The Nightingale

This novel left me feeling both teary-eyed and ennobled. Superficially, it is about two French sisters living through the Nazi occupation of France during World War II. At its root, however, Hannah deconstructs the essence of survival.

I loved how her characters frame the book’s cosmic questions: What would you do to survive? What compromises would you make? Is it better to fight back aggressively or resist passively? The sisters are of different temperaments and personalities. Each answers these questions differently, painfully. I found myself haunted by these themes long after I put The Nightingale back on the shelf. You… show more.

I read this book quickly. Its historically informative and inspirational quality caught my interest immediately. From the first chapters, the author brings us into World War II France, which will become a tangled web of occupation by the Nazis.

I discovered in this powerful story a relationship between two sisters that weaves secrets of the heart and key decisions. The characters are caught in a difficult situation: a predicament that reflects the struggle experienced by many people in France during the war years. The story stimulates a sense of empathy and curiosity about what will come next.

The historical setting… show more.

Though this is a novel rather than nonfiction, it takes readers into the heart of Nazi-occupied Paris and weaves a powerful love story of two sisters, Isabelle and Vianne, in wartime.

Vianne is forced to take a German Commander into her home for lodging as her husband is being kept in a Nazi prison. Isabelle meets a young partisan who believes that the French people can wage war against the Nazis from within France.

The settings are beautifully handled, and the characters are well-rounded. The book vividly brings to life the horrors of war: starvation, death, and the Holocaust. Based… show more.

This is another story that will tear your heart out.

I think this book is an eye opener about what was life for ordinary people in Nazi occupied France during WWII. It’s another book about how women had to make choices, balancing their own survival with their moral compass.

I loved the disfunctional relationship between the two sisters, who were abandoned by their father and grew up with different lives. 

I loved this one. To me, The Nightingale should go down as one of the best war books ever written and a classic.

The story describes female courage during wartime, both subtle bravery and gallant heroism. Two sisters, with varying personalities, flaunt strength in completely different manners. And where sometimes you favor one lead character over another in a book, here, the excellent character development had me loving both women.

Hannah is one of the best writers I have read. I could not put it down. Her cadence and beats are simple yet exquisite. She doesn’t overwrite. She captures the… show more.

Occasionally, a book affects you profoundly: as a reader, writer, and person.

As a reader, the characters were part of my life. The ebb and flow of conflict, resolution, and tension was captivating. While reading this book, I slowed down instead of speeding up, to savor every emotion with intensity.

As a writer, Ms. Hannah uses language to convey heart-wrenching emotion. This is the joy, despair, hope, love, anger, and rage I want to share in my stories.

As a person, stories let us inspect the complex intricacies of humanity. It’s inspiring, moving, and encouraging. This one evocatively demonstrates the… show more.

Again, I choose a World War II book, this time historical fiction, about courage and persistence and based on the true story of a Belgian woman who fought against the Nazis. I love reading about honor, and bravery and sticking with the truth no matter the danger of doing so. And I love thrillers, which this definitely is. 

I absolutely loved how this book shed light on a part of history few of us know about—the courageous and triumphant fight of women against the Nazis during World War II.

The story takes place in the sleepy village of Carriveau in France, where two brave sisters, quite different in character, face one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after another. Forced to make one impossible decision after another, they nevertheless decide to break one cultural barrier after another to realize their dreams.

This is my favorite World War II book.

I loved the story and the book’s release unleashed a barrage of WII books. I liked that the story was about womens’ (sisters) role in the war.

It was action-packed and kept me guessing until the end.

I love books set in France and the Historical Fiction genre. I highly recommend her book.

This novel is wildly popular—and for good reason. It took me a while to finally pick it up, but when I did, I was swept up in the world of war, as seen through the eyes of women. The Nightingale follows two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, who find themselves on wildly different paths through the war. Rebellious Isabelle joins the resistance movement and helps smuggle downed pilots over the Spanish border. Meanwhile, Vianne is forced to open her home to Nazis in occupied France. What unfolds is a moving story of endurance. No matter which sister you identify with the… show more.