Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

137 reviews

tetedump'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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Murder, War, and Deportation

turtlekat23's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

From time to time, you find a book that sucks you in and lingers with you long after you’ve read it. This book is absolutely one of those. It likely would have been shuffled through my eternally long TBR but I asked for recommendations from friends for my reading goal this year and am prioritizing those. I am so thankful this was one of those recommendations. I learned a lot about the French during WWII but the story and characters truly made it come to life. The story is heartbreaking and inspiring. It shows the horrors of World War II from multiple perspectives, including concentration camps, yet the shining light of hope and the indomitable spirit of the women in this book. It is painful, and sad, but so incredibly beautiful and loving. I will think of this book often

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Rape, Sexual assault, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Murder, and War

Moderate: Confinement, Miscarriage, Torture, and Deportation

Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, and Pregnancy

paigecrichards's review against another edition

adventurous 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Genocide, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Deportation

l4uren_11's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

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

4.0

The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah, tells the interwoven stories of two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, separated by ideals and circumstance. Each embarks on a perilous journey toward survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France.

My Thoughts:

I have much to praise about this book. I adored the stories of these two sisters, even though they're fictional. They resonated deeply, reminding me that their struggles mirrored those of countless real women during World War II. I often found myself asking, "Would I have shown the same courage in their place?"  

The first half of the book had me hooked. It was paced perfectly, allowing me to truly connect with each character. However, the story, despite its emotional impact, dragged a bit in the middle. I confess I even doubted if I could finish it.

Despite this lull, the dual-POV narration was expertly executed and easy to follow. My main criticism lies in the occasional rushed feeling, which slightly hampered my emotional connection to the story.

But even with these reservations, the book's ending was powerful and moving. Tears streamed down my face as the final pages turned. In the end, I couldn't put it down. I devoured the last few chapters, eager to see how everything unfolded.

While this was my first time into historical fiction, The Nightingale did its job brilliantly. It sparked a desire to delve deeper into this genre, to explore more stories that blend historical truth with fictional narratives. 

Please make sure to read the trigger warnings. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and War

Minor: Alcoholism and Cursing

emily4hand's review against another edition

dark inspiring sad 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? No

4.0

I reserve 5 stars for books I would read again. I would not read this again. It's incredibly sad, to the point that it's not entirely believable. For the majority of the book, I thought I'd give it maybe 3.5 stars and I was wondering what I was missing... So, why does this book have such amazing reviews? The end is really spectacular. It was solidly a 4-star book after reading the end.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Miscarriage, Rape, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, and War

mad_books_'s review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

monloesco's review against another edition

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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

If I could give this book a 6 out of 5 🌟 I would definitely do so.
This book made me cry, gasp, be anxious, feel happy, and experience love - in all of its forms: sisterly, motherly, friendly, romantically, between companions - all at once. Even in the horrifying ambiance of WWII (and the cruel and violent actions of the Nazis) it felt hopeful and insightful of what hundreds of people had to live through and experience before they could reunite in peace.
The author made an incredible job giving a back story to all of the characters and use every one of them to tell a different side of the same war:

the sacrifice of mothers, the loss of innocence of children, the rupture of families, the kindness of passeurs, the risks taken by some soldiers and citizens, the resistence of humanity, the unconditionality of love, etc.

Felt this book specially close to reality because of the inability of humanity to stop on re-living wars, destruction and violence.

Times I cried:
- Sarah’s last night
- when they took Daniel away
- Julien’s letter to his daughters
- Isabelle’s last thoughts 
Also… all of the hidden pieces of information were mind-blowing to me… (the sister who made it to the US)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Deportation

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Blood, and Abandonment

hannah_solly17's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Genocide, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cancer, Infertility, and Miscarriage

tays_books's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Murder, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Genocide, Infertility, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Deportation

Minor: Confinement, Homophobia, and Excrement

emandert's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Genocide, Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Rape, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Antisemitism, Death of parent, War, and Deportation