The Nightingale: A Novel

Kristin Hannah has written a significant novel concerning the German occupation of the town of Carriveau in France during WWII. Kristin highlights the lives of Vianne Mauriac (who twice had German officers billeted at her home; one a somewhat gentleman, the other a nightmare) and her rebellious younger sister, Isabelle, who eventually joins the French Resistance and acquires the code name...The Nightingale. With Kristin holding the number of main characters to about six people, she created great empathy for all involved. This novel was the most sentimental and tragic story that I’ve read in along time. Of course all books or novels involving the German occupation are sad, but this novel is noteworthy. I recently read Tilar J. Mazzeo’s The Hotel on Place Vendome (see my review of 5/4/2014) and Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See (see my review of 12/30/2014). Although these novels were very engaging, they didn’t leave me with the woebegone feeling that I had when I finished Kristin Hannah’s novel. Great job, Kristin. Okay, enough...what’s the story about? In 1939 France, war is in the air. Vianne, her husband Antoine and daughter Sophie enjoy life in the country until Antoine gets notice from the Vichy government headed by Marshal Phillippe Petain (WWI hero) that he is in the army now. Vianne can’t believe that the Germans will invade France, but they do. Marshall Petain, for some undefined reason, gives in quickly. Meanwhile, Vianne’s sister is expelled from school again. Isabelle became rebellious after her and Vianne’s mother died and as their father lost interest in them and began to drink heavily. Isabelle leaves her father and Paris to move in with Vianne. On her way to Carriveau, the Germans drop bombs and Isabelle meets Gaetan, a French Resistor who thinks she is too young to fight. Isabelle arrives at Vianne’s home the same time the Germans arrive in town. They are in the “occupied zone”, while the surrendering Marshall Petain is in the German friendly “free zone”. A German Captain Beck decides to billet at the sister’s home. He tells Vianne that her husband Antoine is a POW and she will never see him again. Isabelle is defiant to Capt. Beck, while Vianne wants no trouble in the house in order to protect her daughter Sophie. Isabelle meets French Communist Resistor, Henri Navarre, who talks her into secretly distributing “mutinous flyers” from Gen. de Gaulle, who is operating out of London. Vianne, a local teacher, is asked by Capt. Beck to list the names of the teachers at her school who are Jews, Communist, Homosexuals, Freemasons or Jehovah’s Witnesses. Not wanting trouble, Vianne gives him the names including the name of her best friend and neighbor, Rachel, who is a Jew. She regrets giving Rachel’s name to Captain Beck, but realizes that he would have found out anyway, which would have caused her family grief. Isabelle heads to Paris to get involved in the French Resistance and moves in with her father who objects. On page 161, “she had delivered her first secret message for the Free French.” Isabelle is now using the name, Juliette Gervaise and her contact is a weird woman named Anouk. When Isabelle finds a downed RAF pilot, her modus operandi is born. This is where the story ignites all the way to the finish line. There is so much sadness in the ensuing pages, but also a feeling of satisfaction as the French underground continues to befuddle the Germans. There is so much to tell the readers, that I wish this was a book report instead of a book review. But the good thing is that the readers can now go out and get themselves a copy of Kristin Hannah’s scintillating novel to read over and over again. This is the best novel that I’ve read this year, but we still have almost three months left this year. As Vianne might say, “nous verrons.” (we shall see)

