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The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Title: The Nightingale

Author: Kristin Hannah

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Genre: Historical Fiction, World War II

First Publication: 2015

Language: English

Major Characters: Vianne (Rossignol) Mauriac, Isabelle Rossignol, Julien Rossignol, Wolfgang Beck, Sturmbannführer Von Richter, Gaëtan Dubois, Rachel de Champlain, Sophie Mauriac, Ariel (Ari) de Champlain, Antoine Mauriac

Theme: The changing nature of love in wartime; ways of expressing (or failing to express) love; loyalty; gender inequality and cultural expectations; complicity with evil; the humanity of enemies; what makes a life worth living

Setting: Carriveau, France; Paris, France; Oregon, USA; various French towns; Spain; Germany

Narrator: Third Person from Vianne’s and Isabelle’s point of view

Book Summary: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

FRANCE, 1939

In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade France…but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When a German captain requisitions Vianne’s home, she and her daughter must live with the enemy or lose everything. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates all around them, she is forced to make one impossible choice after another to keep her family alive.

Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old girl, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets Gäetan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can…completely. But when he betrays her, Isabelle joins the Resistance and never looks back, risking her life time and again to save others.

With courage, grace and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah captures the epic panorama of WWII and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women’s war. The Nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France–a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women. It is a novel for everyone, a novel for a lifetime.

Book Review: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is a historical fiction, set in German-occupied France during WWII . Spanning the years of the war, this riveting story follows two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, as they struggle to survive and persevere through the Nazi invasion. Their parallel stories are as different as their personalities, but are just as suspenseful, complicated, and emotional. As the reader, you get to see the war that was taking place on the home front from each sister’s unique vantage point. It is a heart wrenching, beautiful and tragic story.

As the older sister, Vianne feels responsible for keeping her younger sister, Isabelle, safe. When the occupation begins, Isabelle is sent to stay with Vianne in the country, being cast out of Paris by her father. Vianne’s husband, Antoine, has been called to report to the Army, leaving Vianne and their young daughter, Sophie, behind. As the Germans invade Paris, Isabelle begins the trek to her sister’s home, witnessing the atrocities committed by the invading troops firsthand.

“If I have learned anything in this long life of mine, it is this: in love we find out who we want to be; in war we find out who we are.”

By the time that Isabelle arrives on Vianne’s doorstep, she is determined to join the resistance and make a difference. Young and impulsive, Vianne is certain that her younger sister will get herself, if not all of them, killed. Their relationship is tenuous, at best, and Vianne struggles to get through to her strong-minded sibling.

Vianne is naive, having not witnessed the actions of the invading Nazis, as her sister had. She believes that if they keep their heads down and don’t draw attention to themselves, they’ll be okay. She follows the rules and tries to reign in Isabelle’s defiant behaviors before it is too late.

However, as time passes and the occupation grows increasingly difficult, the sisters go their separate ways. Each of them sets out on a different course, trying to survive the best way they know how. Despite the distance between them, each sister ends up fighting the Nazi invasion in different ways. The bold and daring Isabelle actively assists allied airmen in their escapes, while the mild-mannered Vianne begins helping hide away Jewish children.

“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.”

While there was romance in The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, it took a back stage to the war story. However, this gripping story held my attention from start to finish. This is a beautifully written, inspiring story. I loved every minute of it!

Although The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is considered fiction, it is firmly planted in well-researched truth. Isabelle’s character is based on the late Andrée de Jongh (1916-2007) , an amazing woman who repeatedly risked her life helping British and American servicemen escape on foot from Nazi-occupied Belgium and France.

Sadly, Andrée de Jongh is only one of the many quiet heroes that our future generations will likely never know if not for inspired authors like Kristin Hannah.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah offers a story of women surviving in unthinkable circumstances – the underestimated gender finding a way to take action. It shows readers that at times protectiveness requires dangerous risks, fear often proceeds acts of bravery, and those who may appear weak can indeed possess incredible strength. I didn’t want this book to end because it’s not just about the ravages of war, it’s also about love, life, and rebellious courage.

“Some stories don’t have happy endings. Even love stories. Maybe especially love stories.”

These women, who had everything (and everyone) to lose, put it all on the line to help others. I have been spared from the direct horrors of war, but I asked the same question that Ms. Hannah herself asked in an interview about her book, “I found myself consumed with a single, overwhelming question, as relevant today as it was seventy years ago: When would I, as a wife and mother, risk my life — and more important, my child’s life — to save a stranger? ”

Most of us wouldn’t. But which is worst: The fear of the risk or the fear of letting children grow up in a world where good people do nothing to stop evil?

The author’s writing skills are powerful as she captures the heart-breaking devastation that the Nazis inflicted onto their community. It was so hard to read about the Jewish women and children rounded up and deported. With a high dose of adrenaline, fear, and courage and told beautifully and respectful, The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is a must read for anyone who likes Historical fiction books.

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BookBrowse Reviews The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

The Nightingale

by Kristin Hannah

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the nightingale book review guardian kristin hannah

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The Nightingale captures the epic panorama of WWII and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women's war.

