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mattiedancer's review against another edition
- 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
- Fans of WWII novels
- Fans of historical fiction
- Fans of Kristin Hannah
- Fans of real-life trauma books or books focusing on horrific moments
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Misogyny, Racism, Antisemitism, Death, Violence, Sexual violence, War, Blood, Child death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Gore, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Rape, Grief, Gun violence, and Murder
Moderate: Mass/school shootings, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Police brutality, and Cancer
Minor: Alcohol, Homophobia, Chronic illness, Addiction, Infertility, and Abandonment
slama_llama's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
And this is not a thing of the past. There countries that are still at war, and things much worse than what is described here is happening to them, right now. Even with the resources we have, they are not receiving the aids they deserve.
It might not be completely related to the content of this book, but I was reminded so many times how important it is that we keep remembering the past, our mistakes and it’s horrors, so we can manage our present in a way that we don’t have to relive it.
This book was peppered with references to incidents and places I’ve never heard of and wish to learn a little more about.
I appreciate the book and it’s writing. The last few chapters felt a bit cliche, but I liked the neat way the book ended.
Graphic: Death, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Genocide, Physical abuse, and War
Moderate: Excrement, Religious bigotry, Violence, Grief, Confinement, and Rape
Minor: Chronic illness, Alcohol, Cancer, and Miscarriage
sarahaf712's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Murder, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Hate crime, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Torture, Violence, War, Confinement, Genocide, Gun violence, Infertility, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Chronic illness, Excrement, Eating disorder, Vomit, Abandonment, Alcoholism, and Cancer
Content warning: Holocaust; concentration camps; forced labor camps; dead bodies; bombingspatslibrary's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Genocide, Gaslighting, Antisemitism, Blood, Colonisation, Confinement, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, and War
Moderate: Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Death, Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Hate crime, Homophobia, Vomit, and Excrement
Minor: Animal death, Religious bigotry, and Cancer
shibaunited's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Antisemitism, Blood, Death, Genocide, Xenophobia, War, Violence, Torture, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Abandonment, Vomit, Trafficking, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Rape, Racism, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Infidelity, Infertility, Gun violence, Grief, Gaslighting, Excrement, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Chronic illness, Child death, and Cancer
pixiebix's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Sitting back and reflecting on this book, I am honestly in awe of how much I feel I've actually been through with these characters and the vastness and diversity of the landscapes The Nightingale covers. Looking back on the characters at the beginning of this book--Isabelle especially--is to reflect on a ridiculously huge yet realistic transformation. This book is painfully real and visceral and simple and raw, and the characters literally jumped off the page; absolutely everything I've read about here I feel I have actually experienced firsthand with them.
There are some images and deaths and journeys that I know will stay forever imprinted on my brain from this book--scenes with Beck and Sarah and the Pyrenees mountains; of soldiers and ravaged gardens and bleakness and fear. The Nightingale had me so friggin hooked and my mouth dry and my eyes flying across the pages trying to establish where we stand in the wake of yet another devastating event.
This book is far from flawless (hence the not-5-star rating): Isabelle's beauty, while helping to paint a picture of her character to start with, ultimately receives far too much focus and detracts from her (slash De Jongh's) bravery and status as a war hero; Isabelle's romance is written almost as an afterthought and is provided far too little page space for readers to be given even a chance to become invested in it; pacing is a huge issue, with some super relevent, super built-up parts being cut out completely
Regardless, this book is just so fucking devastating and really, really gets under your skin and taps into your humanity. This is so much more than yet another book about two opposite sisters: it's the very picture of resilience in the face of hardship and an ode to remembering in an age that we're prone to forgetting. I also just adore how multifaceted and layered these characters are, particularly Beck: so many authors fall prey to painting all Nazi officers in a completely villainous light, forgetting how subtly and intentionally things escalated. The words 'I'm just following orders' gave me chills every damn time. So many of those officers were just young men trying just as hard to survive and stay out of trouble as the victims, and Hannah showcases that fact while also showing the other side: the true horror of what some human beings will derive genuine joy from doing; the true perpetrators and power-hungry dictators that do sadly inhabit (and always have inhabited) this world.
The scope this book covered while remaining focused on just two women during the war is truly so impressive, and really forces you to think about the sheer number of voices and stories that have ultimately gone unheard.
Now to wait until the movie adaptation.
Graphic: Antisemitism
Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, and War
Minor: Chronic illness
mandi4886's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Antisemitism, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, War, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Cancer, Chronic illness, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Infertility, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Racism, Slavery, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Vomit
remy_licked_my_book's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Antisemitism, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Minor: Vomit