‘In love we find out who we want to be; in war we find out who we are.’ Wow… what a completely epic and powerful story this book was! This is a book that is subtle in its brilliance, it’s one of those books that gets even better the more you sit and think about it. I’m still kind of in awe as I sit here and reflect back on the sheer magnitude of everything that happened over the course of this book. This isn’t the type of book I typically read but I’ve heard so many people talking about it and with nearly 14,000 5-star reviews, how could I not check it out? I’m very glad I did because it was such a moving experience and it really makes you reflect on your own life and certainly will make you thankful for the freedoms we enjoy each day. It wasn’t over the top or gratuitous but it was a very real and honest portrait of life for women in France during WWII and the journey of two sisters as they set out on two very different paths towards survival and freedom in this horrific era. The story centers around two sisters, Vianne Mauriac and Isabelle Rossingol. Vianne, the older and more responsible of the two is living a peaceful and happy life with her husband and daughter in the French countryside. At the threat of impending war, her life is upended when her husband, Antoine, is sent off the fight for France. As Germany begins to occupy France, Vianne is forced to learn how to survive in these new times and protect her young daughter, Sophie. Meanwhile, Isabelle, the younger more rebellious sister has spent much of her childhood being bounced from one boarding school to the next. After the death of their mother when she was just 4, Isabelle has been largely abandoned by her sister and their father. Neither one knowing how to handle the rambunctious girl. As the war starts, Isabelle is not content to sit back and watch as her beloved city of Paris is overtaken by the enemy. Longing to make a difference in the war, Isabelle makes some shocking choices that will forever alter the trajectory of her life. “Tell my sister I asked about her. We parted badly.” He smiled. “I am constantly arguing with my brother, even in war. In the end, we’re brothers.” Vianne and Isabelle’s war-time experience was vastly different, but I was fascinated and inspired by each. Their situations and choices, combined with their tumultuous history, was the source of much conflict between the two. But I loved that when push came to shove, they were still sisters and that’s a bond that is pretty hard to break. I loved seeing how their paths would intersect over the course of the book, even when it was heartbreaking. As I read, I found myself waiting for the time when they would cross paths again. Their relationship was so complicated and well written, I was 100% invested in each of their journeys as well as the evolution of their relationship with each other. “Kiss me,” she whispered. “Make me forget.” “It’s not forgetting we need, Vianne,” he said, leaning down to kiss her. “It’s remembering.” I found myself relating with Vianne on many levels. I can’t imagine having to live what she lived through, but I could picture myself making some of the same decisions she did. She was cautious and was one to try to fly under the radar in order to not draw attention to herself or her daughter. She did what she had to in order to survive but she wasn’t one to take unnecessary risks. There were few exceptions to this rule as time goes on, however, and I was so proud of some of the things she was able to do. Of course my heart also broke time and again for the things she had to endure or do. She was certainly a hero in her own right for the part she played in the war, and I think she deserved just as much recognition as her sister. And both of them deserved as much recognition as the men on the front lines. I was fascinated by all of the complicated relationship dynamics at play with her and the various men in her life, from Antoine, to Beck to her father and Von Richter. It was all so well done, I know I’m not doing any of it justice here! “I hope you never know how fragile you are, Isabelle.” “I’m not fragile,” she said. The smile he gave her was barely one at all. “We are all fragile, Isabelle. It’s the thing we learn in war.” We may all be fragile, but Isabelle did not let that stop her or hold her back from setting out to make a difference in the war! She was a fighter and pretty fearless. Many of her decisions gave me anxiety but I also had huge respect for her for all that did was doing and the risks she took to try to free her country. She may have been impulsive and reckless a lot of the time but her passion and love for her country radiated from the pages of the book, I could feel it in my soul. Her relationship with Gaetan was heartbreaking and beautiful all at the same time. It really captures the risks of giving your heart to someone in a time of war. As I said, her journey was very different from her sister’s but her experiences were equally (if not more) horrific as her sister’s. But it was her strength and her will to survive that captured my heart and inspired me throughout the entire story! I struggled with how I was going to review this book, and I know that I haven’t done a great job of capturing the depth and impact of this book. It’s really one that you have to experience for yourself. It’s painful and heartbreaking at times but it’s also inspiring and uplifting. While this is a work of fiction, it’s hard to think that people actually had to live through this during the actual war. I can’t even imagine, but like I said earlier, it’ll definitely make you thankful for the lives we have now. This book deals with loss, hardships and personal and human atrocities but it’s in the message of survival and redemption where it truly shines. I loved how it all comes together at the end, it’ll really hit you right in the heart! It was just perfectly done. I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a story with an epic feel that features very real relationships and celebrates the strength and resiliency of the seldom talked about heroes of the war, the women! “It’s hard to forget,” she said quietly. “And I’ll never forgive.” “But love has to be stronger than hate, or there is no future for us.”

