The Nightingale

Well, I think I found my favorite book of the year. Yes, I understand that it's pretty early into the year but I don't think that matters. The Nightingale might be one of my favorite books of all time. This isn't an exaggeration either, I've told everyone about it and have recommended that they read it. You will see on Goodreads that some people enjoyed All The Light We Cannot See. While that book was good, this one, in my opinion was so much better.

The Nightingale is about two sisters living completely different lives for their whole life and specifically during WWII. Vianne is a working mother whose husband has been sent off to war in 1939. While her husband is in the war, Vianne is attempting to keep her and her daughter alive while working as a teacher as her school (with her best friend who is Jewish)  and at first taking her sister, Isabelle in when her father sends her from Paris. When the invasion happens, so does a German Nazi to live with Vianne and her daughter during the war. Vianne has the option of leaving her home or living among the German, something her sister Isabelle cannot understand and leaves. Isabelle goes back to Paris to try and find a way to help the world defeat the Nazis by attempting to bring downed pilots safely over the boarder where they can continue to fight Germany.

The story in itself was one that I couldn't put down, one that when Francis wanted to go do something else, I begged not to so I could keep reading. It's also the first book I think I have ever read that not only had a story but also brought an emotional connection to it that I've never witnessed before. I don't think I've ever become teary eyed more often in a book than this one. It's raw, it's beautiful, it's a story of heroics, love, sadness, and courage. If there is ever a book that I have reviewed on this blog, this is the one that I would say is the one to read over all the rest.