Sign up for our newsletters to receive our Best of 2024 ezine!

Read advance reader review of The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Summary |  Excerpt |  Reading Guide |  Reviews |  Beyond the book |  Read-Alikes |  Genres & Themes |  Author Bio

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

The Nightingale

by Kristin Hannah
  • BookBrowse Review:
  • Critics' Consensus (4):
  • Readers' Rating (55):
  • First Published:
  • Feb 3, 2015, 448 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Apr 2017, 592 pages
  • Rate this book

About This Book

Reviews


Page 1 of 5
There are currently 31 member reviews
for The Nightingale
Order Reviews by:
  • Nancy D. (West Chester, PA)
    A Different View of WWII
    This was the first book by Kristen Hannah that I have read and now I want to go back and read her earlier books. The plot was engaging and the twists were good and yet believable.The characters were well drawn and engaging. I enthusiastically recommend this book
  • Mary O. (Boston, MA)
    A Pageturner!
    I love to read historical fiction and get totally absorbed in the characters and times. The Nightingale is an engrossing, well developed account of two sisters in WWII occupied France. One of the BEST reads I have had lately. Never a dull moment!!!
  • Jennifer F. (SARATOGA, CA)
    Compelling page turner
    Kristin Hannah transports the reader into the scenes of the small villages of occupied France in such a way that you relate to the main characters of her novel, The Nightingale. Whether or not it is a true story, it's filled with enough real relationships and tragedies that the heroic story of the Nightingale is a heartfelt view into the life of fear and hiding that was WWII France. The characters were very realistic and relatable and the plot was very compelling. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
  • Arden A. (Longboat Key, FL)
    Unsung Heroines
    This is an excellent rendering of the dire circumstances innocent people had to tolerate during the German occupation of France in WWII. It is hard to fathom the interminable suffering that took place under the Nazi regime. Two sisters come face to face with the horror of war, and both find ways to make a difference.

    Wonderfully told story, totally engaging, and the saddest part is that even if it is a novel, we know too well the awful truth of what happened, and that the author has embedded that truth in this novel.
  • Andrea S. (Lafayette, IN)
    Powerful story of war and family
    I read this book almost without stopping the last 200 pages because I became so involved in what was going on. The characters were well developed and believable. The horrors of war were the backdrop for this book that shows the strength of the human spirit. To know that the book is based on a true story makes it even more powerful. Book clubs will find much to discuss with this book.
  • Elizabeth K. (Glenshaw, PA)
    The Nightingale
    I found myself thinking of these characters even when I was not reading the book. The story of the Germans occupying France during World War II has been told many times, but Kristin Hannah painted a vivid picture of the characters and the times. I easily pictured the countryside in the Loire Valley and the city of Paris.

    Sisters Viann and Isabella, who seemed very different, bonded in the dire circumstances. Morals during war become a matter of necessity.

    A beautifully told story.
  • Debbie-Lyn C. (Kitty Hawk, NC)
    The Nightingale
    The Nightingale is a revealing story of the horrors and passions in occupied France during World War II . I was spellbound as the author brought to life the courageous undertakings of 3 young French women. I have a deeper appreciation for the heroism, daily struggles and losses needed to survive. The characters in this book will remain with me long into the future.

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket: My Friends
    My Friends
    by Hisham Matar
    The title of Hisham Matar's My Friends takes on affectionate but mournful tones as its story unfolds...
  • Book Jacket: James
    James
    by Percival Everett
    The Oscar-nominated film American Fiction (2023) and the Percival Everett novel it was based on, ...
  • Book Jacket
    But the Girl
    by Jessica Zhan Mei Yu
    Jessica Zhan Mei Yu's But the Girl begins with the real-life disappearance of Malaysia Airlines ...
  • Book Jacket: Patriot
    Patriot
    by Alexei Navalny
    On the 17th of January, 2024, colleagues of Alexei Navalny posted a message to his Instagram account...

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
In Our Midst
by Nancy Jensen
In Our Midst follows a German immigrant family’s fight for freedom after their internment post–Pearl Harbor.
Book Jacket
The Berry Pickers
by Amanda Peters
A four-year-old Mi'kmaq girl disappears, leaving a mystery unsolved for fifty years.
Who Said...

Read the best books first...

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Big Holiday Wordplay 2024

Enter Now

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.