The Nightingale

Two sisters in Nazi-occupied France take opposite paths through the war, and Kristin Hannah's novel follows both to their ends. Vianne stays in her village and faces the occupation at close quarters; Isabelle joins the resistance. The book holds the domestic and the dangerous together, showing forms of courage that wartime histories often leave uncounted, and it gives women's experience of the period the weight usually reserved for soldiers. Hannah writes with emotional directness, and the story moves across the full length of the occupation. Published by Pan MacMillan. Why it holds up: • Historical fiction set in France during the Second World War • Two sisters whose choices diverge under occupation • Attention to women's roles in resistance and survival • A narrative that spans the war years rather than a single episode For readers of historical fiction and family-centred wartime stories, published by Pan MacMillan and available at Boipoka.