Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

331 reviews

pranjuli's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Made me stay up all night to read the entire second half of the book in one sitting. Loved Vianne's character arc. From the beginning, she was a fully formed person with a past, present, a future. She had reasons for acting like she did. She actually felt like doing the representation of women's stories in the war that has been talked about the book itself. And still, she had so much space for growth, to change. From the first page when she is introduced, I was constantly engaged in her story, I kept wanting to go back to what was happening with her. 

Not a big fan of Isabelle - only liked in her in the last leg of the book. Her dialogues and scenes were almost always crassly written. A lot of the things and feelings she had, were only told, not shown.

For example, in one chapter she would be with her father in his apartment, then go on an adventure, then we'll see Vianne's life for some time, and then it will cut to some months later and Isabelle would say she hadn't gone to the apartment in Paris in 18 months. She missed home. Slept in such places, lived likes so, bla bla.

We didn't see any of that. We just listened. 

The tension in the relationship between Isabelle and her father could have been structured much better in the first half of the book. Same goes for Isabelle and Gaetan's relationship. Infact (this might be a controversial opinion), I feel like Gaetan was not needed only in this story. He felt like a plot device and one that could easily have been fulfilled with any other already existing character. In my personal opinion, he brought Isabelle's character down

- she  had needed his 'recommendation' to get in the circle, she needed his care to fill the vacancy of  familial love, she kept waiting for him to even die at the right moment, etc.

Honestly, could have done without him. 

Isabelle, overall in the first half, was too annoying and desperate and stupid. I know the author wanted to show her 'impetuousness', but she was actually very unlikable in the beginning. Beck deserved better </3 Sophie </3 
Also, there were a lot of inconsistencies in the timeline of the girls' early life, their memories of the maman and the first world war. It kept irking me now and again and pulled me out of the scene often. 
The book could have done with quite some editing (i feel atleast 50-60 pages could be edited out). 

Yet I think this was a good book to read about French women's experience in the war, about a country under occupation during a war, about good men like Beck who were enemies but still good men, to help you think of the countless Nightingales that soared in the skies during the heinous wars fought in Europe at that time, and innumerable times in every corner of the world since time immemorial and their brunts that have been borne by women throughout the entirety of human history. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Racism, Violence, Antisemitism, Grief, Rape, War, Hate crime, Miscarriage, and Death of parent

lavendear_haze's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: War

Minor: Violence and Rape

cmara316's review

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

I love how the side of the civilians from the war is shown. The way both characters develop through their hardships. It’s been a while since I’ve read a book that made me wish I had no responsibilities and just devour it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, War, Rape, and Abandonment

noel_bucher's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced

5.0

If I could give this book 6 stars, I would. This story gave a tasteful yet still raw and true telling of WWII. The ending had me absolutely sobbing in my car on the way to work. Heartbreaking but heartwarming at the same time. A must read! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Deportation, Violence, Rape, Antisemitism, Genocide, and War

kasslandry's review against another edition

emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

If I could give this book 500 stars I would. I am still trying to comprehend just how special this book is…Kristin Hannah really did justice to the brave women of world war 2 with this one!! Absolutely devastating and heartbreaking but so beautifully written! This book will stick with me for a long time!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Xenophobia, and War

Moderate: Murder, Torture, Sexual violence, Rape, Sexual assault, and Police brutality

kdevine's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Murder, Medical trauma, Antisemitism, Violence, Terminal illness, Excrement, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Genocide, Death, Death of parent, War, Abandonment, Racism, Physical abuse, Gore, Cancer, Rape, Blood, Torture, Gun violence, Grief, Child death, and Miscarriage

opplecopter's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Murder, Physical abuse, Genocide, Mass/school shootings, Torture, War, Violence, Alcohol, Rape, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Blood, Gun violence, Deportation, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Confinement

Moderate: Abandonment, Miscarriage, Cancer, Vomit, and Body horror

Minor: Cursing, Excrement, and Suicide

daydevillarreal's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This book is amazing. Love, loss, adventures, sister and family love...war, fear...
It was as beautiful as it was heartrending.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, War, Violence, Gun violence, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Abortion, Cancer, Child death, Death of parent, and Death

miafred6's review

challenging dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Honestly, I think this is a must read for anyone who isn’t Jewish but wants to have an understanding of the horrors of WWII. As someone who is Jewish, it was really difficult to read certain parts of this book, especially as there are triggers not only for anti semitism / the holocaust, but also for rape, death and general violence. However, I am glad I read this book - it is a beautiful narrative of the heroism of women during the war. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Torture, and War

stephliljazz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book was a tearjerking, inspiring, dark historical fiction about German occupied France and the things the French did to fight the Nazi, help allies and survive the war. I was a mess finishing this book. The hang over is a lot. 
I'm going to share some quotes.
"I know that grief, like regret, settles into our DNA and remains forever a part of us."
"The past has a clearity I can no longer see in the present."
"Does one follow a leader blindly?"
And my favorite.
"Americans. They didn't listen."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Deportation, Vomit, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Alcoholism, Genocide, Rape, Abandonment, Death of parent, Death, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Grief, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, and War