Winner of the 2015 BookBrowse Fiction Award BookBrowse readers were challenged and moved by Kristin Hannah's unique World War II novel, The Nightingale . Each and every one of our member reviewers rated it 4 or a 5 stars. What makes the story of two sisters in Occupied France so different from other World War II novels? Why did our reviewers feel so connected to it? Kristin Hannah has reached a new level with this strong and enduring cast of characters and themes. I would challenge anyone to read The Nightingale and not feel deeply moved by its message. I felt proud of these women, struggling to survive in times of war and wondered what I would do to save my family, my freedoms and all that I hold dear. Beyond that question looms another: "Do I have that deep core of bravery so desperately needed in the darkest of hours?" Relevant today and always, this story will stay with me a long time. It has my strongest recommendation (Virginia W). The Nightingale is easily the best book I have read in a very long time. I became a woman in occupied France and steeled myself as each new horrible circumstance confronted me (Nancy L). This is a story of love and sacrifice during the horror of the German occupation of France. It is a story of love - particular of family - and how sad and beautiful it can be (Marjorie W). This is a very special book! (Cam G) Our readers felt that Kristin Hannah's focus on women during World War II was unique: The Nightingale is about two sisters who lived in France during World War II, and weaves back and forth through time, with most of the emphasis in the '40s during the war. I have read many World War II books but few that place special emphasis on the heroism and courage of women fighting the war in their own ways (Colleen L). Kristin Hannah is known for her contemporary fiction so I was blown away by this meticulously researched work of historical fiction set in France during WWII. It speaks to the strengths of women who were willing to put their lives on the line because it was the right thing to do (Lisa G). Hold the phone, cancel appointments and have some tissues handy for a well-researched novel of the very disturbing years of Nazi occupied France. It is not only about the occupation, but about the brave women who risked their lives and lives of their families to save strangers (Kathy G). And her take on the Holocaust novel genre is unique as well: I was skeptical that The Nightingale was yet another novel about the Holocaust, but do yourself a favor and read this one. The characters are so richly developed that the reader can't help but keep turning the pages! (Diane D) A wonderfully told story, totally engaging - and the saddest part is that even if it is fiction, we know too well the awful truth of what happened, and that the author has embedded that truth in this novel (Arden A). Hannah was particularly good at introducing lesser known historical events from World War II: the exodus from Paris, the Vichy collaboration with the Nazi's, the betrayal of the Parisians by the French Police, the events at the Velodrome d'Hiver (see " beyond the book "), retaliation against French resistance, and the dangers of the Pyrenees escape routes (Sherilyn R). Our readers found the story to be relevant to today: In these days of beheadings and innocents caught up in war zones, this is an essential book to read. Kristen Hannah's The Nightingale transcends the pages of historical fiction and poses the question, "When evil is everywhere around you, what would you do?" (Gwen C) A well-written book that helps us remember this period of history and all the extremes people went through. It is important to remember the contributions of the women of that time. Reflecting on my life makes me realize how much I have taken for granted (Sandra C). A thank you to Kristin Hannah for this awesome book written not a moment too soon - as so few people who will recognize the truth in it are left. May this story keep their experiences alive even longer. Memories matter. Love lasts. We remain. What a brilliant message (Lesley F). And they wholeheartedly recommend The Nightingale : I would heartily recommend this novel to anyone who loves historical fiction. It is well-researched and presents a solid look at the French Resistance (Colleen L). I recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction and to others who enjoy a book that promises to captivate! (Frances B) I have read many books about World War II - fiction and non-fiction - but never anything like this. The sense of place, the relationships between the women, their children and the German soldiers in the town make this a story you will remember for a long time. I recommend it for a different perspective on the toll of war (Eve A). I recommend The Nightingale if you like sister stories, France, romance and history (Barbara Z). Everyone – everyone – needs to read this book, to get into the parts of the characters, and try to feel just an iota of what they felt during this time in their lives (Annie P).

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The Nightingale

In love we find out who we want to be. in war we find out who we are., description.

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Baykali Ganambarr as Billy and Aisling Franciosi as Clare in Jennifer Kent’s 2019 film The Nightingale

The Nightingale review – ambitious, urgent and necessarily brutal. But who is it for?

Jennifer Kent is an extraordinary film-maker, but by falsely equivocating two vastly different experiences, she steps – misguidedly – into a minefield

C olonisation is a brutal process, one in which everyone involved is debased. That is the clear message of Jennifer Kent’s The Nightingale, and the theme that has dominated its early coverage . But underneath that stark truth are complex power dynamics that call for more nuanced discussion.

Set in 1825 – during the Black Wars in Van Diemen’s Land – Clare (Aisling Franciosi) is an indentured Irish convict servant, in bondage to the cruel Lieutenant Hawkins (Sam Claflin). She is overdue her ticket of leave and wants to be with her husband and child, but Hawkins refuses to relinquish his control. His abuse of power culminates in horrific sexual and physical violence – depicted so unflinchingly by Kent that some viewers have walked out of cinemas – that strips Clare of everything she holds dear. Hiring a black guide Billy (Baykali Ganambarr), Clare stalks Hawkins and his small party to Launceston – where they are being guided by Uncle Charlie (Charlie Jampijinpa Brown) – in order to punish them.

Vengeance is a driving force in Clare’s story, but The Nightingale – which won the special jury prize when it premiered in Venice, and just took home the critics’ prize at Melbourne film festival – is more layered than a simple revenge tale. Billy is a Letteremairrener man, whose family have also been murdered by the colonists – and as he and Clare travel across the country, her racism softens, and their relationship becomes a space in which to explore the shared trauma and loss they have both suffered at the hands of white men.

Baykali Ganambarr as Billy and Aisling Franciosi as Clare.

Kent’s extraordinary craft shines through the world she has recreated, and in her seamless use of magic realism to reveal Clare’s psychological world. She has elicited a world-class performance from Franciosi, in a demanding and harrowing role. Ganambarr is charismatic, with strong physicality, and Kent’s collaboration with the Tasmanian Aboriginal community – including elder Jim Everett – brings cultural authenticity to his characterisation. (The Nightingale also claims to be the first full-length feature to use Palawa Kani, a dialect reconstructed from near-extinct Indigenous Tasmanian languages). Claflin, Damon Herriman and Harry Greenwood make sinister colonialists, and Charlie Shotwell, as the young orphan Eddie, is captivating each time he appears.

All these white men grow more inhumane as they undertake the callous, violent work of clearing the colony of Aboriginal people and their culture, through point blank mass murders, sexual assaults, and the debasement and defiling of men, women and children.

Violence in The Nightingale is unrelenting. It is graphic but, given the world the film takes place in , rarely gratuitous. The audience is left in no doubt about the savagery by which Aboriginal people were dispossessed of the land during the ferocious inhumanity and genocide that Australia was founded on – an important acknowledgement as the country continues to engage in discussions about constitutional recognition and treaty.

But in its ambitious attempt to interrogate the complex power dynamics between the coloniser and the colonised, Clare’s story steps into murkier territory, which it traverses it less successfully.

And this is clearly Clare’s story: the film starts with Clare and ends on her gaze, privileging her point of view. It is from Clare’s perspective that the connections between her situation and that of Aboriginal people like Billy are explored. The viewer is asked to sympathise with the similarities of their plights: both have had their families taken from them, both sing in their traditional tongues (Clare in Gaelic), both are powerless within the colonial society being imposed on them. Clare goes to great lengths to explain that she is Irish, not English: she hates the English, she is also of a conquered people. We have witnessed her callous torture within the new colony. In these very real ways, she is a victim.

But while comparing the exploitation of Aboriginal people with other groups oppressed within the colonial system (women, convicts, the Irish) is fertile ground for dramatic exploration, it is also a minefield – one which Kent navigates misguidedly. Clare is still a part of the colonising force. She had her own hut and ambitions for life on Australian soil, land cleared of Aboriginal people. She is a racist – she calls Billy “boy”; she initially believes him to be a cannibal, and keeps a gun pointed on him; she is indifferent to the lethal consequences her impulsive decisions have on him. However little power she has, he has much, much less.

Every societal group that is co-opted in the colonial process suffers in a different way, but it is dangerous to link those marginalised within the colonial state to those being colonised. The sliding scale of suffering among those within the colony makes little difference to the Aboriginal group whose land they stole.

Aboriginal women, meanwhile, are left in the usual trope. We see only one. Lowanna (brought to life by the luminous Magnolia Maymuru) is raped and then murdered, with no characterisation. All we know is that she is even more disposable than both white women and black men. For a film so focused on colonial violence against women, the perfunctory and superficial interrogation of how that dynamic plays out for Aboriginal women is a serious flaw that plays into a colonial cinematic tradition. Lowanna’s ephemeral portrayal in the Nightingale begs the question: who is the intended audience for this film? It may well hit raw nerves with Indigenous women, who have long felt marginalised in Australian cinema.

