad they weren't the "perfect" characters with the idealist morals and decision-making skills because it made the story all the more realistic. In summary, this book was amazing and I will absolutely be reading more Kristen Hannah in the future.