An exquisite, heartbreaking story from an international bestselling author that speaks to women everywhere about the things that matter most.
Kristin Hannah is the award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 novels, including the international blockbuster, The Nightingale.
The story was inspired by the life and memoirs of Andrée de Jongh, a Belgian Countess and a member of the Belgian Resistance during the Second World War. Under the alias of Dédée and Postman, she organised and led the Comet Line to assist Allied soldiers and airmen in escaping from Nazi-occupied Belgium.
Kristin Hannah opens her novel with a letter to the reader, explaining her sources of inspiration and why she was compelled to write their story. She writes, “ Sometimes a story sneaks up on you, hits you hard and dares you to look away. That was the case with The Nightingale. In truth, I did everything I could not to write this novel. But when research on World War Two led me to a story of a young woman who had created an escape route out of Nazi-occupied France, I was hooked. Her story – one of heroism and danger and unbridled courage – became the starting point. “
Exploring themes such as family loyalty, the power of the human spirit, and the will to survive, The Nightingale centres around the story of two sisters in very different circumstances who must do everything they can to survive. The novel debuted to overall critical acclaim, winning Goodreads Best Historical Fiction Novel for 2015. The book also won the coveted People’s Choice award for best fiction in the same year and was named the Best Book of the Year by Amazon.
In her direct opening address to the reader, the author reflects on what is at the heart of this story – the questions that still as relevant today as they were in 1940s war-torn Europe and the world – poignantly honing in on the truth: “In love we find out who we want to be; in war we find out who we are. And sometimes, perhaps, we don’t want to know what we would do to survive.”
