Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

221 reviews

raissasreads's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring slow-paced

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

3.0

started out slow for me, but the end did redeem it a lot

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Antisemitism, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death and Sexual assault

midnightstory's review against another edition

emotional sad 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

5.0

i cried lmao

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Vomit, Medical content, and Pregnancy

gmatts_709's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

5.0

This is one of the best books I’ve ever read and will never read it again. It is a deeply moving story of every form of love and how it’s impacted by the terrors of war, loss, and grief. I have never read a more powerful or heartbreaking love story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Antisemitism, Murder, Abandonment, and War

natalialg236's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Rape, Torture, Blood, Antisemitism, War, and Deportation

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

erinnz's review against another edition

challenging emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.5

An emotional, moving story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Antisemitism, and War

fablemoss2424's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I just finished the book and can’t quite articulate all the thoughts in my head about it. Vianne and Isabelle are wonderfully written, vivid, flawed, beautiful characters and following their two very different paths through surviving WW2 in occupied France was tense and intriguing, but also heartbreaking. Excellent character development, even for background characters. I thought the beginning was too slow, and some scenes seemed extraneous or sort of randomly slotted in amidst the greater plots, but on the whole, I do think the scenes helped develop Isabelle and Vianne. The Nightingale thing was interesting (though if their last name means Nightingale and the Nazis speak French, I wonder that they didn’t make the connection but needs must for plot), and I liked how vivid Carriveau and Paris felt. The ending destroyed me, even if it felt really rushed compared to the rest of the book. Like we built up to the end of the war and then sort of sped run through it in about 60-70 pages which, for a 500+ page book, was a bit annoying. 

This isn’t a higher star rating for me because I could put it down and walk away instead of having to keep reading to find out what happened next (plus pacing issues, some plot point grievances especially with the ending) but I think that’s a good thing given the nature of the book. At times, especially the last maybe 150 pages, it got pretty brutal. The book doesn’t shy away from the horrors the Nazis committed during the war, and the ending made me ugly cry because it was just so…sad, and bittersweet,  do also rage-inducing *SPOILERS* because Isabelle’s ending and Ari’s story and being taken away, while realistic, made me so freaking angry *SPOILERS*

A really good book, and one I do recommend if you like her writing and WW2 historical fiction, but keep in mind that, like I said above, the book doesn’t shy away from the horrors of war. Especially at the end when the story really picks up steam without enough time to really explore it all. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Antisemitism, and War

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Rape, Torture, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Alcoholism, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Terminal illness

becg's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Grief, Murder, and War

liv_neale's review against another edition

dark emotional sad

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, and Murder

mboutlaw's review against another edition

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

4.75

This book wrecked me. As a mother of two young children especially, it hit HARD. It was triggering to a point of me almost marking it DNF. I used a whole box of tissues and gave myself a headache in the reading of certain scenes. 

However, I kept reading because I felt a need to find closure of this story and I am glad that I did. Truly. Isabelle/Vianne’s story of loss, hope, and unending compassion was life-changing. By this book, I will forever be reminded of the thousands of stories of the small (and yet huge) acts of kindness, love, and rebellion during times where people were forced to look into the very face of evil.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and War

Moderate: Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Infertility, and Miscarriage

This is a book about WWII, it will describe war crimes against Jewish people and those suspected of helping them. It describes multiple graphic instances of child death at the hands of Nazis. Would not recommend this book to anyone sensitive to any of these themes and moreover would encourage mothers of small children to avoid this book.

geminisoul's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring 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

This books is probably one of the best books I have read this year. The strength that the characters find throughout the story is astounding. The author has done a fantastic job of world and character building. I couldn't help but cry at times while reading. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail