Reese Witherspoon has selected Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale as the latest pick for her popular book club.
Hannah’s novel, published in 2015 by St. Martin’s, follows two sisters living in France during the country’s Nazi occupation. A critic for Kirkus called the book “a respectful and absorbing page-turner.”
In an Instagram post announcing the selection, Witherspoon called the book “arguably one of the most powerful, most captivating novels about WWII in recent years.”
“This important story illuminates a part of history that’s often overlooked: the women’s war,” Witherspoon wrote. “It’s a harrowing tale of two sisters, survival, love and female resilience throughout Nazi-occupied France.”
In a video accompanying the post, Witherspoon said the novel was a “different, interesting choice” for the book club, noting that it was published several years ago.
“We were just talking here at Hello Sunshine about so much stuff [that] is going on in the world, including war and the state of the world, and how it’s impacting women and children, and the rise of antisemitism in general,” she said. “So we started talking about this book again, and the conversations that are being had right this minute that this novel addresses with a real sense of urgency and reality.”
Also on Instagram, Hannah shared the news of her book’s selection, writing, “She makes the book sound so good, even I want to read it again! Thanks again to Reese and the fabulous team at @reesesbookclub for choosing the novel to celebrate #womenhistorymonth. And thanks to all of them for encouraging reading. #history can teach us so much.”
Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.
