Summary

The Nightingales is the story of the Rossignol (nightingale in French) sisters during the Nazi war. It was a story of women who saved Jewish children and women who rescued downed pilots, of women who sacrificed themselves body and soul to save others.

My Review

This book took me back to the time I visited The Dachau Memorial Site in Munich, Germany. It was one of the Nazi concentration camps' sites, now open for the public to witness the place's history. I remember experiencing an eerie silence while there, although there were several tourists around the campsite. I remember feeling shivers and stunned realization as I took in the gravity and reality of the place.

Although The Nightingale is a fictional story, I don’t think anything other than the characters' names is fictional. I have seen the gas chambers, the icy shower rooms, the brick house for prisoners with incurable diseases, and the cramped bunk beds housing them. I saw pictures of stick-thin people with bones jutting out and nothing but death in their eyes. I could go on and on, but all I’m trying to say is the horrors described in the novel were real, not fiction.

This novel is a deeply emotional book. How can anyone not be moved by the plight of the innocents and the children exposed to this level's atrocities and monstrosities? And for what crime-just for being born differently. I will not lie; I had a headache from all the crying in the last few pages.

I loved the beginning of the story where a woman whose identity is undisclosed till the end is on her way from America to Paris on an invitation but is terrified of the journey due to her memories of Paris. Then we go into the story of the sisters Vianna and Isabelle. 

The characters, the plot, the setting, the story's flow, and its pace- everything about this power-packed novel was extraordinary. Women’s roles and feelings, and emotions are often overlooked in society, so was it during the war. They are the real unsung heroes who held on to their families yet contributed to the freedom efforts. Kristin Hannah, through this novel, has, in my opinion, saluted these invisible warriors.

A man who goes to war never returns the same. You will witness very clearly how this happens. You will experience a winter you’d never want to see. And you’ll experience hunger you’ll never want to feel. You’ll understand the true meaning of friendship, the power of marriage, the bond between sisters, and understand that a will for survival is all you need to survive.

Final Verdict

Numerous people have read and reviewed this novel and rated it nothing but five stars. I can do no better.  It’s that powerful. Get ready to face the heartbreaking truth of World War II in all its glory.

I look forward to the movie coming up this year. I hope it does justice to this beautiful and courageous piece of writing.

Who Should Read This

Please read this book. However, I would warn about the adult nature of the content with rape, torture, and murder themes. Those opposed to these themes, please do not pick this novel.

Happy Reading!!

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