The Nightingale by Kristin HannahMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
4.5 stars. I stayed up until 2 in the morning to finish this book. When I do that, it is sometimes a sign that it was an excellent book. Other times it is a sign that I just want to finish it because it is upsetting. In this case, it was a mix of both.
This is a World War II story about two sisters who seem very different and have a lot of emotional baggage between them. Vianne is married with a child and Isabelle is a rash 19-year-old, forever making bad decisions and getting herself into trouble. Unsurprisingly, the war changes everything for them.
I tend to try to stay away from WWII stories because they are so emotional and depressing, but my mom recommended this one and it was on sale for $2.99 on Amazon one day. It was very, very good, but not without its emotional moments.
This is one of those books that I think I read differently now than I would have before I became a mother. I enjoyed both sisters' stories, although I identified more with Vianne, since she is a mother as well. I wonder if I would have identified more with Isabelle pre-children. WWII stories always make me question how I would have responded had I lived during the same time. I liked Vianne because I feel like I would have been a lot like her. I completely understood her need to protect her child, no matter the cost to herself. Both sisters were courageous in their own ways.
I did tear up once (a rarity for me), (view spoiler). I could handle it, but you should know going into it that like most WWII/Holocaust literature, there are many atrocities that occur because of the war. It was a truly excellent book, but I was relieved when it was over.
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