Kindle Unlimited is both a blessing and a curse - 'free' books (yay!) but the with the occasional stinker (boo!) There was literally nothing worth reading in this overlong, erratic and poorly written novel. The 'mystery' that brings together London based journalist Eleanor-Rigby and Canadian Carpenter George-Harrison (was the Beatles thing ever properly explained?) was telegraphed from the early chapters, the dialogue was immature, whether by design or translation, and the Second World War backstory made The Nightingale read like reportage. And most importantly, I didn't like a single character, mainly because they are all flimsy stereotypes, from the 'special' brother who talks like a robot to the country club grandmama. There were glimmers of humour and convincing relationships at the start of the story, but once the 'plot' kicked in, all hope was lost. Two women setting up a newspaper with a discarded mimeograph and a friendly accountant from Procter and Gamble in the early 1980s? Sure! An American 'special agent' being sent into occupied France after a crash course in the lingo who tells his real name to the first Frenchman he meets? Works for me! Errant nonsense. And the author, who is French and lives in New York, cannot write convincingly about either country, let alone reducing London to awkward praise for sitcoms like Fawlty Towers. Return to Kindle Unlimited - yes, please! ( )

Really enjoyed this story- told from multiple view points and in multiple timeframes. Mystery and love story. ( )

Levy is a very popular French author and his books are read all over Europe. Even though Levy lives in New York City he writes in French and the books have to be translated. I had wanted to see what his books were like and since this one was at my local public library, this was the title I choose as an introduction to Levy's work.

This book is historical fiction. It is also one of those family epic sagas, with a mystery thrown in. It flashes back and forth in time between WWII, the late 1960's, and the present. It was slow to start, but once it got going, it was a well constructed story. At the heart of it is WWII and the Resistance in France. This is getting to be a trope in many of the French books that I read, but this book presented a different kind of slant on the Resistance story by moving it past that and into the present lives of the characters. The Stanfields are an aristocratic family in Baltimore, MD with wealth and glamor to spare. However, the events of one night change that. A British citizen receives a mysterious letter that leads her to Baltimore at the same time that a Canadian citizen receives the same letter that leads him to Baltimore with both people ending up following the trail to the Stanfield family. Mystery and romance ensue. ( )

This novel was difficult to be down once I started reading. The book is told through three different eras; WW II, 1980, and 2016 and four generations of the Stanfields. If you love a book where there is a mystery involving a family secret. I do not wish to give any secrets but this book is a must. ( )

Listened to this on Audible Audio - it was a 2 for 1 Credit Audio Book and Boy of Boy am I glad I picked it up! Very interesting Story, filled with family secrets, mystery, intrigue and of course a love story intertwined! - Spanning 2 continents and full of engaging characters. Absolutely a great read! ( )