Book Review: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is one of the most beautiful yet heartbreaking books I have ever read, and here's my review.

As you all know by now, I love reading. I have read over 90 books so far in 2025 and still have more to read.

One of my latest books is The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. It's one I've seen broadcast all over social media, and it has received rave reviews.

It's been on my TBR for a while, but I recently read it around Remembrance Day. And I'm so glad I finally picked it up because it's one of my top reads this year.

Below is my review of The Nightingale, which will hopefully convince you to pick it up and give it a read.

My Review of The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Genre: Historical Fiction

Tropes:

• French setting

• Sisters

• Rebellion

• Secret Identities

• Power of Love

Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis

The synopsis for The Nightingale is as follows:

"Soon to be a major motion picture, The Nightingale is a multi-million-copy bestseller across the world. It is a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the endurance of women.

This story is about what it was like to be a woman during World War II when women's stories were all too often forgotten or overlooked . . . Vianne and Isabelle Mauriac are two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals and passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path towards survival, love and freedom in war-torn France."

My Thoughts

The Nightingale was my first Kristin Hannah book, and it most definitely will not be my last. I am in awe of her writing and storytelling.

I have always loved history. I studied history at GCSE level and I've always been fascinated by learning about the past, in particular, about World War 1 and World War 2.

The plot of The Nightingale is what drew me to it initially. Nazi-occupied France wasn't something I knew much about in detail, so this book presented an opportunity to expand my knowledge of that topic.

However, I didn't expect The Nightingale to be so raw, so emotional, and such an incredible story.

Kristin Hannah's writing is lyrical and poetic. She portrayed this story beautifully, and I was hooked from the very first page.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Nightingale, although perhaps 'enjoyed' is not the right word because of the horrific subject matter. However, this book is beautiful as well as hard-hitting.

It is told in a third-person point of view, switching between Vianne and Isabelle's perspectives. There is also the occasional first-person chapter from the point of view of an unknown French woman, now living in America, reflecting on the war.

The third-person POV for Vianne and Isabelle's story works really well. It allows us as readers to see their thoughts and feelings, and experience the horrific things they had to endure, whilst still keeping a little bit of distance between us and the narrator.

The first-person chapters are set several years after the war, and they're what intrigued me throughout the novel because I wanted to know who this older woman was. Is she Vianne or Isabelle?

The Nightingale follows Vianne and Isabelle on their different journeys throughout World War 2. We're taken on a journey throughout France and get to see just how horrifying and heartbreaking WW2 was, but for the people left behind.

We hear stories about soldiers fighting at the front, and most films depict battlefields in war. But Kristin Hannah portrays the ordinary life of women and children left behind as their brothers, husbands, fathers, etc., had to fight.

The Nightingale really is an eye-opening and thought-provoking story.

Learning about how they were forced to obey a curfew, had ration cards which gave them measly amounts of leftover food, had Nazis living in their homes, and they could do nothing about it, and how they had to suffer through freezing winters and boiling summers without sufficient clothes, food, or drink was fascinating.

It really was a harrowing time, and Kristin writes in a way that draws you in and doesn't let you go until the very last page.

I cried quite a bit whilst reading The Nightingale. I knew I would at some point, but I have never cried so much at a book.

It is a piece of historical fiction. However, there is inspiration taken from real-life women, in particular Andrée de Jongh; women who answered the question of: What would you be willing to do in war to survive, and to protect your loved ones, and those who are innocent?

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah shares a story of two brave sisters, divided by situation and experience, as they choose to fight, survive and endure Nazi-occupied France.

This book is one of my all-time favourite novels. It is a beautiful, poignant and heartbreaking story that features incredibly brave women and teaches readers about the horrors of war, away from the battlefield.

If you love history, if you love exceptionally well-written books and well-crafted characters and stories, then read The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. I will forever recommend this book because it is not only a novel, but also a story that has impacted my perspective on things.

Until next time...