The Nightingale

Back to fictional France again with Kristin Hannah's World War II novel, The Nightingale (#521).  This woman sure can tell a story.  No wonder my sister-in-law couldn't put this book down while she was visiting this spring!

It's the tale of two sisters, Isabelle and Viane, whose lives are changed forever by the war.  Isabelle, the impulsive one, becomes a member of the Resistance.  Viane's husband is called up to join the French Army and she remains at home in their small country town with her daughter, Sophie.  On the surface, it would appear that Isabelle's choice would be more noble and fraught with danger, but reading about what Viane must endure on a daily basis makes it obvious that life in occupied France was no picnic for anyone - that the possibility of betrayal and death might have been even higher where everyone knows you and your business.

The story is told mostly in the 1930s and 40s, but there are sections from 1995 which make it obvious that someone in the tale has survived and lived in America for many years with her secrets from the war.  It is not apparent until the very end of the story just who this character is, which adds another element to this multi-layered tale.

This book might not have the elegant language and poignant images evoked in Anthony Doerr's wonderful All The Light We Cannot See (See my post of 4/6/15.), but it has such a powerful narrative that the reader is totally immersed in the action.  It's not a pretty tale, but then, neither is war.  This is such a compelling read it well deserves its longtime place on the Best Sellers List.  Don't miss it.