The Nightingale cover art

The Nightingale

The Multimillion Copy Bestseller from the Author of The Women

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The Nightingale

By: Kristin Hannah
Narrated by: Polly Stone
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About this listen

The multimillion-copy bestselling phenomenon and 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 readers 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 gripping tale of family, love, grief and forgiveness’ Sunday Express

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

20th Century Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction War & Military Women's Fiction War Military Heartfelt Inspiring Tear-jerking Thought-Provoking Feel-Good

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)
The real horrors of war, the deprivations, the risks are all there . . . This is a hauntingly tragic yet sympathetic novel
An unforgettable portrait of love and war
The bestselling author hits her stride in this page-turning tale about two sisters, one in the French countryside, the other in Paris, who show remarkable courage in the German occupation during WWII . . . The author ably depicts war’s horrors through the eyes of these two women, whose strength of character shines through no matter their differences
A respectful and absorbing page-turner
The suspense builds slowly in this thought-provoking and absorbing novel
All stars
Most relevant
The story was interesting and stimulating even if not always factually correct. It presented a real drama that was captivating.
At first, I was irritated by the American narrator, I thought this was a mistake (and perhaps still do?), it presented a disconnect with all of the characters early years in France. I began to ignore it as I became more intrigued by the story.
It might be better with two narrators one French and one American.

Excellent Story

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It took a while for me to get into the story. In fact until I sped up the speed of the reading to 1.25. I just needed it to go a bit faster. However would highly highly recommended it. We too often forget what life was like for non-soldiers in World War II. Really really touching story.

Amazing story.but read a bit too slow.

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A slow start but it quickly entwines itself into your heart, beautifully written and sensitively narrated. Unputdownable.

Heartbreaking

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The story kept me utterly transfixed, both with its ability to fully depict the atmosphere of war time but also the engaging way it describes the conflict and confusion in people, to save your own skin or to overcome very natural fear and grow into a hero who will try everything to help save suffering humanity. It has left me very humble!
Very well read, too! Found myself imagining that I was there! Read it more or less in one sitting, this novel has given me a memorable weekend! Thank you.

Brilliantly crafted

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This is a totally captivating story, told with a real depth of emotion and some beautiful language.
The story itself is enthralling, but I would like to make special mention also of the narrator. Polly Stone does the story justice and manages to conjure up an individual voice for every character, each one subtly independent of the next.
An extraordinary listen.

The most beautiful bird song often sounds sad

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