The film’s final scene seems to undercut the comparisons it made between the plights of its two leads. During what feels like Billy’s inevitable death, Clare sings her Irish song in Gaelic. It’s not English, but in Australia it’s still a foreign, colonising language that she is singing on his traditional land.

In the end, there is no way to escape your own complicity when you are part of the colonial system – no matter how powerless you yourself are. That is another brutal aspect of colonisation – and credit to Kent for exploring it. It takes a bold and brave storyteller to begin these difficult and complex but urgent conversations.

The Nightingale has been released in the UK and US, and opens in Australian cinemas from Thursday 29 August

The Babadook
Australian film

THE NIGHTINGALE

by Kristin Hannah ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 3, 2015

Still, a respectful and absorbing page-turner.

Hannah’s new novel is an homage to the extraordinary courage and endurance of Frenchwomen during World War II.

In 1995, an elderly unnamed widow is moving into an Oregon nursing home on the urging of her controlling son, Julien, a surgeon. This trajectory is interrupted when she receives an invitation to return to France to attend a ceremony honoring passeurs : people who aided the escape of others during the war. Cut to spring, 1940: Viann has said goodbye to husband Antoine, who's off to hold the Maginot line against invading Germans. She returns to tending her small farm, Le Jardin, in the Loire Valley, teaching at the local school and coping with daughter Sophie’s adolescent rebellion. Soon, that world is upended: The Germans march into Paris and refugees flee south, overrunning Viann’s land. Her long-estranged younger sister, Isabelle, who has been kicked out of multiple convent schools, is sent to Le Jardin by Julien, their father in Paris, a drunken, decidedly unpaternal Great War veteran. As the depredations increase in the occupied zone—food rationing, systematic looting, and the billeting of a German officer, Capt. Beck, at Le Jardin—Isabelle’s outspokenness is a liability. She joins the Resistance, volunteering for dangerous duty: shepherding downed Allied airmen across the Pyrenees to Spain. Code-named the Nightingale, Isabelle will rescue many before she's captured. Meanwhile, Viann’s journey from passive to active resistance is less dramatic but no less wrenching. Hannah vividly demonstrates how the Nazis, through starvation, intimidation and barbarity both casual and calculated, demoralized the French, engineering a community collapse that enabled the deportations and deaths of more than 70,000 Jews. Hannah’s proven storytelling skills are ideally suited to depicting such cataclysmic events, but her tendency to sentimentalize undermines the gravitas of this tale.

Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-312-57722-3

Page Count: 448

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: Nov. 19, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2014

HISTORICAL FICTION | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP

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by Kristin Hannah

More About This Book

Film Productions Halted Due to Coronavirus Worry

BOOK TO SCREEN

‘The Nightingale’ Is Reese’s Book Club Pick

SEEN & HEARD

LOVE AND OTHER WORDS

by Christina Lauren ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 10, 2018

With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.

Eleven years ago, he broke her heart. But he doesn’t know why she never forgave him.

Toggling between past and present, two love stories unfold simultaneously. In the first, Macy Sorensen meets and falls in love with the boy next door, Elliot Petropoulos, in the closet of her dad’s vacation home, where they hide out to discuss their favorite books. In the second, Macy is working as a doctor and engaged to a single father, and she hasn’t spoken to Elliot since their breakup. But a chance encounter forces her to confront the truth: what happened to make Macy stop speaking to Elliot? Ultimately, they’re separated not by time or physical remoteness but by emotional distance—Elliot and Macy always kept their relationship casual because they went to different schools. And as a teen, Macy has more to worry about than which girl Elliot is taking to the prom. After losing her mother at a young age, Macy is navigating her teenage years without a female role model, relying on the time-stamped notes her mother left in her father’s care for guidance. In the present day, Macy’s father is dead as well. She throws herself into her work and rarely comes up for air, not even to plan her upcoming wedding. Since Macy is still living with her fiance while grappling with her feelings for Elliot, the flashbacks offer steamy moments, tender revelations, and sweetly awkward confessions while Macy makes peace with her past and decides her future.

Pub Date: April 10, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-5011-2801-1

Page Count: 416

Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018

GENERAL ROMANCE | ROMANCE | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

More by Christina Lauren

by Christina Lauren

ALL YOUR PERFECTS

by Colleen Hoover ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 17, 2018

Finding positivity in negative pregnancy-test results, this depiction of a marriage in crisis is nearly perfect.

Named for an imperfectly worded fortune cookie, Hoover's ( It Ends with Us , 2016, etc.) latest compares a woman’s relationship with her husband before and after she finds out she’s infertile.

Quinn meets her future husband, Graham, in front of her soon-to-be-ex-fiance’s apartment, where Graham is about to confront him for having an affair with his girlfriend. A few years later, they are happily married but struggling to conceive. The “then and now” format—with alternating chapters moving back and forth in time—allows a hopeful romance to blossom within a dark but relatable dilemma. Back then, Quinn’s bad breakup leads her to the love of her life. In the now, she’s exhausted a laundry list of fertility options, from IVF treatments to adoption, and the silver lining is harder to find. Quinn’s bad relationship with her wealthy mother also prevents her from asking for more money to throw at the problem. But just when Quinn’s narrative starts to sound like she’s writing a long Facebook rant about her struggles, she reveals the larger issue: Ever since she and Graham have been trying to have a baby, intimacy has become a chore, and she doesn’t know how to tell him. Instead, she hopes the contents of a mystery box she’s kept since their wedding day will help her decide their fate. With a few well-timed silences, Hoover turns the fairly common problem of infertility into the more universal problem of poor communication. Graham and Quinn may or may not become parents, but if they don’t talk about their feelings, they won’t remain a couple, either.

Pub Date: July 17, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-5011-7159-8

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Atria

Review Posted Online: April 30, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2018

FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP

More by Colleen Hoover

by Colleen Hoover

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The Nightingale

Self-Purchased copy

Kristin Hannah

Historical Fiction / Women's Fiction

Number of pages.

“As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. ”

The Nightingales is the story of the Rossignol (nightingale in French) sisters during the Nazi war. It was a story of women who saved Jewish children and women who rescued downed pilots, of women who sacrificed themselves body and soul to save others.

This book took me back to the time I visited The Dachau Memorial Site in Munich, Germany. It was one of the Nazi concentration camps' sites, now open for the public to witness the place's history. I remember experiencing an eerie silence while there, although there were several tourists around the campsite. I remember feeling shivers and stunned realization as I took in the gravity and reality of the place.

Although The Nightingale is a fictional story, I don’t think anything other than the characters' names is fictional. I have seen the gas chambers, the icy shower rooms, the brick house for prisoners with incurable diseases, and the cramped bunk beds housing them. I saw pictures of stick-thin people with bones jutting out and nothing but death in their eyes. I could go on and on, but all I’m trying to say is the horrors described in the novel were real, not fiction.

