The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah - Book Talk

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Have you ever felt as if a book could reach into the depths of your heart and squeeze? That's exactly what happened to us as we unpacked Kristin Hannah's "The Nightingale" in our latest Book Talk of the Lazy Girl Library. Darbi and Mikayla traverse the harrowing and heartfelt paths of sisters Vianne and Isabelle, whose stories of love, loss, and resistance during WWII France resonated with us on a deeply emotional level. We not only explore the intricacies of their bond but also confront the moral complexities they face, allowing for a candid reflection on our own potential responses to such trying times.

This episode is a testament to the emotional impact of a well-told story, and we invite you to join us as we peel back the layers of Hannah's compelling narrative that might just have you reaching for a box of tissues.

SPOILER WARNING! 
Start:      1:58
End:     50:55

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:10):
Welcome to the Lazy Girl Library, the podcast, where
reading is a pleasure andcaptivating adventures happen
from the comfort of your couch.
I'm your host, darby, and I'mMikayla, and if you've ever
spent more time rearranging yourbookshelf than your priorities,
then you, my friend, are in theright place.
Hey, hey, hey.

(00:31):
Welcome to episode six of LazyGirl Library.

Speaker 2 (00:35):
We're back and heartbroken and ready to digest
yeah, I sounded way too excitedand eager during that um hello
excited and eager during that,um hello, I'm actually not
feeling that way.
Uh, this book was just.
It was an intense one, andwe're so excited to actually get
to talk about it now, becausewe've been waiting for this

(00:56):
podcast to record all of ourthoughts and I'm so intrigued to
hear your thoughts on this,darby.

Speaker 1 (01:01):
I know I I told Mikayla before we started
recording.
I was like I hope I don't cryduring the podcast and I'm not
kidding.
I was like when we starttalking about things like, yeah,
just if you hear me sound alittle whiny.
I'm so sorry, but man man, man,what a good, good book.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
It's going to be a good book talk this time around.
This is our book talk episode,so we'll be talking about our
book club book of the month,which was the Nightingale by
Kristen Hanna.
In this episode, we're going totalk about our thoughts on the
book.
As per usual, answer some bookclub, ask questions about the
book and give our final ratings,which it was a great one.

Speaker 1 (01:44):
And then also we have our new book club book for next
month, which is going to befourth wing by rebecca yaros.
So stay tuned at the end of thebook for the book description.
Um, warning, book spoilersahead.
Please head to the descriptionand show notes to find where to
skip to.

(02:04):
You have been warned, yeah, soto kind of spark notes the
Nightingale.
It's basically a historicalfiction that is set in France
during the time of World War II,and it's about a family of two
sisters who their mother dieswhen they're very young.
They do not have a greatrelationship with their father

(02:24):
and they don't even have a goodrelationship with each other and
as this war starts you kind ofget a dual perspective of both
of their lives as they gothrough the war.
And so the older sister she hasa husband who gets deployed.
He's forced to go serve in thewar.
He ends up going into like awork camp or something like they

(02:47):
keep him in germany like he's aprisoner of war, thank you.
So he's there.
And then she has a nazi whoactually stays in the home with
her.
It blight, I think.
How do you bill it?
Bill it something, yeah, um,war terminology the, the nazi,
lives there with her and herdaughter, and so you kind of see
her journey of coping throughnot having her husband there,

(03:10):
also having the restrictions.
She's much more of a rulefollower and trying to just kind
of stay under the radar,whereas her younger sister,
isabel, has never been like arule follower and immediately
when the war starts she's like Ineed to help, I need to figure
out what I can do.
And so, in essence, she makesher way through the war and

(03:31):
serving by helping with theresistance, basically, yeah, and
a big part of her thing is thatshe helps soldiers who have
fallen out of airplanes.
She helps them get back out offrance so they can do it again.
And for the allies, yes, forthe allies, yeah, um.
And so then you kind of see herperspective of war through, um,

(03:51):
kind of being in the thick ofthe resistance.
But there are so many moredetails that go into this.
You see the family that was notclose, men back together.

Speaker 2 (04:01):
you see the love stories that happen you see the
character development from likethe start of the awards, because
the book takes you through thestart to the end of world war ii
.
So you see the characterdevelopment and how much these
characters change and evolve intheir thought process on
everything, completely developas time goes on and they're
experiencing more of thesehardships and what they've had

(04:23):
to like overcome for it.

Speaker 1 (04:25):
There's also a kind of narrator of the present day
of one of the sisters and what'skind of happening then, and
they're invited to go to France.
She lives in America now andshe's invited to go back to
France for a like, reunion ofsuch and as, like a like she's
being honored there, Sorry.

Speaker 2 (04:46):
And you don't know which one it is.
As you're reading too, you kindof assume that it's one.
Until the very end, we'll getthere, we'll get there.
But yeah, oh, it was so good,all right, so let's get into it.
Darby, what were your initialthoughts for this book?

