Kristin Hannah’s novel The Nightingale released in 2015, but I have so many books on my TBR shelf that my reading a novel nine years after the fact is far from unusual. I wanted to share a quick recommendation with you about this one, which I finished last week.
I think many Americans have heard more about Vichy France than they have the French Resistance when it comes to WWII history. Kristin Hannah enlightens readers, drawing us into that world in stunning fashion, in The Nightingale, her novel focusing on sisters Vianne Mauriac and Isabelle Rossignol. When the Nazis invade their quiet village of Carriveau, the sisters initially symbolize the naive appeasement of the Vichy government (Vianne) and the noble rebellion of the Resistance (Isabelle) in how they react.
But we all know how appeasement works with bullies and monsters, and it’s impossible to read the struggles of Vianne and Isabelle without loving them both for their strength, courage, and intrepid hope. I’m seldom able to get through a WWII story without being brought to tears, and The Nightingale was no exception. But I’m very glad to have read this book, and I recommend it highly.
A film version of the novel is in development, starring sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning. It is expected to be released in the US and the UK in 2025. You should read the book now!
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