This novel is a deeply emotional book. How can anyone not be moved by the plight of the innocents and the children exposed to this level's atrocities and monstrosities? And for what crime-just for being born differently. I will not lie; I had a headache from all the crying in the last few pages.

I loved the beginning of the story where a woman whose identity is undisclosed till the end is on her way from America to Paris on an invitation but is terrified of the journey due to her memories of Paris. Then we go into the story of the sisters Vianna and Isabelle.

Review for another Historical Novel Bayan by Pramudith Rupasinghe

The characters, the plot, the setting, the story's flow, and its pace- everything about this power-packed novel was extraordinary. Women’s roles and feelings, and emotions are often overlooked in society, so was it during the war. They are the real unsung heroes who held on to their families yet contributed to the freedom efforts. Kristin Hannah, through this novel, has, in my opinion, saluted these invisible warriors.

A man who goes to war never returns the same. You will witness very clearly how this happens. You will experience a winter you’d never want to see. And you’ll experience hunger you’ll never want to feel. You’ll understand the true meaning of friendship, the power of marriage, the bond between sisters, and understand that a will for survival is all you need to survive.

Final Verdict

Numerous people have read and reviewed this novel and rated it nothing but five stars. I can do no better. It’s that powerful. Get ready to face the heartbreaking truth of World War II in all its glory.

I look forward to the movie coming up this year. I hope it does justice to this beautiful and courageous piece of writing.

Who Should Read This

Please read this book. However, I would warn about the adult nature of the content with rape, torture, and murder themes. Those opposed to these themes, please do not pick this novel.

Happy Reading!!

Other Bestselling Novels by Kristin Hannah

Pic and Bio From Goodreads

Kristin Hannah is the award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 novels including the international blockbuster, The Nightingale, which was named Goodreads Best Historical fiction novel for 2015 and won the coveted People's Choice award for best fiction in the same year. Additionally, it was named a Best Book of the Year by Amazon, iTunes, Buzzfeed, the Wall Street Journal, Paste, and The Week. Her novel, The Great Alone, was also voted as Goodreads best historical novel of the year in 2018. Kristin's highly anticipated new release, The Four Winds will be published on February 9, 2021 (St. Martin's Press). The novel is a sweeping, emotional story of love, family, and survival, set in Texas and California during the dark days of The Great Depression. It is a portrait of one indomitable woman who will do anything to keep her family together. The Nightingale is currently in production at Tri Star, with award-winning director Melanie Laurent set to direct a cast led by Dakota and Elle Fanning. Firefly Lane, starring Katherine Heigl, Sarah Chalke and Ben Lawson, is set to premiere on Netflix in early 2021

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Preview: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Released in 2015 , The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah hit several bestseller lists with plans for a screenplay adaptation. I’m an avid reader of all different kinds of genres but I kept putting this one off. I felt I had to be ‘ready’ for it in a sense and I am now.

I want to read this before I dive into her new one, The Great Alone . Here’s the synopsis:

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There’s a couple themes from The Nightingale : the strength of women and the cost of war.

This one doesn’t seem to glamorize WWII. But instead, shine the spotlight on both the women’s involvement in the war and how it impacted their lives. So many stories from WWII focus on men at the frontlines and women stories are oftentimes push aside. How many WWII books or movies fail to include any women? Too many.

Once you have finished this great read, check out my review .

BOOK REVIEW – The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Synopsis: In love we find out who we want to be. In war we find out who we are. FRANCE, 1939 In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade France...but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When France is overrun, Vianne is forced to take an enemy into her house, and suddenly her every move is watched; her life and her child’s life is at constant risk. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates around her, she must make one terrible choice after another. Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old girl, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets the compelling and mysterious Gäetan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can...completely. When he betrays her, Isabelle races headlong into danger and joins the Resistance, never looking back or giving a thought to the real--and deadly--consequences. With courage, grace and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah takes her talented pen to the epic panorama of WWII and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women’s war. The Nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France--a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women. It is a novel for everyone, a novel for a lifetime.

Oh, the IRONY . You might have never heard of it, but in 1981 French author Régine Deforges released a book called La bicyclette bleue, 1939-1942 (part of a trilogy), which related the story of two sisters** during WWII in France. Léa, the outspoken, rebel and reckless one, who joins the Resistance after fleeing from the invasion of Paris and Françoise, the older, who has to live under the same roof of a SS during the Occupation. RING A BELL?

This novel, many times bestseller in France, borrowed A LOT from Gone with the Wind , which led to many trials (that Régine Deforges won, in the end, saying that it was all part of “a game” with her editor – Where have I heard that before? Hmm ).

Anyway. It seems oh so ironic to me to find so many similarities between The Nightingale and La bicyclette bleue, 1939-1942 , because, you know, I’m resilient, but reading the same story is starting to get old.

Of course, of course, I exaggerate, and I’m not saying that Kristin Hannah plagiarized Régine Deforges ‘s novel. As for Gone with the Wind ‘s parts, there’s none here as far as I’m concerned. No. Both authors of these WWII novels must have used the same inspirations is all – especially real testimonies, surely.

Yet it throws me off, even if I didn’t even like La bicyclette bleue, 1939-1942 – I’m not a fan, but I can’t forget the plot either, and Kristin Hannah ‘s characters don’t strike me as interesting enough to follow the same storyline again. I know, I’m talking about WWII settings and I should love and suffer and FEEL for these characters but … I just don’t. They seem very flat and unrealistic to me? Sorry?

Oh, and you know what else throws me off? The shameless lack of any researches about the world . Anachronisms everywhere. Post-card France in one meal (I mean, the Baguette, the canelés , the ile flottante , Cognac (for reasons), the Lavander and Rosamery (which are Provencal plants but WHY THE FUCK NOT). Vianne & Antoine luxurious – YES, those meals and houses are VERY luxurious for that period of time – lifestyle that their jobs cannot explain . Antoine is a postman, alright? In 1939 his salary should be around 600 francs per year . As for Vianne, as a teacher, she could pretend to 900 francs, tops. How in the WORLD can they have 65,000 francs in the bank?! Tell me, really, I need to know how to multiply my funds like that (if that’s explained later in the book, I apologize).

Perhaps it sounds like details to you, and perhaps they are. But when I read an Historical novel, more than Historical facts I need for the book to carry me away in another time. I need to BELIEVE in it. I sure don’t want to read about some cliché, too modern world lacking any savor, picturing my country in such a stereotypical way . So fake, really. Not to mention that I found the writing repetitive and too dramatic, the dialogue awkward and way too much telling rather than showing.

The Nightingale tackles such an essential issue – indeed I believe that the portrayal of women’s role in WWII is VERY important, and I understand why it would appeal to many readers. Yet I can’t see myself finishing it, because really, the similarities and clichés are killing me.

