Author: Kristin Hannah
By: Emily Watson
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is a fictional story that follows the journeys of two characters through the Nazi occupation of France. The book has a slightly dark tone as it explores the atrocities the Nazis committed and a light tone when observing the joys of the characters and their success. During the Nazi occupation, Jewish citizens were deported to death camps or work camps, along with those who may have tried to resist the Nazi occupation. The French citizens also struggled with the tight grip the Nazis kept on them and struggled to find food due to the wartime rations. The first character is called Vianne Mauriac and we follow her life as she fights to protect her daughter from the Nazis, while her husband is in jail for fighting in the war. Vianne also tries to protect her Jewish neighbors from the Nazis, Rachael De Champlain, and her two children, Ari and Sophie De Champlain. One of the Nazis moves into Vianne’s home and the readers observe how she tries to cooperate while still protecting those who she loves. The second character is called Isabelle Rossignol, Vianne’s younger sister. Isabelle is not content or able to function with the way her country is behaving in the occupation. Isabelle joins a rebellious order and spends her time traveling and protecting the allied soldiers. She goes by the nickname, Nightingale in remembrance of her and Vianne’s mother who used to call them by the name. Isabelle saves many lives of the allied pilots as she goes behind the backs of Nazis and risks her life to travel across the Pyrenees mountains in order to save fallen pilots. I seriously enjoyed this book due to its historical accuracy, fantastic storytelling, and skillful characterizations. The story is fascinating and although the book starts out a little slow, it very quickly ramps up to a quick-paced story that kept me turning the pages eagerly. I think that if someone enjoys historical fiction, this would be a fantastic story to read because it offers a fantastic view from the perspective of people in history, fighting for their independence.
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