Phew, I finished The Nightingale right before it was due last week! It’s the story of two estranged French sisters during World War II. Vianne, the older sister, lives outside of a small French town with her daughter while her husband is at war. The younger sister, Isabelle, is in Paris when the Nazis invade, and makes her way to her Vianne’s home. Vianne’s number one priority is keeping her daughter safe, while Isabelle’s is fighting the Germans. The sisters don’t see eye to eye, and things get worse when a Nazi billets in Vianne’s home.

And so much more happens – there’s a lot going on in this book. It’s an easy read, and decently paced, especially for 440 pages. I would have sped through it faster if I hadn’t been so busy each night and had less time to read. I liked it and would read another Kristin Hannah book someday, but am not in a hurry to.

Speaking of reading books by the same author, The Dutch House is my second Ann Patchett read of the year (the other being State of Wonder). I requested The Dutch House because Jamie on The Popcast recommended it, and didn’t realize it was by Patchett until I started it.

This book. Wow. It’s definitely one of my favorite reads of the year. The characters felt so real. I felt like I knew them, and knew what they were feeling. They definitely stayed with me.

This book starts about a decade after the end of WWII, but you never really know it, as the timeline jumps all over the place over five decades, and isn’t very generous with which year it is – but it’s easy to follow, and an easy read.

The Dutch House is about siblings Danny and Maeve, who live in the elaborate Dutch style house outside of Philadelphia with their father. Their mother left them. Their father remarries and Danny and Maeve’s lives dramatically change shortly thereafter.

This is a story about sibling bonds, family relationships, turmoil over the past, personal growth, forgiveness, and awareness. Danny and Maeve have an incredible bond – Maeve took on the role of his caretaker (along with the house staff) when their mother left, and she’s always cared for and loved him. It was interesting to see how their relationship changed over the years, and how obsessed they remained with the house and what happened in their past after they no longer lived there.

I don’t want to spoil it, but read it – it’s amazing.

I started reading the contemporary romance Waiting for Tom Hanks after, but I made it to 50 pages and just couldn’t stand the main character, so I am going to start The Grace Year.

And if I don’t like that, I’ll read Wild – I forgot I am supposed to read it for work book club!