Wasted potential, sadly. They do have the curse words right, though. Merde.

PS. This is a detail, but I do not know one Parisian who would INSTANTLY say something along the lines as, “oh, the bomb must have fallen into the 2nd Arrondissement”. Nope. Streets, districts names like la Bastille or Les Halles , alright, but randomly quoting an arrondissement when YOU’RE NOT EVEN PARISIAN? Pl-ease. Unbelievable – like the whole thing, apparently.

The Nightingale is FULL of inaccuracies like this one, and I expected more from the winner of the 2015 Goodreads Choice Award in HISTORICAL fiction . Ugh.

** Three, actually – thanks Anne for reminding me 😀

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The Nightingale – A seriously flawed historical thriller

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The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (St. Martin’s Press) begins with a backstory of an elderly woman in Oregon planning to return to France. At that time we don’t know what her role was in World War II, but figure it was highly traumatic.

Flashback to 1939. Two sisters lost their mother when they were young. Their father is a World War I veteran—traumatized, distant, almost indifferent to their lives. The younger Isabelle is shipped off to various finishing schools where she can’t seem to finish because of her rowdy insubordination. The older, Viann gets pregnant and is married off at the age of 17. Both girls are angry at their harsh father but Isabelle also hates Viann for not taking her in and keeping her in boarding schools.

As the war begins Viann’s husband is ordered to report to the army, leaving Viann alone with their daughter. Isabelle escapes from another school and tries to rejoin her father who owns a bookstore in Paris.

France loses the war and is occupied by German troops. Isabelle, consistent with her rebellious demeanor joins the French resistance and spends the war escorting downed allied pilots through the Pyrenees Mountains to Spain. Viann’s home is requisitioned by German forces and she is forced to live with a Wehrmacht captain and later a Gestapo or SS officer.

The Wehrmacht guy is pleasant and Viann finds herself attracted to him although nothing ever happens between them. He is killed and an SS officer moves in. The SS man rapes Viann repeatedly up until when the Germans evacuate France in 1944. In the end there is a cute twist of reconciliation and martyrdom that leaves the reader with a warm feeling.

A great read right? Not for me. I was so appalled by the numerous historical errors that I almost put the book down in the second Chapter. Here are a few clear mistakes:

Isabelle is inspired by Edith Cavell, the British nurse who was executed by the Germans for spying early in World War I. According to Isabelle nurse Cavell rescued hundreds of down allied pilots. Nevermind the fact that there weren’t hundreds of allied planes in the air in 1914, she did help some British soldiers cutoff by the advancing forces of the Kaiser return to British lines—perhaps a picky point but if a character was truly fascinated by the story the character would surely know something as basic as who it was Cavell was executed for assisting.

Hannah uses a fictional town, Carriveau, as the setting of her book. Here is where the plotting begins to run into problems. She has Isabelle leave Paris for the south just before the Germans arrive so Carriveau has to be south of Paris and near the Loire valley. But in order for it to be full of Nazis it can’t be in the Vichy zone of France which was not occupied by Germany after the Armistice. Although Carriveau is a small town the writer has to lever a large German contingent in it and therefore invents a Luftwaffe airbase. Why the Germans would establish an airbase south of Paris for the battle of Britain is never explained. Because there’s no explanation—it would have been ridiculous. Herr Captain Beck is introduced as a Wehrmacht officer but apparently has time to spare for making lists of Jews, homosexuals, and freemasons living in Carriveau. At this point in the war rounding up these “undesirables” was the job of the SS and the Gestapo, not the Wehrmacht. Wehrmacht officers saw postings in occupied France as practically a vacation and were under strict orders from army command to treat French civilians with upmost civility. Hitler hoped that good behavior would minimize resistance. Wehrmacht officers would consider it beneath their dignity to round up Jews.

Certainly occupied France was no picnic for the French and many people went without, but there was essentially no resistance movement to speak of until it began to look like Germany might lose the war. Nevertheless Isabelle seems to be the first kid on her block to join the resistance.

At one point a sympathetic Beck sees Viann’s child is sick, leaves and amazingly returns with antibiotics for respiratory illnesses. Nevermind that oral antibiotics were not available until about 1946.

Ms. Hannah also never once refers to Beck as “German”. He is always labeled a “Nazi” as are all the occupying soldiers. In 1940 only 7 % of all Germans were members of the Nazi party. With military success those numbers did rise, but many Wehrmacht officers who were happy to enjoy the fruits of victory, nevertheless despised the Nazi party and the SS. The German military’s nickname for the SS was asphalt soldiers . From her descriptions of Captain Beck as the nice guy who sneaks additional food to Viann and her family it seems highly unlikely that he would be a true “Nazi.” At one point a friend of Viann’s daughter trying to escape to unoccupied France has her chest “riddled with bullet holes.” Yet somehow she survives long enough to return to the village and die in her mother’s arms. No adult let alone a child could survive multiple chest wounds from a high powered military rifle or machine gun. A child would be lucky to survive one in the chest, let alone be “riddled.” That’s why they use firing squads to kill deserters. The victim is going to die on the spot.

Central to the plot is Ms. Isabelle’s work in the underground escorting downed allied pilots out of France to the Pyrenees Mountains. Precious little detail is offered on how this is accomplished other than giving Isabelle fake identity papers. There is no mention that the girl has any mountain climbing experience – the Pyrenees are up to 11,000 feet high- or that she was particularly athletic – or what they did with pilots who had been wounded or how they were able to stroll a few hundred miles out of the country.

The book ends with a lovefest gathering of the relatives of pilots “saved” by Isabelle 60 years after the war. The unsophisticated reader is left with the impression that Isabelle saved the pilots’ lives thereby indirectly creating the lives of the pilots’ children who are among the gathering in Paris. The scene is a mirror image of the ending of Schindler’s List.

Has Ms. Hannah never watched Stalag 17 or The Great Escape? on late TV? One would not have to do much research to realize Germany did not shoot captured pilots. Airmen were valuable for intelligence and for the most part they were well treated by the Luftwaffe to the extent that Germany had the capacity to feed and house its prisoners. Keep in mind—Germany was attacking Britain at this time. Did they want their pilots summarily shot after they parachuted into Britain?

Probably the worst howler of all was when Isabelle, while walking around Paris after work one evening, comes upon an RAF pilot in full uniform who relates that he was shot down near Reims and has somehow made his way 140 kilometers into a city swarming with Germans. Did he take a train? Or did he rent a car from Hertz? Hitchhike? This is another point at which I nearly threw the book in the trash, but decided there had to be something to justify “Best Seller status” and 22 other novels by Ms. Hannah.

If you like sweet sentimentality with a memorable plot twist The Nightingale is a good read. If you want historical fiction that is reasonably accurate don’t touch this book.

