To kick off our Life with Lipstick On book club properly, I thought I’d review my January read. The Nightingale was hands down one of my top 5 favorite reads ever! I literally couldn’t put it down ! To be honest the size of the book would have intimidated me probably right off the bat. I knew that it was a historical fiction which also seemed daunting. The book was highly recommended from my cousin as being one of her all time faves so I picked it up.
I was quickly swept into the 1940s during the WWII German occupation of Paris. A time in history that I should know more about but just didn’t. The story of the women’s war. I have never been a history buff but this book really took you quickly into the that overwhelmingly scary time. The story is of two sister Vianne and Isabelle. They were shuffled around as young girls after their mother had died and their father in his despair became a drunk. Vianne married her great love Antionne and Isabelle was obsessed with becoming a part of the war. She could think of nothing else than how to be of help and make a difference in some way. Yet, she was young, defiant and reckless. In her desperation to aide the war efforts, she finds herself in the throws of danger that she just isn’t prepared for. She is eager to prover herself as important and capable. She begins secretly dispersing notes amongst the town debunking the Nazi propaganda that was being splashed about. This mission creates a bravery and skill that no other woman had possessed. She then was introduced to a larger opportunity to aide in rescuing downed American pilots by leading them through the treacherous mountains to safety and escape. She became what was known as the Nightingale. The heroine to the war efforts to her people. I sat on the edge of my seat while she trudged through the scariest of interrogations and the most impossible seeming missions. Back home in their village, Vianne’s own mission of bravery was under way. She fought tirelessly to keep her family and friends safe as their homes and town was overcome by Nazi’s. A German Captain moved into their home which made for a very intense daily life mixed between fear and rage. The climate became even more dangerous and the Nightingale’s efforts became more successful. Vianne’s daughter Sophie became her beacon of light while Antionne was away in the war. She took into two other orphaned children as their parents were seized and taken to camps. That became her war cry. To save the children left behind. As the story of love, bravery, unbearable struggle and reality of life at that time envelops the reader you begin to feel every nuance as you are there yourself.
Kristen Hannah’s writing transported me instantly into that scary world. I read in tense suspense, cried at the despair and felt the wave of overwhelming love as the conclusion of the two women’s lives reveals itself. Ugh! You guys! The BEST!!!! I would recommend it a million times over! You don’t have to be interested in history to get swept up into this story! It was breathtaking!
So as promised we are officially starting our Life with Lipstick On book club!!! I can’t wait to book worm it with you girls! Here is how it gonna work. I’ve created a Life with Lipstick On Book Club Facebook group. Make sure you are signed up there to follow along with our announcement of our February book coming soon and for the date of our review on Facebook Live. It’s going to be so fun! Make sure to send in any reading requests too! I plan to keep our genres really diverse!