Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

187 reviews

eroseperry's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated

5.0

This book made me love reading again. Kristin Hannah’s writing is so intricate and beautiful and I can picture the plot so clearly in my head. I sobbed, everything hurt reading this book but god I wish I could read it for the first time again

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rachelsb's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0


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elisa_atkins's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense slow-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

It’s hard to put into words the emotional journey this book takes you through. It is beautifully written and gives a new perspective to the horrors that happened in ww2. 

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caitlinemccann's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective 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

4.0


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livlaughlit's review against another edition

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

2.0

I was intrigued to read this book, as I’d heard practically nothing but rave reviews, but sadly this missed the mark for me.

I thought the writing style was somewhat unsophisticated and repetitive, with Hannah often implying something and then immediately clarifying what she meant, just in case we hadn’t picked up on the nuance. Regardless, the pervasive anachronisms were the real bug-bear for me. On every other page, there was an error that made me roll my eyes (oral antibiotics? A Flemish farmer smoking like a true Frenchman? The flippant mention of concentration camps on official warnings?). This read as Historical Fanfiction, rather than a well-researched piece of Historical Fiction. It was also extremely forgiving of Vichy France’s passing antisemitic legislation independently of Nazi requirements.  

Too often, the characters were reduced to flat stereotypes, and the development of the romantic plots were poorly paced (especially between Isabelle and Gaetan). I was also unconvinced by Isabelle and Vianne’s relationship, which seemed not to develop much at all.  

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ldod's review against another edition

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emotional informative inspiring sad fast-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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acal92's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative 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? It's complicated

5.0


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inkwellimps's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad slow-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

4.0

The book was technically well written, so I'm giving it a higher star rating compared to how I actually felt reading it. The Nightingale is an exhausting read that I had to really force myself to finish. The horrors pile up, and there is hardly any relief. I read this at a recommendation of a family member, and I don't think I will read another WWII book for a long while. Not my genre, I suppose.

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emmelineg's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25


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kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

This book devastated me. The plot is so intricately woven together, the female protagonists are both incredibly brave and interesting, the historical pieces are flawlessly researched and rendered. I hadn’t considered the war from this many perspectives or through the different scenarios that unfolded in the course of this novel. I wept for the bravery, the sacrifice, and the love that encompassed WW2 and that this novel highlights. 

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