Steve E Clark is the author of Justice is for the Lonely, a Kristen Kerry Novel of Suspense. And soon to come out Justice is for the Deserving. For more on Steve E Clark and his NYT best selling novels, www.KristenKerryNovelsofSuspense.com Steve Clark is also a medical malpractice attorney in Oklahoma City at Clark+Mitchell.com

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BOOK REVIEW | THE NIGHTINGALE BY KRISTIN HANNAH

January 13, 2023

HISTORICAL FICTION | WWII | SISTER BOND | MOTHERHOOD | ROMANCE

From the Cover

With courage, grace, and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah captures the epic panorama of WWII and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women’s war. The Nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion, and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival in German-occupied, war-torn France— a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women.

Bookish Thoughts

I chose The Nightingale because I am already a big fan of Kristin Hannah’s writing. I’ve read The Great Alone and The Four Winds . The Great Alone is among my top five favorite books. It was a pretty sure bet that I would love The Nightingale as well.

A little flash of delight occurred when I opened the book to find one of the main character’s names is Vianne, which is also my daughter’s name.

“Vianne Mauriac left the cool, stucco-walled kitchen and stepped into her front yard. On this beautiful summer morning in the Loire Valley, everything was in bloom. White sheets flapped in the breeze and roses tumbled like laughter along the ancient wall that hid her property from the road. A pair of industrious bees buzzed among the blooms; from far away, she heard the chugging of a train, and then the sweet sound of a little girl’s laughter.”

I chose the name Vianne for my daughter when reading another lovely book set in France, Chocolat. I was pregnant at the time and fell in love with the main character, single mother, Vianne Rocher. I was smitten with her strength, passion, and most of all steadfast devotion to her daughter Anouk. She was exactly the kind of girl-mom I longed to be.

I couldn’t imagine a more perfect name for my daughter. As if fated by the book, my Vianne is a huge chocolate lover. Her favorite? Ferrero Rocher. Coincidence? Probably not. LOL

Deeper Dive

Three Specifics I loved About The Nightingale

The Setting: The idyllic countryside of France as it morphs into a war-torn landscape that not even its inhabitants can recognize. The generational home of Vianne as its simple luxuries are plundered by the Germans, the garden gives everything until there’s nothing left but frozen earth, the once cheerful road outside their home promises arriving danger, the town once bustling now barren.
All of the Female Relationships: I am always drawn to books with beautifully written strong female relationships. This one had them all. Mother/Daughter — Vianne’s fierce protectiveness of her daughter Sophie. Sisters— Vianne and Isabelle’s complicated journey. Vianne is thrust into mothering Isabelle after their mother had died, and Vianne has suffered a miscarriage — their enduring love for each other prevails despite their past being fraught with misunderstanding and resentment. Female Friendship — Isabelle’s friendship, trust, and reliance on her fellow female resistance fighters.

Favorite Quotes

“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.”

“Lately, though, I find myself thinking about the war and my past, about the people I lost.

It makes it sound as if I misplaced my loved ones; perhaps I left them where they don’t belong and turned away, too confused to retrace my steps.

They are not lost. Nor are they in a better place. They are gone. As I approach the end of my years, I know that grief, like regret, settles into our DNA and remains forever a part of us.”

“If I have learned anything in this long life of mine, it is this: in love we find out who we want to be; in war we find out who we are.”

Let’s try and remember to channel our inner Isabelle. Hopefully none of us will ever have to face the things that she faced but we can fight the good fight in our own lives. We can—Be Brave! We can— Do a little something each day that scares us.

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The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

By: Author Jen - MMB Book Blog

Posted on Published: 20 September 2023 - Last updated: 8 March 2024

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The Nightingale is a historical fiction novel written by bestselling author Kristin Hannah. It’s set to be made into a major motion picture and was a multi-million copy bestseller across the world. The book was also selected as a Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick.

The Nightingale was the first Kristin Hannah book I had read but I instantly knew it wouldn’t be the last. I have since read The Great Alone and Four Winds and both of them were fantastic reads. Kristin Hannah books never fail to move and captivate me.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah: Plot

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is a historical fiction novel set in France during World War II .

It tells the gripping and emotional story of two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, who are each trying to survive and resist the Nazi occupation of France in their own ways.

Vianne, the elder and more responsible sister, enjoys a peaceful life in the French countryside with her husband and daughter. However, as World War II looms and her husband is called to fight, Vianne must adapt to the changing world and protect her daughter from the harsh realities of the German occupation.

Isabelle, the younger and more rebellious sister, has been shuttled between boarding schools since childhood, feeling abandoned by her family. When the war begins, she refuses to stand idly by as Paris falls to the enemy. Isabelle’s daring choices lead her down a path of resistance and danger that will forever alter her life.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah: My Opinion

I have read a lot of 20th Century and WW2 fiction but few have made the same lasting impact as The Nightingale. Vianne and Isabelle are both characters who will stay with me for a very long time.

I really liked that this was very much a story about women. So many war stories focus on men but The Nightingale highlights the sacrifice, courage, and resilience of women during the war, which can often be overlooked.

I enjoyed how the story was narrated alternately by the sisters as we followed Vianne and Isabelle on their separate journeys. This dual perspective added depth and richness to the narrative while also showing the reader different ways of fighting for freedom.

Isabelle was rebellious and impulsive and wanted to fight as part of the resistance. I loved her spirit and determination to make a difference in the war effort. She was such a courageous character and I read her sections with bated breath.

Vianne in comparison was pragmatic and her story was a vivid reminder of the challenges and sacrifices ordinary people faced trying to keep their families safe. She was used to having to be the older and more responsible sister and when her husband is sent off to fight in the war, her primary concern was protecting her daughter.

I found Kristin Hannah’s portrayal of Vianne to be incredibly moving. You can’t help but feel her fear, her pain, and her determination to survive in the face of overwhelming odds. Her transformation from a quiet schoolteacher to a formidable protector is nothing short of inspiring.

I found the moral complexities really interesting and it made me question what I would do in a similar circumstance. I think we all would like to think we would be brave enough to join the resistance and fight back, but when the safety of your child lies solely with you, would that determination falter?

The Nightingale is a heart-breaking, beautiful novel and I absolutely loved it. It made me cry, it made me hold my breath and above all it made me root for these incredible women.

Related Books

Another Life by Kristin Hannah
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

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Kristin Hannah Books in Order
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Kristin Hannah: By the Book

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The author, most recently, of “The Great Alone” credits her mother for her interest in writing. “I know that somewhere she’s sitting with a martini and telling her friends to check out her daughter’s new book.”

What books are on your nightstand?

“Sing, Unburied, Sing,” by Jesmyn Ward; “What Happened,” by Hillary Clinton; “Manhattan Beach,” by Jennifer Egan; “The Power,” by Naomi Alderman; and “Little Fires Everywhere,” by Celeste Ng. Clearly, I need a bigger nightstand.

Who is your favorite novelist of all time?

