The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah Published by St. Martin's Press on February 3, 2015
Pages: 440
Goodreads
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 good-bye 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, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets Gaëtan, 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 World War II 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.
I have had this book on my list for such a long time and it took me a little while to get into. I’m still not convinced that it was worth the time. I have such mixed feelings about The Nightingale as a whole, part of me really appreciates the story and the characters. However I’m still not sure it was worth the time and effort it took to read it. There were definitely moments where it felt like a long slog to read. I think the pay off at the end didn’t make up for it unfortunately.
Characters in The Nightingale
The Nightingale follows two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, who are trying to survive in occupied France during WWII. I really wanted to love the pair of them and see some kind of relationship or understanding grow. Which I thought was the point of the book. However there was so much going on around them that their relationship seems to get left behind. Plus other things seem to take precedent. I did enjoy how much back story we got. It didn’t feel as though their lives were only just beginning with the start of the war which can be an issue with other similar books.
By the ending the things I wanted to happen hadn’t and there were moments that were just skipped. Although what happens is supposed to be sad and heartbreaking and it could definitely be viewed that way, there wasn’t enough of a connection for me to actually sob. Which is what I expected to happen. I just think there was so much potential with all of the characters lost by having such a rushed ending. There could have been a lot more said and done if there had been more time.
The Bad Bits
I’ve touched on the fact that The Nightingale wasn’t the easiest book to get through. In fact it struggled to hold my attention and there were bits where I thought I was going to DNF. I had seen so much hype surrounding this book and I thought it was going to be an easy win for me. But actually I found that a lot of it was info dumps and dense writing. Nothing actually really happens throughout and although that can work if the characters hold the story together this one it fell flat. If there had been more time spent building a relateable character base the monotony wouldn’t have felt out of place.
The Good Bits in The Nightingale
The Nightingale did however fill a gap I had been searching for which was a WWII story told from a new perspective. I adore historical fiction from this era but I struggle with some of tropes and the endlessly repeated storylines. The Nightingale felt like a breath of fresh air. The one thing I adored was the new look and the different ways the characters dealt with the war around them. It was fantastic to see how a totally new group of people were impacted. I really appreciated how detailed the storyline was and just how much history was packed into the story.
What’s next?
I will continue to try and find the perfect WWII read. Hopefully find some new favourites in the long run. However, I might give it a rest for the next couple of books and see if that makes any difference to my enjoyment level. Definitely hope to find something great soon.
If you have any WWII recommendations, then please let me know! I’m sure I have space on the never-ending list of books I have to read!
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