THE NIGHTINGALE Review

I recently read Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale- a historical fiction based in the World War 2 era and here's my review of the book.

‘But love has to be stronger than hate. Or there is no future for us.’

‘The Nightingale’ written by Kristin Hannah, feels like a river with its ebb and flow, meandering into the lives of French women (predominantly) facing war and all that it brings sweeping with it. All battles aren’t fought on the battlefield and acts of bravery can be shown by women far, far away from the frontline. Every chapter in the book, especially after the war begins, feels like a Jenga block inserted into the tower and since you’ve already fallen in love with the characters, you want to, rather need to read the next chapter immediately, in order to find out whether the tower has survived or fallen. That’s how addictive this book is.

It is an ode to all the women and children, the unsung warriors, fighting a way out, resisting the unjust, pushing themselves to be stronger for their loved ones, reaching out to people in desperate need and in the essence of it, trying to make a difference in the world. And after doing all of that, keeping quiet about it and not glorifying it at all.

“Men tell stories. Women get on with it… We did what we had to, during the war, and when it was over, we picked up the pieces and started our lives over.”

Now, there are a lot of books out there set in the same premise i.e. World War 2, but why The Nightingale stands out to be one of my favourite books is because of its writing. It flows and is not predictive at all. The narrative is filled with imagery— you can literally smell the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and taste the creaminess of the Crème Anglais, you can visualise the appearance of each and every character, hear the air raids and sirens blaring and hence, feel the war at its peak. You don’t have to rely on your imagination, because the writing is so descriptive and so very good.

The second reason for me loving this book is, that it talks about women. Women in war. Women in the late 1930s, who were only known for cooking and washing, doing things unimaginable, thereby defying standards set by the society, and at times, set by themselves. Women coming together and women not giving a damn.

Even though this book is set in the 1940s yet, you can feel its relevance even today. We all read about similar atrocities faced by women in the newspapers almost everyday. The geography has changed, but the recklessness of power hungry leaders hasn’t. And that is what brings me to the heart of this novel. Finding love and humanity in the hopeless of all places. Times change, disasters happen, but all that we can embrace is love, because only love gives us the courage to beat the odds.

‘Love has to be stronger than hate. Or there is no future for us.’

I, for one, have fallen in love with Kristin Hannah’s writing and would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves reading historical fiction. But really, it should be read by everyone, because sometimes we take things, simple things for granted and reading this book, would just inspire you, encourage you and motivate you to treasure each and every moment we have with us.

Have you read the book? Lets discuss it over the comments below!