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The Nightingale
Kristin Hannah
Published by Macmillian Press, RRP $29.99
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 G?etan, 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.
Review by Esther Perriam in the Eldernet Office.
I took Kristin Hannah's "The Nightingale" on holiday with me over summer. You'll be pleased to know I couldn't put it down - and despite my "no TV" rules for the kids when it's sunny outside, I confess, I put on a DVD and snuck away into my bedroom to read the last few chapters alone as I sobbed into my pillow. Yes, this book was so good it turned me into a bad parent!
This novel is set in France during WWII and follows two sisters as they attempt to navigate a period fraught with danger and challenges. Both Viann and Isabelle are wonderful strong characters who are well developed and as a reader you cannot fail to have empathy for them both.
Although they see each other as very different for each other as the novel progresses it become obvious that they both have similar ideals, values and personalities and the history of their relationships prevents them for seeing this. The storyline of the two sisters beginning to recognise each other as separate from their perception of each other is a welcome change to the more common narrative of male/female relationships in historical novels (although, rest assured, there's enough of that for the die-hard romantics!)
This is a historical novel obviously based on massive amounts of research and made all the more heart-breaking for its sad reality. Hannah is to be applauded for telling both the story of women in wartime, but also for her clever crafting of the terrifying and horrific events. They're told thoughtfully and with great skill.
As I disclosed earlier this book made me cry - a lot. Shoulder-shuddering, massive sobs - I am a softie though and it doesn't take too much to get the waterworks going. However; I'd challenge even the hard of heart to not be a little emotional as the story closes.
As you can guess, I'm absolutely recommending this book and I'm sure I'll be reading more of the authors work in the future. An all-round great read for summer.