Well, my favorite novel is “The Lord of the Rings,” but favorite novelist? It’s a tossup between Stephen King and J. K. Rowling. I am a sucker for epic, world-building novels with high stakes that are written beautifully and are impossible to put down. Extra points if I laugh or cry. Few authors can do this once or twice in a career. Mr. King and Ms. Rowling are masters at it. I stand in awe.

Who are your favorite writers — novelists, essayists, journalists, poets — working today?

Besides Stephen and J. K.? I adore Carlos Ruiz Zafón, Donna Tartt, Anne Rice, Timothy Egan, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Haruki Murakami, Joan Didion, Roxane Gay, Jane Smiley, Anne Tyler — and I can’t wait to see what’s next from Amor Towles and Yaa Gyasi.

What genres do you especially enjoy reading? And which do you avoid?

When I’m writing, I read a lot of thrillers: Michael Connelly, Harlan Coben, Gillian Flynn, Tami Hoag, Lisa Gardner, Gregg Hurwitz, Dennis Lehane. And I’m sure it comes as no surprise that I love big, rich, character-driven historical and contemporary fiction. “ The Shadow of the Wind ” is probably my favorite novel of the past decade. It’s the one I recommend most often to book clubs. Really the only genre I don’t currently read is science fiction, probably because I read it almost exclusively in my preteen years.

Tell us your favorite works of historical fiction.

“The Shadow of the Wind,” “Katherine,” “Gone With the Wind,” “The Color Purple,” “Pride and Prejudice,” “Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell,” “Shogun,” “Atonement,” “Anna Karenina,” “Jane Eyre,” “Middlemarch,” “Lonesome Dove” and “To Kill a Mockingbird.” I haven’t read “The Thorn Birds” or “The Shell Seekers” in years, but I remember loving them.

What’s the most interesting thing you learned recently from a book?

“ Between the World and Me ,” by Ta-Nehisi Coates, changed my perspective on race relations in America, changed the very vocabulary I use to think about it. I can’t remember the last time a book touched me as deeply as this one did. It’s a remarkable work, and beautifully written.

What books might we be surprised to find on your bookshelves?

“The Velveteen Rabbit” and “The Paper Bag Princess.” I love choosing which books to give to the newest members of our family. There’s nothing better than watching a child fall in love with reading. Also my son is working on a comic book, so there’s that.

Take a moment to praise a few unheralded writers. Who should we be reading?

I don’t know about “unheralded,” but I think people should be reading Luis Alberto Urrea, Helen Oyeyemi, Eowyn Ivey, Chevy Stevens, Sarah Bird and Chloe Benjamin.

What was the last book to make you laugh?

Jonathan Tropper’s “This Is Where I Leave You.”

The last book to make you cry?

I know that Hanya Yanagihara’s “A Little Life” was polarizing, but I loved it. And the ending broke my heart.

The last book that made you furious?

Furious is a good thing — I love a book that makes me feel anything keenly. Irritated is something else entirely. That usually comes from an idea that I feel has been squandered in poor execution. There’s a recent debut best-seller — very controversial — that tested my patience to the breaking point. But karma’s a bitch, so I think I’ll keep the title to myself.

What kind of reader were you as a child? Your favorite book? Most beloved character?

I was exactly the reader one would expect — the kid who was constantly reading. I can’t count the number of times my dad told me to look up from my book and see what was outside the window. My favorite book list is long, and as varied as my reading tastes are today. The Oz books, everything by Roald Dahl and Laura Ingalls Wilder. Favorite character from my youth (maybe of all time) is Samwise Gamgee.

Of the books you’ve written, which is your favorite or the most personally meaningful?

For now, I’d have to say that my favorite is “The Nightingale.” It’s the book where I found my voice and my footing and my future, after all these years of writing. And I love that it’s currently being made into a movie by an amazing team of women — we have a female writer, director, producer and studio president. It gives me such hope for the film.

Most personally meaningful would have to be “Firefly Lane.” It’s full of my own life stories and memories from Seattle in the ’70s and ’80s. In writing it, I remembered my youth and, more important, my mother, who started me on this literary road and died too young to see me get published. I know that somewhere she’s sitting with a martini and telling her friends to check out her daughter’s new book.

If you could pick any of your books to be turned into a movie or TV series, which would it be and why?

I guess I would pick “The Great Alone.” Like “The Nightingale,” it’s a story about the strength of women and survival and the choices that define a life. Set in remote Alaska in the 1970s, it reveals the harsh, cruel beauty of the Last Frontier and the fiercely independent men and women who live there. It’s a world I’ve never seen on screen, and it’s surprisingly relevant in today’s turbulent, unsettled world. I think it could be made into a gorgeous and powerful film. But I’m a movie buff, so I would take any of them.

If you could require the president to read one book, what would it be?

I believe every American — and this certainly includes the president — should read the Constitution, especially the Bill of Rights and the other amendments.

You’re hosting a literary dinner party. Which three writers are invited?

Of course my guest list would change every year, based on what’s going on in the world at large and in my own world. This year I would choose Margaret Atwood, Hillary Clinton and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I want to hear their thoughts and opinions on art, literature, justice, motherhood — anything and everything — but particularly on women’s history. Where we have been, how we got here and how to get where we want to go. And let’s face it, the Notorious R.B.G. is just plain cool.

Disappointing, overrated, just not good: What book did you feel as if you were supposed to like, and didn’t? Do you remember the last book you put down without finishing?

I put down books without finishing them all the time. I am a compulsive book buyer (some might call it hoarding), but most of them end up on a “someday TBR pile.” I give a book about 50 pages. If I’m not hooked, I move on. As for disappointing, I will say “Madame Bovary.” I just don’t love it.

Whom would you want to write your life story?

I’m going to choose Anne Rice. She’s a brilliant writer. She’s also generous, original, imaginative and knows a thing or two about loss, which is inextricably a part of my story. I think she could take my pretty ordinary life and make it into a page turner.

What books are you embarrassed not to have read yet?

“The Fault in Our Stars,” “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao,” “Never Let Me Go” and “Ulysses.”

What do you plan to read next?

“The Book of Dust.”

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A community magazine for the Algarve

Book Review: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

June 1, 2023
Annie O’Dea

An exquisite, heartbreaking story from an international bestselling author that speaks to women everywhere about the things that matter most.

Kristin Hannah is the award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 novels, including the international blockbuster, The Nightingale.

The story was inspired by the life and memoirs of Andrée de Jongh, a Belgian Countess and a member of the Belgian Resistance during the Second World War. Under the alias of Dédée and Postman, she organised and led the Comet Line to assist Allied soldiers and airmen in escaping from Nazi-occupied Belgium.

