The Nightingale

The Nightingale
By: Kristin Hannah

This book infuriated me. Well. Because Nazis. Ugh.

I've read several historical fiction books on WWII this year and I'm still surprised how each book finds its own niche. This one tugged at my mother's heart. I obviously have been aware of the atrocities that took place at the hands of the Nazis, but every time I read about it, the absolute disgust and rage resurfaces to think about the evil that inhabited some and damaged others.

As a fairly new mother, this book opened my eyes to the incredible sacrifices mothers made at that time. The sacrifice, but also the indescribable grief at the murder of your own child. Or the experience of a Jewish woman who was pregnant. I just can't even imagine what those mothers endured to protect their children, and can't fathom the grief that most likely came after.

This book was well-written and drew me into the story. It may have seemed a bit predictable at times, but I wasn't reading it as a suspense or thriller, but as a gripping account of WWII coming to France, and in that, it was very successful.

If you read this book, your heart might literally break. You might literally punch something. And you might literally make a personal vow to stand against evil and help those who are in its sights.

Because we can't correct this past, but we can affect the future.