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jenbsbooks 's review for:
The Nightingale
by Kristin Hannah
I liked this fine. I'd heard so much hype that maybe I went in with my expectations too high. I've also already read a ton of WW2 fiction, and to, this was just one of many, without anything that really made it stand out. I don't know that I really felt like I learned anything new (which is something I hope for in historical fiction).
Basically - this had two timelines, the "now" which is "Oregon, April 1995" and this is told in first person/present tense. The story then shifts to the past (August 1939 to start, in France, and there shifts again to an older memory from years before), told in past tense, 3rd person, and it shifts between two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle. Vianne gets a few chapters, and then it shifts to Isabelle's story, and then rotates between the two. There were no headers indicating POV, and sometimes it would switch mid-chapter. It was a little difficult to follow in audio, just a pause. In text, there was a ************** to show the break and change in POV. I was often a little frustrated "who is SHE?" which POV are we following and I'd figure it out, but I like it to be a little more distinct and clear, especially when I am stopping/starting a lot (listening while doing other things).
The slightly unique presentation here, is that we (the reader) don't know WHO the MC at the start is (an old woman). We aren't given her name. As the first chapter ends, "she" states ... "I remember" and then there is the shift to the past, to Vianne. So the assumption is that she is Vianne? But perhaps she's Isabelle? Right before this shift it's asked "Who is Juliette Gervaise" so maybe that's who the old woman is? Most of the book is in the past, but there are several times throughout that it pops back to the "present" ... but we aren't positive of the present identity until the end. I might have liked to go back and check out some of the "present" parts, but alas, the Table of Contents is useless and doesn't include that information, just the most basic chronological chapters. To find them, you have to manually flip through checking every chapter (found one - chapter 14 was in 1995). If there IS information at the start of a chapter (a date, location, POV) ... include that in the TOC!
I had this in all three formats. I found the physical copy at a thrift store (score!) but I don't know that this is one I feel the need to keep. I'm sure someone would be thrilled to find it in my Little Free Library, so I'll probably put it in there. The audio is on Hoopla, and I had a bit of a wait to get the Kindle copy from the library. I liked the audio - as I went to start I had a moment of panic that it would be Julia Whelan, and while I love her narration, I'd JUST heard her in another book (a romcom) and didn't feel like that would work for me ... the narration my Polly Stone was good (I'd heard her in Sarah's Key but didn't have a memory of her voice). As mentioned above, I struggled a little with differentiating Vianne and Isabelle's storylines, but that was more an issue with the 3rd person writing. I think the Kindle copy may offer the most - with extras (photos, an interview with the author, ideas for book groups and discussion questions). I always appreciate it when discussion questions are included. It's like a quick, mini-bookclub, making me stop and think about somethings I might not have otherwise; to delve a little deeper. I know I could always Google and find some question ideas, but it's nice when they are right there!
Some words I note - sneaked, detritus, preternatural, assignation, route (pronounced rewt), roiled, cacophony, hearth, sibilance. ProFanity (x3). There was a little song, sung in the audio narration.
What was with the car models so specifically pointed out? The Renault, Citroen, Peugeot ... it almost felt like "I've done research to find out what cars were there historically so I need to mention them specifically" ... did it ever really matter what kind of car it was? It actually distracted rather than added for me. In a modern day story I guess it might always be pointed out if it's a Honda or a Ford or a Chevy, but unless there is a reason ... why?
I don't know if I'm hard-hearted, or if I've just read too much WW2 and other sad stories, but I never got overly emotional during this read. Sure, it was sad, but I never was pulled in enough to "feel" it ...
Basically - this had two timelines, the "now" which is "Oregon, April 1995" and this is told in first person/present tense. The story then shifts to the past (August 1939 to start, in France, and there shifts again to an older memory from years before), told in past tense, 3rd person, and it shifts between two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle. Vianne gets a few chapters, and then it shifts to Isabelle's story, and then rotates between the two. There were no headers indicating POV, and sometimes it would switch mid-chapter. It was a little difficult to follow in audio, just a pause. In text, there was a ************** to show the break and change in POV. I was often a little frustrated "who is SHE?" which POV are we following and I'd figure it out, but I like it to be a little more distinct and clear, especially when I am stopping/starting a lot (listening while doing other things).
The slightly unique presentation here, is that we (the reader) don't know WHO the MC at the start is (an old woman). We aren't given her name. As the first chapter ends, "she" states ... "I remember" and then there is the shift to the past, to Vianne. So the assumption is that she is Vianne? But perhaps she's Isabelle? Right before this shift it's asked "Who is Juliette Gervaise" so maybe that's who the old woman is? Most of the book is in the past, but there are several times throughout that it pops back to the "present" ... but we aren't positive of the present identity until the end. I might have liked to go back and check out some of the "present" parts, but alas, the Table of Contents is useless and doesn't include that information, just the most basic chronological chapters. To find them, you have to manually flip through checking every chapter (found one - chapter 14 was in 1995). If there IS information at the start of a chapter (a date, location, POV) ... include that in the TOC!
I had this in all three formats. I found the physical copy at a thrift store (score!) but I don't know that this is one I feel the need to keep. I'm sure someone would be thrilled to find it in my Little Free Library, so I'll probably put it in there. The audio is on Hoopla, and I had a bit of a wait to get the Kindle copy from the library. I liked the audio - as I went to start I had a moment of panic that it would be Julia Whelan, and while I love her narration, I'd JUST heard her in another book (a romcom) and didn't feel like that would work for me ... the narration my Polly Stone was good (I'd heard her in Sarah's Key but didn't have a memory of her voice). As mentioned above, I struggled a little with differentiating Vianne and Isabelle's storylines, but that was more an issue with the 3rd person writing. I think the Kindle copy may offer the most - with extras (photos, an interview with the author, ideas for book groups and discussion questions). I always appreciate it when discussion questions are included. It's like a quick, mini-bookclub, making me stop and think about somethings I might not have otherwise; to delve a little deeper. I know I could always Google and find some question ideas, but it's nice when they are right there!
Some words I note - sneaked, detritus, preternatural, assignation, route (pronounced rewt), roiled, cacophony, hearth, sibilance. ProFanity (x3). There was a little song, sung in the audio narration.
What was with the car models so specifically pointed out? The Renault, Citroen, Peugeot ... it almost felt like "I've done research to find out what cars were there historically so I need to mention them specifically" ... did it ever really matter what kind of car it was? It actually distracted rather than added for me. In a modern day story I guess it might always be pointed out if it's a Honda or a Ford or a Chevy, but unless there is a reason ... why?
I don't know if I'm hard-hearted, or if I've just read too much WW2 and other sad stories, but I never got overly emotional during this read. Sure, it was sad, but I never was pulled in enough to "feel" it ...