The Nightingale

By: Kristin Hannah

Narrated by: Polly Stone

The Bestselling Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick

'One of the greatest storytellers of our time' – Delia Owens, author of Where the Crawdads Sing

Soon to be a major motion picture, Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale has captured the hearts of millions of listeners becoming a number one bestseller across the world. It is a heart-breakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the endurance of women.
'I always thought it was what I wanted: to be loved and admired. Now I think perhaps I’d like to be known'

This story is about what it was like to be a woman during World War II, when women’s stories were all too often forgotten or overlooked . . . Vianne and Isabelle Mauriac are two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals and passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path towards survival, love and freedom in war-torn France.

It is a novel for everyone, a novel for a lifetime.

‘A rich, compelling novel of love, sacrifice and survival’ – Kate Morton, author of Homecoming

‘Movingly written and plotted with the heartless skill of a Greek tragedy, you’ll keep turning the pages until the last racking sob’ – Daily Mail

‘I loved The Nightingale . . . great characters, great plots, great emotions, who could ask for more in a novel?’ – Isabel Allende, bestselling author of A Long Petal of the Sea

‘A griping tale of family, love, grief and forgiveness’ – Sunday Express

The Nightingale has sold more than 4 million copies globally, TIME, February 2021

©2015 Kristin Hannah (P)2015 Pan Macmillan Publishers Ltd.

Critic reviews

A rich, compelling novel of love, sacrifice and survival (Kate Morton, author of Homecoming and The Lake House)

Utterly compelling, powerful and unforgettable Kristin Hannah is an exquisite storyteller. The Nightingale is one of those rare must read books that will forever nestle in your heart . . . (Christy Lefteri, bestselling author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo)

I loved The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, a talented writer of American stories; great characters, great plots, great emotions, who could ask for more in a novel? (Isabel Allende, bestselling author of A Long Petal of the Sea and Violeta)

Beautifully written . . . packed with action and emotion (Sara Gruen, bestselling author of Water for Elephants)

Heartbreaking but enjoyable

I enjoyed The Nightingale immensely. The narrator kept me wanting to hear more. The changes in her voice when she became another character was appealing to my ear.
Great story, which is many persons' story, told from a different angle.
Recommended to anyone who loves to read books with a historical perspective

A must read

Incredible story, so beautifully written, and Polly Stone’s narration was absolutely brilliant!
I was so sad when the book was finished!

The absolute tragedy of war...

it took a while for me to get into it, I kept thinking it was a bit "meh", but then it certainly picked up and I could not wait to get back to it.

A beautiful and tragic story. I highly recommend it.

Enjoyed the narrator very much bar for the Gestapo officers voices, but I guess that's to be expected.

What an incredible book!!!!!!

So beautifully read!! So beautifully written!!! So difficult to listen to in parts and yet unputdownable which isn’t a word but the best way to describe this book. Get ready for a touching, painful, inspiring and deeply touching story!!! Well done to the reader - what an incredible job you did. And kristan Hannah you are simply incredible!!!!

Heartbreaking

I rarely write reviews, on this occasion I shall endeavour to put my thoughts into print. This is not just another book about the holocaust. It’s about the French and how deeply they suffered under the German occupation. So often I was so deeply moved by the suffering endured I had to stop listening as I was so angered by the dictatorship of Hitler and others who have followed since. Truly one of the best books ever read/listened to.

nightingale

unforgettable characters that remained with me for a good while after finishing this totally marvelous story especially Vianne the quiet heroine. the graphic accounts in France after the German occupation can be hard to listen to all the suffering and abject cruelty that was imposed by the German soldiers leaves one s bit shaken. worth every bit of my credit.

Everything

Love everything about this book , the best book I ever read , everyone should read this book , they will appreciate life more

Just the kind of world warII novel I enjoy

A beautifully written story that takes you through the experiences of people who lived through the war. Excellent narration by Polly Stone.

excellent story, frustrating narration problems

If you could sum up The Nightingale in three words, what would they be?

bittersweet, intriguing, formidable.

Any additional comments?

Great story of two sisters in occupied France during WWII.

Audio review - Narrator had a great voice but didnt bother to learn french pronunciation of common french words / phrases which were scattered throughout the story. So she stuck with mispronouncing them the whole way through which was quite annoying.

Secondly it was obvious where she had re-recorded snippets, a sentence here and there where she didnt even bother to match her voice to her previous reading, sometimes when speaking as a character! This was really poor form. The volume levels when this happened were also out, indicating that nobody even bothered mixing the volume tracks to match where there had been breaks.

These audio issues really destroyed the storytelling. I would only recommend this book for reading, not listening.

Best read/listen in a long time! Highly recommend

Amazing story, amazing narration. Couldn’t put it down! One of the best audibles yet!
Looking forward to other books from this author and narrator now.