When ‘The Nightingale’ Sang, The Song Pricked My Eyes
With gorgeous cover and prose, a tale of two sisters ripped out my heart
Genre: Historical Fiction
Date of Publication: October 8th, ‘15
Page Count: 464
Rating: 5/5
Keynote: Won Goodreads’s Choice Awards 2015 for Best Historical Fiction
Synopsis
When Germany invaded France in 1939, the men of the families were sent off to fight the armies of Germany on the front but the women and children were left at homes to care for each other and to survive in any way possible. The Nightingale is a story of two such sisters. Both are separated in the years, split personalities who’ve seen the world differently since they can remember; but when the war erupts, they’re required to search in within themselves a person, courage they were unaware of. A spirit of survival and a desire to make the difference that was never heard of, because when the tales of wars are told, the battles fought and won by women are often forgotten and overlooked.
Some Insights
- Cover and the Title: Often it happens that I’m enchanted by the cover of the book but seldom do I dive into a book without reading many reviews or even knowing what to expect out of it. When I first saw the cover in my recommendations, I was tempted enough to know the genre and dive right in without wondering much of what lies between the pages. The beautiful golden print saying, ‘The Nightingale’ and a silhouette of Eiffle Tower in the blue hue of the cover compelled me enough to start. When I read why the novel was titled so, I was in an awe of it!
- Writing: As mentioned above, it was the cover that tempted me to pick up the book, but when I read the first sentence of the novel lying on my bed, I was taken aback. It was, without an ounce of doubt, one of the best first sentences, an introduction I’ve read so far. Hannah’s prose was so easy to digest, the atmosphere of the book she created pulled you into the world of wars without you anticipating it. Every time I picked it up again, I could sail through the pages with ease and touch the delicacy of the moments Hannah had described so seamlessly.
- Narration: The novel follows two perspectives throughout giving an almost equal amount of time to both of the characters. As the readers get to know the protagonists, they also learn about the side characters who are equally important for the progress of the plot.
- Story: The plot isn’t flawless, there were some hiccups. In the very beginning, I must have rolled my eyes a few times. But when I was a quarter into the novel, I’d made peace with the flaws for the heart-wrenching story I was following and the irreparable damage it did to my heart when I was nearing the end. There were a few chapters that were so powerful, so impactful that I needed time to register what had just happened and if I’ve ever felt this way before.
Isabelle and Vianne are the two main characters we follow. Viviane lives in the countryside with her daughter, Sophie, and her husband, Antoine. When Antoine is sent off to fight on the front, Vianne knows that her world will never be the same again. Wars leave marks, craters in the lives of the people that can only be overlooked but never filled. Isabelle is only 18, nearing 19 when the war broke out and unlike others who think that women are too meek and fragile to fight, she’s determined to fight her battles and take down the Nazis in every possible way she can.
This novel is not only about adults, but of the children who were forced to grow up before they’d even hit puberty; as the buildings were withered down to ashes, it was also the hope and perseverance that’d kept the people going; their inhuman atrocities and lying so often that you forget the line between what’s real and fictional. As the story proceeds, I was losing myself in their lives to the point I was convinced that I live with them and Vianne and Isabelle are my family, their sorrows and struggles are mine and I should soothe them if I can’t help. - Characters: Vianne, Isabelle, Sophie, Julien, Gaetan, Captain Beck, Henri, Anouk, and many more who come along the way are some of the best fleshed-out characters I’ve read in my reading life. They are all too complex, with running train of thoughts, decisions that I’d make, and the crushing emotions I’d feel living in a war.
Vianne is a meek and the kind of person who thinks of consequences before taking further steps; Isabelle acts on her decisions and later thinks of the consequences they can invoke. They are polar opposites, much like me and my sister. I’d a strong feeling that I was reading about us in a different era only to tune it low because this only hurt me more along the way. - End: As Hannah had expected the readers to cry and grab tissues by the end, I’d already gone numb to anything the novel invoked. The damage she planned was already done, and as a woman sensitive to an assault of any kind, I should’ve been expecting it from the start. I saw the big reveal coming and wasn’t too shocked, but still satisfied to ends by Hannah’s execution.
Recommendations
If you’re in for a journey that has a provocative impact on you, a book you wouldn’t be able to put down, and a story that resides in you for days after you’ve finished reading it, I highly recommend it. For readers of All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.
Personal Remarks
There was a time when I yearned for a simple hug or a soft peck on my cheek to break off the timeline I was stuck in; a kiss to remind me that I live in a free, independent country and not in German-occupied France. A country, a time where basic amenities are at my disposal and I don’t need to stand in queues for hours before I can have stale bread to eat, neither did my ribs ached every time I drew in a breath.
The scars and bruises I feel right now aren’t visible but I can feel them every time I close my eyes and think of them. As much as I wanted to keep reading and reach the conclusion, I was equally terrified of letting them go. The first night I’d to put it down and sleep, forcing myself to shut my eyes seemed like the only way to escape the thoughts of the two sisters; but the night I completed reading it, I retired to bed with a severe headache. I felt tired in my bones and my eyes felt watery even though I hadn’t been crying.
It was one hell of a journey for me, hope you find the same.
Happy Reading!
