Title: The Nightingale
Author: Kristin Hannah
Genre: Historical Fiction
Locations: Paris, Carriveau

WWII happened 6 decades ago and yet it is still fresh in the memories of the men and women who suffered through those black years. WWII is not however, a memory for the generations born following this horrid event. This book will force its readers to come to a realization of the many horrible and heart breaking events that occurred for the years Germany occupied a large part of Europe.

While this book is historical fiction, it is based upon the real events that occurred to millions of innocent individuals during WWII. But the most beautiful part is that this novel depicts the lives of the strong women who were left at home to fight their own kind if war.

The Nightingale focuses on the lives of a pair of sisters named Vianne and Isabelle Rossignol. (Rossignol meaning Nightingale in French). Isabelle is the fighter who cannot stand to be on the sidelines while Vianne wants to just follow the rules in the hopes that her passiveness will keep her children safe. Their differences lead them down two very different paths, yet both paths end with them as heroes.

Each sister is forced to face a number of emotions, struggles and pains and the reader will feel as though each emotion is their own. You will feel the loss, heartbreak and love that each character undergoes as the novel progresses. However, not only do the emotions feel real but the experiences do as well. While reading this book I spent hours researching towns, concentration camps, and maps of France so I could makes sense of all the experiences I imagined I was going through.

Kristin Hannah has written a masterpiece that will leave you feeling exhausted (in a good way). It was written beautifully and with such attention to detail. Each human action such as a hand to the stomach or an eye glance at the enemy, provides the novel with such a beautiful richness that makes the book heavier than its physical weight.

This book is not for the faint of heart and one must be prepared to cry. However, it is a masterpiece that will remind us of all of the important things we must be thankful for every single day.

Title: All the Light We Cannot See
Author: Anthony Doerr
Genre: Historical Fiction
Destinations: France, Germany

I finished this book while on a plan it was definitely the worst place you could ever finish this book. I cried straight for the last 50 pages. So as a PSA to all future readers of this book, DO NOT read it on a plane.

All the Light We Cannot See is not a plot driven novel. It is character driven and what entices you to keep reading are the back and forward time jumps. The two main characters lead separate lives that are entwined in a way that seems simple but is deeper than anything they could imagine.

The best part of this book is the way Anthony Doerr writes. The main female character is blind and as you are reading from her point of view you begin to feel that you are blind yourself. You feel the darkness and the fear, but you also feel your other senses being heightened and the beauty the cames with having your other 5 senses make amends.

When Doerr writes from the male's point of view you feel as though you are a confused adolescent boy caught on the brink of either complying with or rebelling against your superiors. This internal battle rattles him for the entire novel. In the end when he finally makes the decision about who he wants to be, it will have been the best decision he ever could have made.

This novel takes place during WWII and vividly paints the fear that came to all the citizens of France as well as those of Germany. This was an incredibly tumultuous time and I loved that I was able to experience it from the stand point of a young blind girl and young genius boy.

Definitely take the time to read this beautiful piece!