Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

41 reviews

kgauthier's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring sad 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? Yes

4.0

Was worth the read! Had some sad parts, kind of left me feeling a little empty. One of those books you think about for a while afterwards. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Hate crime, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment

Minor: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Rape, and Sexual violence

swarren's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad tense slow-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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

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

Minor: Homophobia and Miscarriage

mattiedancer's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Writing: 4.75⭐️/5 

The writing is quite stunning. The prose is beautiful, weighted, and eloquent. There were some truly stunning standalone lines, but it also had a nice cohesion. Beyond that, it wasn’t a challenging writing style to read and was well-woven into the plot. 

Characters: 4.5⭐️/5

The characters were highly motivated and flawed, which meant that they felt uniquely human to me. The characterization of the Nazi soldiers was particularly detailed and complicated, leading to moments of pathos for these villains. At times, it felt like certain characters made very weird choices, but it was usually justified later. This just led to a slower understanding of characterization than I might have liked, but it wasn’t too jarring.

Plot: 4⭐️/5 

I know that this is kind of a fan-favourite book, so I’m reluctant to say this, but at times it felt like the author used trauma a bit reflexively to address human moments. Too many times did I know that a terrible scene was coming and, when it came, it was witnessed by one too many characters who we had grown to love, no matter how illogical it might be that they would have ended up witnessing it. I appreciate that this is dealing with the reality of war horrors that took place during WWII; however, at times, it just felt a bit too neat in how directly the trauma continuously happened. That being said, the overarching plot was really well done. I loved the story-within-a-story format that the grandmother at the beginning set up. Overall a solid plot with just a lot of trauma at the end. 

Post-Reading Rating:  4⭐️/5

The ending felt fine: necessary and complete. 

Who Should Read This? 

• Fans of WWII novels
• Fans of historical fiction
• Fans of Kristin Hannah
• Fans of real-life trauma books or books focusing on horrific moments

Final Rating: 4⭐️/5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and War

Moderate: Cancer, Sexual content, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Addiction, Chronic illness, Homophobia, Infertility, Abandonment, and Alcohol

mengzhenreads's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

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

3.75

Overall I thought this was a good book, but it wasn't as great as I thought it would be. The writing was really gorgeous, and I enjoyed the concept of the book but honestly a lot of times the characters and relationships fell a bit flat, especially Isabelle. Even though she was a total badass, sometimes she felt more like a caricature of a “rebellious girl” with no other personality traits or defining qualities. I also didn't think that the romance was necessary since it didn't feel very well developed and was quite rushed and wished that they just devoted that time to a deeper exploration of the sister bonds and other themes in the book. Still was really well written and I can definitely see people liking this a lot more so honestly I would recommend it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Violence, and Antisemitism

Moderate: Child death, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, and War

Minor: Cancer, Genocide, Homophobia, and Suicide

patslibrary's review against another edition

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

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Genocide, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Trafficking, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death, Cancer, and Religious bigotry

nicole_g_'s review against another edition

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

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

itisthelaw's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective sad

3.75

I feel kind of bad rating this on the lower end because I think it's main crime was just being not really my thing (it was a gift). This book is impressive in it's scope. From the French soldiers going off to war to the aftermath, every moment is so detailed. I would say this book is more about creating a vivid picture of life in WWII France than it is about the plot or characters. (I did feel that the characters, and particularly their relationships to each other, were the weakest part of the book). My guess is that you will like this if you like historical fiction, because it is beautiful, engaging, and well-crafted.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and War

Moderate: Miscarriage and Pregnancy

Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Homophobia, Infidelity, Terminal illness, and Abandonment

mandi4886's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

A must read

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Cancer, Chronic illness, Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Stalking, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Alcohol

oliviabrcka's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative sad tense slow-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

4.75

The Nightingale follows two French sisters - Vianne and Isabelle - throughout the duration of World War II. Vianne is about 25 years old; she is a wife, a mother, and entirely content in her life. Her husband is deployed to fight for France, and soon, the French surrender. Vianne's only goal is to keep her head down and mind the Germans long enough for the war to end and her husband to come home, but things aren't always that simple. Isabelle is the opposite of her sister. Eighteen years old and hell-bent on avoiding authority and rules, Isabelle sees the effect the war is having on her country and is longing to make a difference. Despite her sister's wishes, she launches herself into helping the French Resistance and soon finds herself more invested than she had initially thought. I finally picked up The Nightingale after seeing in recommended on nearly every Historical Fiction recommendations video on YouTube. People have been raving about this book since it came out and now I can see why. I was a tad worried about this book not living up to the hype but I was not disappointed and I am even more excited to read more of Kristin Hannah's work now!
Overall, Kristin Hannah does an incredible job of weaving these intense, emotional stories in a way that is so raw and beautiful. Her ability to transport the reader to the headspace of her characters in incredible. While reading Vianne's chapters, things feel tense and conservative, but Isabelle's chapters feel more unhinged and outgoing. I find Hannah's writing really accessible. Her stories are typically slower-paced, but they take place over a span of years, and by the end you realize how much the characters have actually gone through in such a short amount of time. 
Vianne and Isabelle both share the role of the main protagonist, and their opposite personalities really shine through and make this a much more dynamic story, because there is a rule follower and a rule breaker. Both characters change immensely over the course of the book, in their bravery, selflessness, and resolve. Hannah also has a uncanny ability to write sisters who don't get along, but would do anything for one another, and that is brought to the forefront of The Nightingale as well. The sister bond between Vianne and Isabelle is so prominent despite the fact that they spend a majority of the war separated. I also thought it was interesting to watch the relationship between Vianne and her daughter, Sophie, develop as Sophie becomes older and begins to truly understand the war raging around her. 
The Nightingale is set in German-occupied France during World War II. Hannah does an incredible job of showing the quick deterioration of the French countryside. It turns from rich and beautiful, straight out of a fairytale, to dreary and barren. Hannah's writing once again shines through as the overall atmosphere of the book continually adds to the emotion and gravity of the story.
The Nightingale explores themes of family, resilience, selflessness, and bravery during times of great tragedy, as well as remembrance afterwards. We watch the characters constantly be tested in their resolve, their love for one another, and their ability to protect the ones they love, no matter what it takes. We watch them hold the ones they love dear to their hearts, even as they are taken away. Hannah portrays these themes in a heart-wrenching, devastating way, but her themes always shine through. I couldn't help but feel for these characters throughout their story.
I would 100% recommend The Nightingale to anyone interested in a World War II, emotional novel. Although it started a little slow, the gravity of Europe's struggles during World War II is spellbinding and watching these women cope with the world they live in is something that I think everyone needs to understand.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Torture, and Antisemitism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Infertility, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexism, Terminal illness, and Violence

lazyowl's review against another edition

dark inspiring reflective sad tense 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

5.0

 This was a heart wrenching, at times soul crushing historical fiction set in WWII in France. The story whilst fiction has been derived from historical figures and tells the story of the sacrifices and amazing heroics of women during this period that often went untold.

This book took me on a roller coaster of emotions. I railed at the unfair and horrible acts against the innocent to the truly evil actions of humans against each other. I cried at how much these women endured all whilst trying to protect their families. I felt hope for the women who took risks to selflessly help the vulnerable.

A highly recommended and important read. My words do not do this justice, just go read this book. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism and Murder

Minor: Homophobia, Miscarriage, Rape, and Abandonment