Review: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (audio)

Title: The Nightingale

Author: Kristin Hannah

Narrator: Polly Stone

Published: February 2015, Macmillan Audio

Length: 17 hours 26 minutes

Source: Library

In love we find out who we want to be.
In war we find out who we are.

FRANCE, 1939

In
the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says goodbye 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 France is overrun, Vianne
is forced to take an enemy into her house, and suddenly her every move
is watched; her life and her child’s life is at constant risk. Without
food or money or hope, as danger escalates around her, she must make one
terrible choice after another.

Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a
rebellious eighteen-year-old girl, searching for purpose with all the
reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the
unknown terrors of war, she meets the compelling and mysterious Gäetan, a
partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within
France, and she falls in love as only the young can…completely. When
he betrays her, Isabelle races headlong into danger and joins the
Resistance, never looking back or giving a thought to the real–and
deadly–consequences.

With courage, grace and powerful insight,
bestselling author Kristin Hannah takes her talented pen to the epic
panorama of WWII 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.

My thoughts: I have been a fan of Kristin Hannah’s books for a while now and as soon as this book came out, I knew I was going to read it – but I also knew I would want to get the audio version of it. Ever since making the choice to listen to instead of read Winter Garden, I just knew this book would be better in audio and I was right…what a phenomenal book and to listen to it was truly exceptional!

I will say – this is an emotionally, heartbreaking book to get through – it will take you through the ringer, but in the end, it is so worth it. It will also make you think – what would you do if you found yourself in either Vianne or Isabelle’s position? Do you see yourself more as Vianne or Isabelle?

The book opens up in the present day as an elderly woman – it is unclear whether it is Vianne or Isabelle – is packing up her belongings to move into a care facility. Not until the very end do we find out who this woman is and periodically the story flashes back to her as she reminisces on her life…

Two sisters – different as night and day, learn just how strong they really are during the German occupation of WWII. But, this isn’t only a book about surviving the war – it’s also about finding the courage to stand up for what you know is right, even when that might put you and those you love in danger. It’s about family and love and all that comes with it – strong bonds and dysfunction, too. 

I particularly loved the way Kristin Hannah pointed out all the ways women helped during the war – this wasn’t something I was aware of before reading this book. Obviously I knew they supported their families and maintained the homes the best they could, but I didn’t know that they risked their lives to help hide Jewish children, among other things. Its little things like this – little facts that authors like Kristin Hannah put into their books that always make reading Historical Fiction leave me wanting to learn more – I absolutely love that!!! 

This is the type of book that stays with you long after you finish reading or listening to it. The characters and the story line are just so vivid that you can’t stop thinking about them. This has definitely been one of my favorite reads of the year, despite it’s emotional heaviness.  Yes, I cried as I listened to this, but I knew that was a possibility going in and I was okay with that…to me, that’s the sign of a good book, and I knew, with this type of subject matter that tears (and a lot of them) were a strong possibility! This is even the type of book that I foresee myself buying just to have on my shelf to remind myself of when I look at – it is that good!

Audio thoughts: This was an amazing audio book – I am so glad I listened to it. The narrator, Polly Stone did a great job between the accents, the storyline and the pacing – this was a tough one to narrate and I thought she did it very well. I knew I wanted to listen to this book as soon as it was released and I am glad I did – I felt that both Vianne and Isabelle had their own unique voice and it was very easy to follow along. While it is a long audio book, I found myself completely wrapped up in the story and listened for long stretches at a time.