Heartbreaking, powerful, and beautifully written, it tells the story of two sisters in Nazi-occupied France and the different, courageous ways they fight to survive and resist. The emotional depth is incredible — I laughed, cried, and had to stop more than once just to process what I was feeling. The characters are unforgettable, especially the strength of the women at the center of the story. Kristin Hannah does an amazing job showing love, sacrifice, and resilience during one of the darkest periods in history. This is a must-read if you love historical fiction that hits you straight in the heart. Absolutely deserving of five stars. 💔📚

I came across this book by accident, but I liked both the premise and the period (WWII was the first history to intrigue me, and although I've discovered dozens of other fascinating periods since, there's nothing like your first love), although I'll confess to a lack of familiarity with the author. Apparently she's quite popular for her fiction, although the other few books I've looked up seem to be more contemporary chick-fic, which would explain why I hadn't read them. This one is set in German-occupied France, although in some misplaced bow to modern political sensibilities, the author insists on referring to the Germans as "Nazis" about twice as often as "Germans." The good: Ms. Hannah is a fine writer. Her prose alternates between lyrical and sweet, and hard-hitting action. She does a good job with both. I especially liked her chaotic description of the roundup of Jews in various towns and cities. She brought home the anguish of the victims as well as the confusion of the bystanders. Her characters are pleasing: the two sisters who are the book's protagonists (as well as the modern-day narrator, one of the two sisters, but much older, and seeming almost like a different character entirely. You don't find out which sister it is until the end, although there are both valid clues and red herrings thrown in to keep you guessing) are vividly drawn, and you can easily understand their motivations and what drives them. Their father is harder to get to know, but then the daughters didn't get to know him that well either, so it works. Isabelle, the more "in-your-face" of the two girls, starts off overpowering--I wanted to slap her a few times early on, just because she was more annoying than the "impulsive and spirited" girl you're supposed to believe she is. But she gets better. Vianne, the older, "responsible" sister starts off ordinary but comes out of the coccoon beautifully as the book progresses. Both the sisters end up working with the French Resistance in different ways. One of them is code-named "the NIghtingale"--hence the book's title. Minor characters--Isabelle's lover Gaetan, Vianne's husband Antoine, Vianne's best friend Rachel, and the two German officers who billet in Vianne's house, are well-drawn. The first one, especially--although it's never explicitly stated, he's one of the Germans who isn't a Nazi, and who finds himself conflicted about the things he has to do in his role as an occupation officer. Other readers have complained about anachronisms. There are a few. One of the sisters said "hassle" at one point, which threw me entirely out of the story; the OED states that the word didn't come into being until the mid-1940s and was almost exclusively a US expression, so why the heck a French girl was using it in 1940 is beyond me. Someone else griped about Isabelle's familiarity with driving. I don't have a problem with that. My mother grew up during WW2 and she could drive; so could her sister. That's not a big deal. The biggest problems for me, the things that keep me from giving the book all five stars, are these: 1. At some point Isabelle starts sounding like Errol Flynn on steroids. The whole "it's a rotten job, but someone's got to do it" business. (No, the quote is not used, but it's clearly implied.) Oh, I've crossed the Pyrenees 27 times, three times in the last month alone. Better get a cup of coffee before I cross them again. Okay, let's go. 2. It's hard to keep the chronology straight, especially where the children are concerned. Sophie and Sarah are best friends, and I believe the same age, but Sophie seems far older. And Ari is constantly described as "the baby" and he usually seems to be asleep. But when he leaves in 1945, he sounds far older than he should be. 3. The German hunt for the Nightingale intensifies to the point that when one of the sisters is picked up by the Gestapo, the girls' father decides to turn himself in, claiming to be the Nightingale. Now picture this: an old drunk smelling of brandy staggers in and says "I'm the Nightingale, the person who single-handedly set up an allied airmen escape route through all of France and ran it for two years." The Germans instantly believe him. They don't question the smell of booze, they don't even interrogate him. Let's get this straight--the real Gestapo would have spent days torturing him until they got the location of the escape route and every safe house, coffee house, and outhouse along the way. These guys just said, "Oh, okay, you're him. Well, I guess we need to shoot you now." If I'd had the book in paperback I probably would've thrown it across the room at that point, but fortunately, it was on Kindle, so I kept reading, and despite that hiccup I did enjoy the book. There is a little violence, mostly implied but some is pretty graphic. There's also sexual content, but it's minor and toned-down. And hey, it's a war, there's bound to be some violence, right? The ending feels a tad rushed, but if you go back and read it again it's pretty satisfying. So the good outweighs the bad.

