Sunday, March 29, 2015

Review: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is set in France during World War II and tells the story of two sisters - Viann and Isabelle and their lives during this period. Viann Mauriac says goodbye to her husband as he heads to the front to fight for France and she settles into their countryside home in Carriveau with their young daughter to endure wartime and wait for her husband's return. Meanwhile, Isabelle, always a rebel, finds herself working for the Resistance and  risking her life to fight the enemy. Through each of their stories, the reader is transported to France during the war and witnesses the sacrifice and endurance of French women during WWII. Sacrifice and endurance are wrapped in a love story and family drama which captivates the reader.

Viann and Isabelle have a fractured relationship; after the death of their mother when they were both young girls, they were left with their father who was ill-equipped emotionally following the death of his wife to deal with raising his young daughters. Viann, ten years older than Isabelle, was left to care for her younger sister but when Viann marries Antoine, Isabelle is shipped off to boarding school. Feeling abandoned, Isabelle resents Viann and acts out at boarding school and is expelled from school after school. Early on in the war, Isabelle arrives at Viann's home in Carriveau and they must work on their relationship in order to coexist and face the difficulties of Nazi occupation of their town.

Isabelle's rebellious streak persists and she is disgusted by Viann's inclination to do as she is told and to follow the orders of the occupiers. When German Captian Beck "billets" in Viann's home and lives side by side with her, Isabelle and Viann's young daughter, Viann is accommodating in an effort to keep from angering the soldier and in the hope that he will assist in contacting her husband who has been captured by the enemy.  Her approach to the war is to stoically accept the hardships and to try to endure; Isabelle, meanwhile joins the Resistance and distributes Anti-Nazi materials undercover throughout the town. This evolves into her shepherding British and American soldiers that have been shot down across the Pyrenees into Spain - her code name is Nightingale. Two sisters take very different paths during the war but ultimately gain an understanding and a respect for each other.

My Thoughts
This book captured my attention and had me hungrily reading for more - beyond the story of the sister's relationship, I was drawn into the hardship endured by those in the French countryside during the war. The author expertly describes the effects of draconian food rationing and intimidation meted out by the occupying German forces.  There were scenes, reminiscent of those in another Hannah novel, Winter Garden, where Viann broke down furniture to  burn and provide a little heat for her and her daughter through the long, cold winter. I cried twice during this novel - both times during scenes which involved children facing the atrocities of war while their parents plead for mercy for them. Hannah perfectly crafted these scenes  - she made them moving without being overly sentimental.

Ultimately, the appeal of this book lies in how humanity triumphed over the unthinkable horrors of war.

Isabelle's character is based on a Belgian woman, Andree de Jongh who set up an escape route for captured Allied soldiers during WWII.

15 comments:

  1. Nice review. This one sounds like a page-turner and a good story amidst atrocities. I'm interested for sure, though I still havent gotten to the Anthony Doerr WWII novel yet. I will ! Cheers. http://www.thecuecard.com/

    ReplyDelete
  2. My sister loves Hannah's novels but I've yet to try one and I'm really not sure why. My sister says they're tearjerkers so maybe I need to be in the right mood.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sounds good! Another good WII novel set in Occupied France with strong female characters is Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. I also have All the Light We Cannot See in my tbr stack.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm on the fence with this one. Although it sounds good, I have not had good luck with her novels where she writes about sisters --she does that a lot.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I so want to read this, terrific review Colleen.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I've heard quite good things about this book. And I have enjoyed other books by Kristin Hannah in the past. I read somewhere that this is her favorite novel of the ones she's written. I suspect I'll end up listening to this one at some point.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great review Colleen. I loved this novel.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This has been a favorite read of mine...thanks for the great review.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I loved this book. It was my first experience with a Hannah novel, and from the sounds of it, I got it right on the first try. Thank you so much on the link to Isabelle's real-life counterpart. I spent a little time trying to find more about her but wasn't that successful!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I can't wait to read this one. Thanks for a great review, Colleen!

    ReplyDelete
  11. This was just recommended to me as a good bookclub choice. I hadn't heard anything about it so wasn't sure but it does sound like there would be a lot to talk about.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I haven't had a chance to read this one yet, but you've made me want to drop everything and start it right now!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I hear this book is so good and different from her other books.

    Wonderful review. Will you be going to the BEA?

    Stopping by from Carole's Books You Loved April Edition. I am in the list as #6 and #7.

    My book entries are below.

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews

    My Book Entry

    My Book Entry

    ReplyDelete
  14. I just didn't have time to work this book into my reading. Maybe down the road. Or I'll wait for the film... Thanks for your thoughts!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Kristin writes with passion, doesn't she? I'm a bit busy to read now, but I will surely read this book. Working at http://essay-helper.co.uk/, I have so little time for my hobbies and preferences.
    Melissa

    ReplyDelete