The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Author Kristin Hannah, of “The Nightingale.”
Right: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah Left: Author Kristin Hannah, of “The Nightingale.” The book follows the lives of two French women during World War II in France. (Photo: NYTimes)
In the quiet village of Carriveau, France, Vianne Mauriac says good-bye 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.اضافة اعلان

Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets Gaëtan, 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.

With courage, grace, and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah captures the epic panorama of World War II and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women’s war. “The Nightingale” tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion, and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France — a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women. It is a novel for everyone, a novel for a lifetime.

“The Nightingale” by Kristin Hannah offers a story of women surviving in unthinkable circumstances — the underestimated gender finding a way to take action. It shows readers that at times protectiveness requires dangerous risks, fear often proceeds acts of bravery, and those who may appear weak can indeed possess incredible strength.

However, “The Nightingale” was also a book of hope, and a celebration of the role that women played in the war, doing all that they could to keep their families alive and fighting for their country. It is an important message and a reminder of the everyday horror of war, not just on the frontline, but for anyone caught in the wide shadow that the war cast.

 Hannah has created something very special with this novel, it truly is a memorable read, highly thought-provoking — you will want to discuss all that these women endure but you will also want some time alone to reflect back on this breath-taking read.

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