This book was so heartbreakingly beautiful... A story about 2 sisters living completely different lives and surviving in their own unique ways. They both learn to love and help people. Isabelle was probably my favorite character apart from Sophie who was Vianne's daughter. I found it so interesting to see the future while flasbacking to the past most of the book. This is a story of love, strength, and resilience. These 2 sisters at odds learn to love each other and help each other! This book is a must read! This is my first historical fiction I have ever read.

Oh my goodness!!!! Soooo good! So well written... can't help but become involved with each character the way the author tells their story. History, sacrifice, heartbreak, family and enduring love. One of my favorite books ever!

A moving tribute to the women of the Resistance who dared to lose everything to save Jewish children and downed Allied airmen in WWIII Nazi-Occupied France. This novel begins gorgeously: "If I have learned anything in this long life of mine, it is this: in love we find out who we want to be; in war we find out who we are. Today's young people want to know everything about everyone. They think talking about a problem will solve it. I come from a quieter generation. We understand the value of forgetting; the lure of reinvention." Some reviewers here have delved into the storyline with some wonderfully evocative summaries, which you can read to get a real sense of what this book is about. Others have preferred to structure their review more traditionally, in a critique, which I will also endeavor to do. This book is so fabulously rich in its narrative, its characters and its subject matter. It is no easy read, in the sense that because the author is so very adept at bringing the setting and characters to us (the backdrop being Occupied France during the horrors of the Nazi occupation of WWII) all but the most insensitive readers will feel the harrowing pain of the situation down to their bones. There is the physical pain of the privation of an entire people--French citizens--particularly women and children. There is the fragility yet incredibly enduring strength of very many different kinds of love, and the destitution of lost or fragmented love. And perhaps most of all, there is the emotional agony of choices made, and those that are not made. And as we discover, sometimes a seemingly simple decision takes on monstrous enormity while some really huge choices are often more easily made. So often it is easier to act when the situation is black and white, rather than so many shades of grey. This story may in essence be about two young women and their own reactions to the occupation of France, but it is most of all the story of the immeasurable bravery of the real-life French people, so many of them women, who took a stand against the Nazis and saved Jewish children and downed Allied airmen who bombed the Nazi occupation and eventually forced Hitler's retreat, surrender, and cowardly suicide. The central question the reader is confronted with time and again is: "could I, would I dare to do even a fraction of what these incredible women were able to do?" Can you love your country enough, and believe against all seeming odds in her ultimate survival, to risk your life and the lives of your friends to bring these downed Allied airmen to a distant safety that they may continue the fight? Can you love your child so much that you risk everything to try and ensure she does not grow up in a place, among a people, in which no neighbor or friend will even try to save a Jewish child? The two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, go on very different journeys to find their way to the Resistance: the younger, Isabelle, is described as impetuous and from the beginning has a remarkable will and need to fight on the behalf of the Free French--but how, and what can she do as a woman of the time? Vianne is drawn into the Resistence much more slowly, unwillingly (and for good reason; she is protecting her daughter), but is ultimately just as courageous as her sister precisely because of the circumstances that are part of her life. I cannot say enough about how thoroughly well developed and believable each character is (and I include here not only Vianne and Isabelle), and how much you come to care for them. Like several other reviewers, I read this story in one sitting, riveted and unable to put the book down. This book is fiction, and yet here we see the beating heart of history; the true stories of the French Resistance. It is an incredible testament to the skill of this author that the reader can hear not only the fictional characters distinctive voices, but the many voices from the journals and accounts she used to construct this novel. This book will undoubtedly make you cry at times, but the journey through this most painful of historic times to see these triumphs is so well worth it.

Love this book. I wanted to keep a copy of this in my collection because it is a beautifully bound book and one I would read again. The story is fictional but based on true events during WWII. Heartbreaking and powerful story about two sisters.