The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

The Nightingale is one of those books you get sucked into and live in till you turn the last page. And a day or two beyond.

Mostly set in Europe during World War II, The Nightingale covers the life of a small family and how they individually dealt with the horrors of the war. This book has romance, adventure, suspense, and above all is highly engaging and readable.

To keep things interesting, there are a few chapters set in modern day where you aren't sure who is narrating. And that's a good thing. It keeps you guessing till the very end.

The Nightingale

Book Read:  The Nightingale
Author:  Kristin Hannah

Home Front by Kristin Hannah

Home Front is the second novel by Kristin Hannah that I've read. She seems to pick timely topics that are highly emotionally charged. This one featured a woman Jolene Zarkades who is a wife and mother who also flies helicopters in the National Guard. This job is part time, only a few days a week and some weekends, until her group is called to go to Afghanistan for a year. 

This is not a Pollyanna story. Shit happens. I think this book would be a great resource for anyone dealing with someone going off to war. It doesn't sugar coat the effects, which I really appreciated.

Have you read Home Front? What did you think?

Book Read: Home Front

Author:  Kristin Hannah

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

I'm not sure where I picked up Winter Garden, but I had it in my "someday" pile. "Someday I'll read that book." I wasn't as thrilled at the beginning of this book as I was at the end. The story within a story, the fairy tale told by the mother to her two daughters, made the book. I don't like to give away even the smallest part of books so as not to spoil it for readers, but this ended up being such a good book. I'm glad I stuck with it.

The brutal life of Russians during the siege of Leningrad during World War II was told from a first person account that was heartfelt and horrible. But I'm sure the real thing was many times worse than reading about this first person account. It reminds me of City of Thieves by David Benioff, which covered this same topic from a couple of young men's point of view. I'd recommend both Winter Garden and City of Thieves for anyone who is a student of this era.

Do you like reading fiction based on real life?

Book Read: Winter Garden

Author:  Kristin Hannah

ISBN:  978-0-312-36412-0