reading day

The start of a new year gives us a chance to pause, reflect, and think about what we want to achieve in the next twelve months. I haven’t made New Year’s resolutions for quite a few years, but in the spirit of turning a new page, I am going to read more books this year. 

Yesterday, I started and finished my first book of 2025.

A couple months ago, my dear friend gave a book to me and she said, “This book reminds me of my mom.” The book, The Nightingale, by Kristen Hannah, takes place in German-occupied France during WWII when Germany had taken over the French government and transported the Jews to the German “work camps.” My friend’s mom was a German Jew living in Munich and her family escaped to Palestine. While in Palestine, Ruta met a man who became her husband and a Catholic priest helped them get to the United States. 

This book tells the story of two sisters in France during World War II. The sisters are estranged from each other and their father, and the book follows the two different paths they take to survive and resist the German occupation. I enjoyed the book and if you like sweet sentimentality with a memorable plot twist The Nightingale is a good read. The book is historical fiction and has a few historical inaccuracies. The Germans’ treatment of the French people and the Jews is horrific, as has been told in many, many accounts.

My friend loved the book, I enjoyed it. The storyline was predictable but the story of those who helped the Jews, the pilots whose planes were downed behind enemy lines, the survivors of the concentration camps, and the survival of the French people is so heroic and so inspiring.