The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Rating: 5 of 5 stars 

Pages: 448 pages
Published: February 2015

I’ve heard great things about Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale for years. From friends to colleagues to book club reviews, I’ve known this is a book that should be on my radar. I asked for a hard copy for Christmas 2024, and my lovely mother-in-law gifted me this book. You would think nearly 10 years post publication, I would have cracked open the beautiful blue paperback right away. No, when I procrastinate, I go all the way. I started reading this book in September 2025, and I fought sleep nearly every evening of the month to put the book down. The Nightingale is my second Hannah read. I first fell in love with her prose when I devoured The Four Winds.

The Nightingale is a sweeping and emotional novel that centers around two sisters in Nazi-occupied France. These primary fictional characters, Vianne and Isabelle, are illustrations of the very real heroic acts that were carried out by women during World War II. This is a story of resistance, survival, and the cost of courage. The author’s writing is captivating and cinematic, and it’s no surprise that the story is being made into a motion picture. Hannah doesn’t simply tell a story, she immerses the reader in the experience with her descriptive passages and thoughtful presentation. Through Vianne’s lens, we watch a mother endure the most horrific aspects of the war at home, and with Isabelle we learn of a young woman who fiercely and proactively opposes the war. The novel shows that the war wasn’t just fought on the battlefield, but in homes, in the mountains, in quiet conversations, and hidden acts of defiance.

I enjoy reading novels during the holocaust period; not because they are enjoyable reads, but they broaden my perspective and invite larger questions. Like what does it mean to fight for freedom abroad while suppressing it at home? In this novel, like many others set during WWII, we find people from the United States stepping up in the name of humanity. The country that touts itself as a global defender of democracy, rallying against fascism and genocide also is home to Black Americans who were barred from voting, segregated in schools and neighborhoods, and denied equality and justice. Simply put, the same country that condemned Hitler’s racism upheld Jim Crow laws and turned a blind eye to lynching. 

If we are honest, a lot of those same injustices occur in 2025 just as they did in the 1940s. It makes me question, where have we come from and where are we going. I don’t know the answer to the latter, but I do believe women will continue making an impact. I find storytelling to be a form of resistance because where the truth stands, the lie must bend and break. And this is how we remember accurately, how we reckon with oppression, and how we reimagine a better future for our daughters and nieces. 

Recommendation: Needless to say, Hannah’s book gave me all the feels and moved me in many ways - physically and mentally. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to celebrate acts of heroism and honor freedom … for everyone. 

Until next time ... Read on!

Regardless of whether I purchase a book, borrow a book, or receive a book in exchange for review, my ultimate goal is to be honest, fair, and constructive. I hope you've found this review helpful.