Historical Fiction Annotation

Synopsis of The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

The story of the Nightingale begins in the year 1995 with an old woman ruminating about her past but quickly goes back in time to France at the beginning of World War II. It follows the lives of Vianne, her husband Antoine, their daughter Sophie, and Vianne's seemingly ne-er do well sister, Isabelle. Vianne and Isabelle have a strained relationship due to events that transpired after their mother died when they were young, and they have lived apart since Vianne was a teenager. As World War II unfolds around the world, Isabelle is expelled from a school for girls and Antoine is sent to fight for France. Isabelle and Vianne are reunited and they still feel the tension after years of unresolved conflict, and sour feelings about their father who did not seem to care for them after their mother died. Soon after they are reunited, the Nazis occupy their small French town and the women's lives spiral down a path of war and survival. Amid the brutality of the War, the women are pushed to their limits and beyond, which allows them to see each other in a different light. The sisters are not content to lay idly by while others suffer at the hand of the Nazis, so they help to save those that would otherwise be persecuted. They are always walking the line between their heroics and caution. Isabelle the Nightingale helps people cross from France into Spain in the cover of darkness. Vianne fights her own battles at home trying to survive for her child and a town that needs her. This is a story of War, compassion, heartache, brutality, and the enduring bond of two sisters that lasts throughout decades. 

Elements of Historical Fiction

Setting: The novel takes place mostly in France in the duration of World War II. It gives the reader a glimpse of what life was like for the people who lived there during that time. The country and the people are described, as well as the route the Nightingale took from France to Spain in her effort to help people escape. 

Tone/Mood: While this book has aspects of romance and suspense, the tone is somber due to the subject nature. It is somber, and the reader is immersed in a time of great distress, but hopeful for the characters' future.

Storyline: The characters are living during World War II. The novel focuses on the relationships between the sisters, their love interests, and other family ties, but the War itself is almost as equally in the forefront.

Characterization: Isabelle and Vianne are not real people who lived during the time, but they accurately portrayed as women living in the 1940's during war and oppression. It is known that they speak French with each other, but due to the book being written in English, that is the language that is used for the reader. 

Pacing: The story is told from the first occupation of France through the end of the War. This is several years' time. The book is long, 440 pages, which gives the author time to delve into the characters' lives and the events of the War. 

Read-alikes

The Book of Aron by Jim Shepard 

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton