Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

85 reviews

mkzach'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and War

Moderate: Infertility, Terminal illness, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

kbeucler's review against another edition

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I’ve said this about every Kristin Hannah book I’ve read so far, but I love her female characters. I love how distinct they are from one another and how the both develop throughout the narrative. I learned a lot about World War II. I loved how Hannah managed to portray her characters with such empathy, whether they were choosing to keep their heads down to try to survive or whether they were resisting the Nazis in large or small ways.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Genocide, Sexual assault, Torture, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, and War

rmacg's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, and War

kelsnova13's review against another edition

hopeful sad slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Rape, Violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, and War

writer_a_fox's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Murder, and War

Moderate: Gun violence, Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Grief

patterpan's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, and War

lauraslittlebooknook's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-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

5.0

It has taken me a while to think on this review, to decide how to express my thoughts on this story.

Kristin Hannah’s writing is impeccable. She writes her stories in a way that makes you feel like you are living them, by reading them. Experiencing every moment along side the protagonists. Holding your breath with them, feeling your heart racing with their fears and being joy at their happiness.

This book is devastating. It is a beautifully written story of an utterly heartbreaking part of our world’s history. 

We follow two sisters who reside in Nazi occupied France during the Second World War, and witness their vastly different, yet equally heroic, experiences of survival and strength and love while surrounded by true evil.

This book left me reeling. What would I do in either of the sisters positions. Would I be as strong as either of them? Would I stand up for what I believed in if my life, and that of my family, was truly on the line?

I cannot stop thinking about this book, and any book that evokes such strong emotions is utterly deserving of five stars.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, and War

Moderate: Alcoholism and Miscarriage

niya_nikolova's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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: Child death, Death, Genocide, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Death of parent, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cancer and Terminal illness

random19379's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Genocide, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

vanessa1756's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense slow-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

3.5

This book... what can I say that hasn't already been said or written about it? My feelings about this book are very mixed. I read it quickly, although it could’ve been about 100 pages shorter (in my opinion) and of course I cried at the end – as was expected by the author, I guess. How can one book contain so much torture porn? It’s almost unbelievable how the characters of this novel get themselves in EVERY tragedy imaginable during WW2. Impressive, almost, if it wasn’t so gory just for the sake of making the reader feel bad.

The author took literally EVERY cliché and stereotype about WW2, Nazis, the Holocaust and especially France and just ran with it. The amount of times the characters eat baguette with cheese, I honestly can’t. A little bit more research would’ve been nice. In an anecdote about nuns from the 1650s it says that they were put under the guillotine during the French Revolution. Sure, because they’re immortal nuns who lived for 140 years.

It’s just these little things that reminded me constantly that I was reading a badly-researched novel in which America is the perfect dream destination and French people eat stinky cheese and have affairs all the time. The instant-love story didn’t do anything to make me feel more immersed, the male love interest was just terrible. The clichés and lack of continuity pulled me out of the story every other page (for example, the sisters constantly change from pants to skirt to dress in the same scene – a good editor should’ve caught up on that I believe). And the unbelievable coincidences. All in all the writing style was just...not good. Slow and really repetitive at times. Making you cry doesn't mean it is a good novel?

I guess that’s it. Somewhat glad I finally read it, felt a lot of things (good and bad) but wouldn’t recommend it to people looking for a good novel about WW2. Please go and read Suite francaise instead.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Grief, and War

Moderate: Alcoholism and Cancer