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| The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah |
The Nightingale
Author: Kristin Hannah
Date: April 25, 2017
Pages: 608
Content Notes: World War II Violence
“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.”
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.
My thoughts:
I read this book and had to think about how I would review it. I like the book…it is a good book. However, I was constantly comparing it to the absolutely wonderful All The Light We Cannot See book by Anthony Doerr because both books happen in France during World War II. Also, both books have characters struggling to survive the Nazi oppression, and become involved with the French Resistance. However, All the Light We Cannot See is a Pulitzer Prize winning book, so it probably is not fair to compare the two. So, that said, I will only talk about this book and try to make no comparisons.
In this book, there are two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, that come from a very broken home. Their widowed father deserts them and they have to fend for themselves from a very young age. When the older sister, Vianne finds happiness in a marriage, the younger Isabelle feels deserted again.
These two young women have a strained relationship, and then they are both hit square between the eyes by WW II and the Nazi regime occupying France. The sisters are both very strong and show their strength in different ways. Isabelle, the younger sister, dives head first into the resistance and her experiences may be based on a real person named Andree de Jongh who actually took a very deliberate and active role to work against the Nazis. Vianne, the older sister, takes on a more passive role to resist the Nazis. At first she simply tries to survive and endure the occupation. However, she also does her share of resisting by participating in activities that could get her killed. Both young women struggle with their past and their present, and both young women need each other despite their differences and their bitter feelings.
What I liked:
I liked seeing, witnessing, and gaining some understanding of the horrible effects of WWII on working women in France. I liked watching a conflicted Vianne as she struggles with watching a Nazi officer switch between being kind to her and ruthless to others. I liked how both of these women stepped up and resisted the Nazis
What I did not like:
This book romanticized “things” a bit. I do not want to spoil the book, but not everyone will like the sappiness. I was totally involved in the story, so I did not mind…but others might.
A final note:
There are some plans to make this book into a movie. SO, stay tuned!
“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.”
Brief synopsis (from Goodreads):
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.
My thoughts:
I read this book and had to think about how I would review it. I like the book…it is a good book. However, I was constantly comparing it to the absolutely wonderful All The Light We Cannot See book by Anthony Doerr because both books happen in France during World War II. Also, both books have characters struggling to survive the Nazi oppression, and become involved with the French Resistance. However, All the Light We Cannot See is a Pulitzer Prize winning book, so it probably is not fair to compare the two. So, that said, I will only talk about this book and try to make no comparisons.
In this book, there are two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, that come from a very broken home. Their widowed father deserts them and they have to fend for themselves from a very young age. When the older sister, Vianne finds happiness in a marriage, the younger Isabelle feels deserted again.
These two young women have a strained relationship, and then they are both hit square between the eyes by WW II and the Nazi regime occupying France. The sisters are both very strong and show their strength in different ways. Isabelle, the younger sister, dives head first into the resistance and her experiences may be based on a real person named Andree de Jongh who actually took a very deliberate and active role to work against the Nazis. Vianne, the older sister, takes on a more passive role to resist the Nazis. At first she simply tries to survive and endure the occupation. However, she also does her share of resisting by participating in activities that could get her killed. Both young women struggle with their past and their present, and both young women need each other despite their differences and their bitter feelings.
What I liked:
I liked seeing, witnessing, and gaining some understanding of the horrible effects of WWII on working women in France. I liked watching a conflicted Vianne as she struggles with watching a Nazi officer switch between being kind to her and ruthless to others. I liked how both of these women stepped up and resisted the Nazis
What I did not like:
This book romanticized “things” a bit. I do not want to spoil the book, but not everyone will like the sappiness. I was totally involved in the story, so I did not mind…but others might.
A final note:
There are some plans to make this book into a movie. SO, stay tuned!
Great review. I'm sure readers will gain much insight into the horrors of WWII.
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