I like WWII fiction (especially set in France) and I enjoyed Kristin Hannah's book, The Great Alone, so it is no surprise that The Nightingale was a hit for me. The story of Vianne and Isabelle gripped me fro the beginning and I enjoyed reading the different ways in which their wars unfolded. Hannah has a way of weaving a story that is highly readable and makes it hard to put the book down. The strength of her two main characters was admirable and a true show of the lengths to which people went to protect themselves and survive during the war.

While overall I enjoyed the book, I had a couple of problems with it that affected my rating. The beginning of the book felt repetitive of many other WWII books I have read, especially A Fire Sparkling, All the Light We Cannot See, and The Flight Portfolio. Once I got into the story, this improved. I also felt as though the romance between Isabelle and Gäetan was not well-developed and I found myself mostly just irritated by him more than enjoying what was happening.

However, overall, the book was enjoyable. 4 Stars.