Ponder: The Nightingale

I positively loved Nightingale by Kristin Hannah ©2015. Although I am generally put off by novels situated in times of war, this book drew me in by painting the hardships of war from a female perspective  – not the view of men on the battlefront – but the view of women on the home front. Rather than a litany of battles and offensives or a confusing, foggy portrayal of political intrigues and philosophies, this novel had me living the day to day trials of women keeping it together and hanging on by their fingernails during wartime, sustaining the dream of a life of joyful comfort for their families, hopefully reunited at the end of the war.

I claim I read for enjoyment and avoid books that are "downers". Nightingale was not a happy book – far from it – but despite its dire mood, I found it extremely engaging. Seeing someone triumph over injustices can be uplifting and make me feel good. The trite phrase, "It is not whether you win or lose but how you play the game that matters" is reflected in this novel. The Germans subjected the French, and particular the French Jews, to horrendous atrocities. Kristin Hannah portrayed a support system where the persecuted nobly supported each other and eschewed the cowardly "every man for himself philosophy". As we are glued to the television watching broadcasts of tragedies such as the Oklahoma City bombing, the 9/11 attacks, or the hurricane and typhoon devastation, we can't help but be inspired by the volunteer help of outsiders or the cooperation and sharing of those in the disaster together. That was the emotion I got from this book. 

Two sisters, very different in personalities, negotiate the tricky aspects of survival in France during WWII. They rely on their inner reserves, customized to utilize their particular personal strengths to the best advantage in outwitting or at least being unnoticed by the enemy. Vianne is left home with her young daughter when her husband is sent off to fight. Her challenge is how to feed, clothe, and provide for herself and her daughter when so much is rationed or denied them and what little they have often taken from them by fiat. A German officer is assigned to take up residence in Vianne's home. Vianne's unmarried younger sister Isabella, a rebel by nature, is outraged by the unfairness of the Germans and chomps at the bit to be a part of the French resistance and to be a member of the underground movement against the enemy. Her would-be love relationship with Gaetan, a fellow member of the resistance, is repeatedly thwarted by the volatile twists and turns of war. 

The characters in this book are well developed and multi-dimensional. An intertwined combination of subplots and vignettes of the lives of these characters kept me engaged. A generous amount of intimate details had me wiping tears from my eyes in annoyance, mostly because I wanted desperately to know what was coming next and could not read through the blur. There is a tree outside Vianne's house. She tied a piece of yarn plucked from a sweater of her husband Antoine to a lower branch of the tree as a constant reminder and a symbol of hope for him to return home. As the novel progresses pieces of thread or twine are added –  for her Jewish neighbor Rachel, for her father – to symbolize people in danger, in pain, in peril of being lost. The uncertainty of each addition is a tearful, poignant moment. I unequivocally give this book 5 stars and would highly recommend it as a worthy read.