The Nightingale

Format: Kindle

Language: English

Brief summary: The Nightingale is a historical fiction novel by American author Kristin Hannah published by St. Martin’s Press in 2015. The book tells the story of two sisters in France during World War II and their struggle to survive and resist the German occupation of France. It was inspired by the story of a Belgian woman, Andrée de Jongh, who helped downed Allied pilots to escape Nazi territory. (Yes I stole this from wikipedia, I wouldn’t be able to write a better one)

My thoughts (spoiler free): 

This is a book about women in the war. I feel like the writer examined every way a woman suffered and was wronged in this period and used them as guidelines to draw her characters.

But it doesn’t come across as forced and – apart from a few scenes I believe were unnecessary torture – the book follows a very easy-going and fun storyline. 

But the reason I loved this book is not for its story, but for its writing. The detail and sensitivity with which Kristin describes even the simplest of actions is captivating and made the book hard to put down (which is rare for me when I read on the kindle). 

My main takeaway from this book was a deeper appreciation for little things, such as coffee and food (especially fruits and vegetables). I mention it in my story about My Secret Garden how this book partially inspired me.  

This is a book for people who don’t mind a slow historical novel for the sake of research-accurate detail (and who also don’t mind shedding a few tears).