It's a Bestie Blog Takeover

Happy Thursday Morning Ya'll!
Today you are in for a super special treat!  My bestie, Mel is taking over!  You might remember meeting her here!  Mel's an awesome supporter of my blog and an avid reader, so when I mentioned The Blended Blog's Virtual Book Club to her she hopped on board.

Each month, club members are chosen to pick what's going to be read.  In April, Melanie was asked to share a book.  She thought her most favorite book, The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah was one that the book clubbers would enjoy.  And since it was her pick, I thought it'd be fun to have Mel takeover the blog today to share her review of the book with you!

Here's Mel!

I’ve read a lot of books in my time, most of which I don’t remember, but this one – this is one I can never forget.  This one, The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, is my favorite all time book.   When people ask me for a book suggestion, this one is ALWAYS the one I give.  

It’s a story that follows two sisters living in France during World War II. Vianne and Isabelle could not be more different, and the ways they deal with the war could not be more different.  But, at the end of the day, they both want the same thing - to help people, protect the ones they love and most importantly survive – and both show tremendous bravery throughout.  

Kristen Hannah develops the storyline, the characters, and their relationships beautifully – but at the same time never loses the seriousness of their situations, never loses the devastation that they felt. There is a line from the book which I’m paraphrasing but it was something like, “They can only bruise my body, they can never hurt my soul and the person I am”.  I think that is the theme of the whole book – persevering through the hardest of times, never giving up who you are at your core.   

I also enjoyed getting a different perspective of World War II. We’ve all learned about it in textbooks, or even heard stories maybe from relatives that fought during it.  But for me, there was something profound in getting the perspective of the war from civilians living through it – it humanized it in a way for me that I never experienced before.  It definitely gave me a better understanding of what life was like under Nazi occupation, and the lengths that ordinary people took to fight against it.  

This book moved me in ways that no other book ever has.  There were parts that made me smile, and of course there were parts that literally made me cry my eyes out (I don’t suggest reading the last chapter of this book while you’re on a packed rush hour train home from work!).  It’s a story of history, tragedy, love… I think everyone should read it, and I hope that everyone loves it as much as I do.  

Enjoy!  

________________________________

Thanks so much Mel! This review's got me thinking she needs her own blog! Head on over to The Blended Blog to link up your April Book Reviews with us! And if you're looking for something to read this month, check out what TBB Reads has in store here!