Kristin Hannah opens her novel with a letter to the reader, explaining her sources of inspiration and why she was compelled to write their story. She writes, “ Sometimes a story sneaks up on you, hits you hard and dares you to look away. That was the case with The Nightingale. In truth, I did everything I could not to write this novel. But when research on World War Two led me to a story of a young woman who had created an escape route out of Nazi-occupied France, I was hooked. Her story – one of heroism and danger and unbridled courage – became the starting point. “

Exploring themes such as family loyalty, the power of the human spirit, and the will to survive, The Nightingale centres around the story of two sisters in very different circumstances who must do everything they can to survive. The novel debuted to overall critical acclaim, winning Goodreads Best Historical Fiction Novel for 2015. The book also won the coveted People’s Choice award for best fiction in the same year and was named the Best Book of the Year by Amazon.

In her direct opening address to the reader, the author reflects on what is at the heart of this story – the questions that still as relevant today as they were in 1940s war-torn Europe and the world – poignantly honing in on the truth: “In love we find out who we want to be; in war we find out who we are. And sometimes, perhaps, we don’t want to know what we would do to survive.”

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The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
August 20, 2021. The Nightingale, Kristin Hannah. The Nightingale is a historical fiction novel, written by Kristin Hannah and published in 2015. It tells the story of two sisters, just coming of age in France on the eve of World War II, and their struggle to survive and resist the German occupation of France.
THE NIGHTINGALE
Hannah's (The Nightingale, 2015, etc.) follow-up to her series of blockbuster bestsellers will thrill her fans with its combination of Greek tragedy, Romeo and Juliet-like coming-of-age story, and domestic potboiler. She re-creates in magical detail the lives of Alaska's homesteaders in both of the state's seasons (they really only have two ...
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah: Summary and reviews
Book Summary. Vivid and exquisite in its illumination of a time and place that was filled with great monstrosities, but also great humanity and strength, a novel that will have readers talking long after they turn the last page. From the #1 New York Times bestselling author comes an epic novel of love and war, spanning from the 1940s to the ...
Review: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Join the Book Club Chat Newsletter. Sometimes when I read fiction, I remind myself that whatever tragedy happens in the book, it's still fiction. But while The Nightingale is a fictional description, it's still based on a very real, horrible war. And Kristin Hannah doesn't shy away from descriptions of the hellish war and its devastating ...
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. This is a heart-wrenching historical fiction novel that takes place during World War II. The author beautifully portrays the struggles and sacrifices made by ordinary people during this devastating period of history. The novel offers a glimpse into the lives of women who bravely fought to keep their families ...
Book Review
Buy THE NIGHTINGALE (Hardcover) HOLY WOW!!! This book was absolutely epic! A sweeping, breathtaking journey that captivated me from the first page with the strength and beauty of the writing. Truly an unforgettable story! The Nightingale has a 4.8/5 rating average on Amazon (which is HUGE!!) and what that basically means is that practically ...
Review of The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
The Nightingale captures the epic panorama of WWII and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women's war. Winner of the 2015 BookBrowse Fiction Award BookBrowse readers were challenged and moved by Kristin Hannah's unique World War II novel, The Nightingale. Each and every one of our member reviewers rated it 4 or a 5 stars.
The Nightingale (Hannah novel)
The Nightingale is a historical fiction novel by American author Kristin Hannah published by St. Martin's Press in 2015. The book tells the story of two sisters in France during World War II and their struggle to survive and resist the German occupation of France.The book was inspired by the story of a Belgian woman, Andrée de Jongh, who helped downed Allied pilots escape Nazi territory.
The Nightingale
With courage, grace and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah captures the epic panorama of WWII and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women's war. The Nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous ...
Book Marks reviews of The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
The novel is suspenseful and romantic at the same time, and offers readers a very personal portrait of life in wartime and of the kind of bravery harbored by even seemingly ordinary people. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah has an overall rating of Positive based on 5 book reviews.
The Nightingale review
The Nightingale has been released in the UK and US, and opens in Australian cinemas from Thursday 29 August Larissa Behrendt is a Eualeyai/Kamillaroi lawyer, academic, novelist and film-maker ...
THE NIGHTINGALE
by Kristin Hannah ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 3, 2015 Hannah's new novel is an homage to the extraordinary courage and endurance of Frenchwomen during World War II. In 1995, an elderly unnamed widow is moving into an Oregon nursing home on the urging of her controlling son, Julien, a surgeon.
The Nightingale Book Review
author, Kristin Hannah narrator, Polly Stone, setting, France, 1940s Book Rating: 5/5 "In love we find out who we want to be; in war we find out who we are." This book has a presence. A heartbreaking yet inspirational novel, The Nightingale was such an emotional read for me. I listened to the audio during my daily walks and I remember sobbing while walking past fields of cows, their big ...
The Nightingale Kristin Hannah
Additionally, it was named a Best Book of the Year by Amazon, iTunes, Buzzfeed, the Wall Street Journal, Paste, and The Week. Her novel, The Great Alone, was also voted as Goodreads best historical novel of the year in 2018. Kristin's highly anticipated new release, The Four Winds will be published on February 9, 2021 (St. Martin's Press).
Book review: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
It is an important message and a reminder of the everyday horror of war, not just on the frontline, but for anyone caught in the wide shadow that the war cast. The Nightingale is one of the best books on war that I have read for some time, among many worthwhile and moving books of the time. Kristin Hannah The Nightingale World War 2.
Preview: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
The Nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France-a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women.
BOOK REVIEW
With courage, grace and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah takes her talented pen to the epic panorama of WWII and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women's war. The Nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on ...
The Nightingale
+ In my last blog I wrote a very positive review about Maestra, by L. S. Hilton. (Putnam) which I loved, so I feel entitled to write a critical blog about a book making the rounds of all my wife's friends. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (St. Martin's Press) begins with a backstory of an elderly woman in Oregon planning to return to France.
Book Review
From the Cover. With courage, grace, and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah captures the epic panorama of WWII and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women's war. The Nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion, and circumstance, each embarking on ...
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah Book Review
The Nightingale is a historical fiction novel written by bestselling author Kristin Hannah. It's set to be made into a major motion picture and was a multi-million copy bestseller across the world. The book was also selected as a Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick.. The Nightingale was the first Kristin Hannah book I had read but I instantly knew it wouldn't be the last.
Kristin Hannah: By the Book
The novelist Kristin Hannah would like to discuss women's history with Margaret Atwood, Hillary Clinton and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. "Let's face it, the Notorious R.B.G. is just plain cool."
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Synopsis. The bestselling Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick. Soon to be a major motion picture, The Nightingale has captured the hearts of millions of readers becoming a number one bestseller across the world. It is a heart-breakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the endurance of women.
Book Review: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Kristin Hannah is the award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 novels, including the international blockbuster, The Nightingale. The story was inspired by the life and memoirs of Andrée de Jongh, a Belgian Countess and a member of the Belgian Resistance during the Second World War.
Book Review The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah ⭐ ...
17 likes, 13 comments - bcbookbelle on April 4, 2024: " Book Review The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I finally did it! This book has been on my TBR and shelf for..." 📚 Book Review 📚 The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I finally did it!

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

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Book Review: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

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