What readers say
historical fiction story of the rossignol sisters living in france occupied by nazi germany during wwii. i didn’t love it but i didnt hate it and i was eager to find out what happened in the end. there were some parts that drawled on and on, which lowered my rating, but the ending is what made me appreciate the book a lot more. isabelle and vianne are sisters but they are the furthest thing from friends. isabelle is sent to live in her sister’s home by her alcoholic father while france is invaded by german soldiers. isabelle is a carefree, impulsive, beautiful girl who the boys love- but she speaks what’s on her mind without thinking and this tends to get her into trouble often. isabelle struggles to sit back and take orders from the germans and let them control her. she flees her sister’s home- telling tales of a boy “she loves”, but in reality she is giving up her life, her identity and joining the resistance. she becomes “the nightingale”- an innocent looking girl who transports downed foreign airmen safely across the border and away from the nazis.
“there will be pain in remembering but there will be joy too.” reading this book is apart of my journey to branch out from my typical genre choices and i’m glad i did finally read it. while i didn’t absolutely love this book, i definitely didn’t hate it! it was a heartbreaking tale that felt so heavy but also full of hope and courage.
10, 10, 10 across the board. I was a bit anxious going into the book because it’s not my usual read, but holy cow was this incredible. I’m personally not a history buff, however the insight into what it was like in France during the invasion from a firsthand account (fictional or not) was so heartbreaking and gave some clarity into the war I didn’t know I was missing. I am beyond impressed with how this book captured my attention and kept it for all 600 pages. Now if you don’t mind I’m off to cry a little bit
I wasn’t prepared for the emotions I’d feel reading this book