The Nightingale in Around the World in 80 Books

Dec 30, 2021 Elizabeth added it

I'm spending this quarantine reading all the biggies I never got around to reading before. ...more

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Jan 02, 2015 Jayme Pendergraft rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2015, src-spring-2015

Wow, what a beautiful book! The two women in this book are incredible. One is already a spitfire and the other is forced into action by the circumstances of French occupation during WWII. This novel really gave me a feel for what it may have been like in France during that time period. I've read novels of the resistance and occupation before but never got such a feeling of actually being there.

I thought I had it all figured out, but there's a twist in the end that surprised me. I spent the last ...more

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Oct 18, 2016 Nadine in NY Jones rated it really liked it

Shelves: lotsa-buzz, only-reading-because-of-the-buzz, era-world-war-2, womens-day

How fragile life was, how fragile they were.
Love.
It was the beginning and end of everything, the foundation and the ceiling and the air in between.

This is not a love story, but it is about love, and about the women who love.

There! Is that sappy enough for you? Hahaha... but I'm also being serious.

When I started this book, I was confident I was not going to like it. All my friends gave it five stars, but I knew it was going to be just like All the Light We Cannot See, a book I hated that ev ...more

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Sep 10, 2018 Amy Nash Parker rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 27, 2016 superawesomekt rated it really liked it

Shelves: book-club, historical-fiction, ww2, ww1

What a gripping read! I read almost the entire thing today because I knew I wouldn't sleep well if I didn't finish it :)

For the action-packed narrative that this is, the book still had sensuous, evocative descriptions that recreate the exotic settings (do we call France exotic? it still kind of is to this American). I would be interested in reading more by Kristin Hannah, as I think she does an excellent job with the storytelling and writing, and, what's just as important, I can tell she has a g ...more

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Jul 20, 2017 Katie rated it really liked it

Shelves: ___europe, female-author, historical-fiction, book-club, war, _france

Despite the fact that this book has gotten good reviews from many people whose reading tastes I respect, I somehow wasn't expecting to like it much. I had certain preconceived notions about the author, and was expecting it to be much fluffier than it turned out to be.

I learned a lot about the German occupation of France and the French resistance movement. I appreciated the perspectives of the characters as they struggled to find their own ways to stand up to evil and protect the people they love ...more

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Oct 17, 2016 Lori rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction

I took me a few chapters to get into the book but once I did I couldn't put it down. Yay! I've read a lot of WWII historical fiction and this one is right up there with some of my favorites. It always amazes me the hardships those in Nazi occupied countries faced during the war and that they just kept pushing on. It's clear, as Americans in 2016, we have no concept of what suffering really is. ...more

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Aug 20, 2014 Ruth rated it really liked it

Whoa! I had an inkling this book would be powerful. And it was, kept me glued until the end. It did get mushy at times, but amazing over all. Tragic but uplifting. Brava, Kristin!!

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