To think, The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah was published five years ago and sitting on my bookshelf, unread, for two of those years. Oh, the shame.
I did not expect to lose the month of September to this book. I have no memories of where my children were or what they ate or what actions came from work meetings. I’m pretty sure I left the front door open a few times when I left for work in the mornings. I was not in this world. I was in the 1940’s watching France fall.
The Nightingale is a historical fiction novel set in the 1940’s when the Nazis invade and takeover France. The story is narrated by the main character Vianne and tells of the two different journeys taken by her sister Isabelle and herself as they try to survive the same war. You will go on a journey of great female heroism.
I was told by a fellow #bookstagrammer that I would have my heart ripped out. Being the hard nut to crack that I am, I didn’t think much about that comment, until I found myself crying into my hands, alone, on a Friday (the happy day).
I wanted to put it down to being 25 weeks pregnant. I wanted to blame the hormones. I even messaged my mum and blamed her for not having read and vetted the book before allowing me to read it. But it wasn’t the hormones. It was the superb writing and imagery. It was Hannah’s amazing ability to pull me into the story, into the moment, and make me feel the heart of the words.
The nightingale did two things:
- It made me want to quit writing because how could I ever write with such beauty and talent.
Similarly,
2. It made me want to never stop writing, in the hope that one day I could achieve such an accolade, as is the writing of The Nightingale.
I’m now asking myself, what other gems do I have sitting on my #TBR shelf that I’ve been procrastinating about?
The Nightingale now sits as my top pick for 2020.
It can be so easy to keep picking the new releases or the books that pop up in your feeds. But don’t forget the ones that are sitting on your shelves. The books that were gifted to you or you once bought but forgot about.
Whole new worlds await you.
T x
P.S Shout out to my mum for another great book selection. Your talent for picking good books is like no other. X (The tears were a bit much though).
FlyInMyWine 