Title: The Nightingale
Author: Kristin Hannah
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Historical Fiction, War Fiction
Year of Publication: 2015
Date of Publication: February 3, 2015
Pages: 440
ISBN-10: 0312577222
ISBN-13: 978-0312577223
Audiobook Narrator: Polly Stone
Summary of The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
The Nightingale is a novel that takes place during World War II in Nazi-occupied France. The book tells the story of two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle Mauriac. The two sisters are polar opposites.
Vianne is the older sister. She is married, has a daughter named Sophie and is a teacher at the start of the book. Her husband gets sent off to war very early in the story. She loves her life and lives in the small village of Carriveau.
Isabelle takes a much different part by joining the rebellious French Resistance. Isabelle always felt she and other young women could be doing much more, and prior to the war, had been kicked out from so many schools for failing to conform to the rules that many women of her time where expected to.
As the war progresses, both sisters make choices that they believe are in the best interest of their family. Vianne for example, initially takes the approach of laying low and being collaborative with the enemy in order to protect her family, and avoid any problems. Isabelle on the other hand risks her life helping downed Allied pilots escape to safety.
“She is angry. And angry people make mistakes in war and die.”—Captain Wolfgang Beck
Main Plot & Characters
- Vianne Mauriac: A French woman trying to protect her family during the Nazi occupation. She becomes the story’s emotional center.
- Isabelle Rossignol: Vianne’s sister. Isabelle is headstrong and brave. She joins the Resistance and becomes known as “The Nightingale.”
- Antoine Mauriac: He is Vianne’s husband. They had a wonderful relationship before he was forced to join the war. He is captured and sent to a German prisoner-of-war camp.
- Julien Rossignol: Julien is Vianne and Isabelle’s father. He is a World War I veteran. When he came back from the first world war, he struggled with guilt and alcoholism but was still hanging in there. But when his wife passed away, he pretty much gave up and abandoned care for his daughters.
- Sophie Mauriac: Sophie is the daughter of Vianne and Antoine. She is only eight years old at the start of the book.
- Gaëtan: A Resistance fighter who recruits Isabelle and becomes her lover.
- Captain Wolfgang Beck: A German officer who ends up in Vianne’s home. He is more sympathetic than others but still part of the occupying forces.
- Von Richter: A cruel German officer who later replaces Beck and escalates the danger in Vianne’s household.
Writing Style
Kristin Hannah tells the story from multiple perspectives. Some parts of the story are told from the point of view of Vianne and Isabelle during the war while other are from the perspective of a much older Vianne. She writes about these two sisters in such a beautiful way that even though they have very different personalities, reading about their story you truly appreciate their differences and admire their different approaches.
Hannah’s writing captures the hardships of war, not necessarily on the battlefield but the after effects. The descriptions she uses really makes you as a reader feel like you are in the middle of it all experiencing the struggles and triumphs of the sisters.
“Isabelle’s legs were on fire, aching painfully, and even with her espadrilles, blisters formed. Every step became an agony and a test of will.”—Narrator
Favorite Quotes
- “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.” —Vianne (in old age) (Chapter 1)
- “But love has to be stronger than hate, or there is no future for us.” —Vianne (Chapter 37)
- “Men tell stories… women get on with it.” —Vianne (Chapter 39)
- “Women get on with it. For us it was a shadow war. There were no parades for us when it was over, no medals or mentions in history books.” —Vianne (Chapter 39)
- “…Because of them, I know now what matters, and it is not what I have lost. It is my memories. Wounds heal. Love lasts.” —Vianne (Chapter 39)
- “We remain.” —(Chapter 39)
- “What was love when put up against war?”—Vianne‘s reflections (Chapter 3)
- “Bitterness would do you good. All that smiling and pretending will give me hives.”— Rachel (Chapter 7)
- “Generally, Madame, the failing of a student to learn is the failing of the teacher to teach.”— Isabelle speaking to Madame Dufour (Chapter 4)
- “These days, Paris was a woman screaming. Noise, noise, noise. Whistles blaring, shotguns firing, lorries rumbling, soldiers shouting.”—Narrator
Impact of The Nightingale
The Nightingale tells the story of women’s experiences during World War II. It shows you how brutal war is and how it affects families. It’s a reminder of how brave people have to be when there is war and the sacrifices that are made.
The Nightingale was also awarded the Goodreads Choice Award for Historical Fiction. There have been talks over the years about making it into a movie and we can’t wait to see this hit the big screen!
Have you read The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah? What parts of the book stood out to you?
Authors
You May Also Like:
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Book Review
Beloved by Toni Morrison
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr Book Review
Trust by Hernan Diaz
Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang
Atonement by Ian McEwan