Speaker 1 (05:03):
I can't get into it.
I'm going to cry.
I don't have a heart anymorebecause it's been ripped out.
Essentially, it was seriouslyso good and moving and powerful
and I just I don't have enoughgood things to say about the
book.
I think it should be read inschools.
Like it was really good, moving,enlightening.

(05:24):
I felt so many emotions.
It was really good, moving,enlightening.
I felt so many emotions.
It was a really good book andwe've been reading a lot of
fantasy, fictional books, sothis was just such like a you
know brought back into reality,Even though it's still fiction.

Speaker 2 (05:37):
It just it's a different type of adventure and
it's like a breath of fresh airfrom, like, the fantasy realm,
but still having such a movingand compelling story that really
like captivates you and drawsyou in, but being based on like
no, the story isn't based ontrue events, but just like true
events of like the war in thattime that the story is set well,

(05:59):
I um read, like the author'snote, like acknowledgements or
whatever, and she does say thatthey were like she did hear
stories of obviously not theseexact stories, but she heard
stories from two women that likethat, like, oh, I'm so glad you
read that I always skip theauthor's notes and anything
extra.
I get straight to the meat andpotatoes.

Speaker 1 (06:19):
I might be like miss saying a couple of things, but
I'm pretty sure it was like sheheard like two stories about
like two women I don't thinkthey were sisters, but it kind
of like started her and then,through writing the book and I
think since the book has comeout, she's heard various other
stories wow, and in doingresearch she found so many other
stories that like led toaddition.
So I feel like there is a lotof like realness in it as well.

(06:42):
But yeah, my thoughts, initialthoughts, are just wow no same.

Speaker 2 (06:49):
I mean, I think the book left me such an emotional
wreck like reading the ending itreally knocked the wind out of
me.
I've never had that feeling.
I literally it was a gasp.
I literally it was a gasp, animmediate sob like I.

(07:09):
Just it was phenomenal.
10 out of 10 for me youcouldn't get like any better
than what this book and I love,like the ethical and like moral
dilemmas that she brings up itwas in the war.
Yeah, it's such a complex bookthat it's really like.
I think you can enjoy it ifyou're just reading at surface
level, but if you are a readerlike me, it really brings in a
lot of these like in-depth, likeanalysis or like not analysis,

(07:30):
but things for you tocontemplate while you're reading
that don't necessarily have atrue defining like answer, right
or wrong, yes or no.
It's living in this like grayscale of it all that really
makes you think about that timeperiod too and like what those
people were going through.

Speaker 1 (07:44):
Yeah, it's so neat.
Everyone.
I have not heard a single badthing about this book from
anyone that I've talked to thathas read it.
I've only heard raving reviews,and it makes sense because I am
now a raving reviewer.

Speaker 2 (07:56):
We can now attest that this is a fantastic book.
Yeah, did you have a favoritepart?

Speaker 1 (08:02):
Yes, I did have a favorite part, but actually it's
so hard to think of a favoritepart because I'm going to say
this the whole time.
It was also good, like I thinksome of my favorite parts was
just how the family was able toreunite in a sense of like
healing, like past healing,because obviously at the start

(08:22):
none of them were close witheach other and it seemed like
they didn't close with eachother and it seemed like they
didn't really like each othermuch.
Right, and just to see thatlike healing was so cool, like I
really liked that part.
And then also I loved just howmuch value was placed on loving
in the present, because youdon't know what's happening
tomorrow.
And that goes for like all ofthe relationships, not just any

(08:44):
romantic relationships in thebook.
But I felt like that like loveand value and connection with
people was like a main point, atleast for me.
That like stayed at the top ofmy mind of just like the people
who were friends and stuff, likeeveryone was just so loving and
that was a big deal.
So I very much enjoyed that andalso more story I really loved

(09:05):
Gaten from the start.
And I loved how he was like,weaved through.
I liked his character.

Speaker 2 (09:09):
I love how it wasn't like an emphasis on the book or
like it wasn't like a main plotpoint, but it was like a nice
addition to it, like if you tookthat part away, it takes a
little bit away from the story,but not a whole lot.
You still get the compellingstory that it was.
It takes a little bit away fromthe story, but not a whole lot.
You still get the compellingstory that it was.
It just adds this new dynamicto it even more and helps really

(09:30):
show the growth and progress ofIsabel too, from where she
started with Gaten because hewas basically with her from the
beginning of the story to thenhow they ended.
Yeah, I think it helped showher growth through and
supplement that.

Speaker 1 (09:43):
Yeah, and my first thought that I was going to say
is like, well, if he wasn't init it would be like even sadder.
But then I was like, wait, no,he still had.
Like there was still so muchsad storyline with him too.
So but I do, yeah, he was oneof my faves.
What about you?

Speaker 2 (09:58):
What were your favorite parts.
I loved the like feministthemes of this book because it
was done in such a beautiful way.
It wasn't very in your face,like if you're comparing to
something like thrown a glasswhich I absolutely love still
too but she's very much like themain character.
There is like in your face likeI can do anything the boys can

(10:19):
do and I can do it better, likethe swagger for it all yeah,
whereas this, or even like sorrynot to cut you off, but or even
like the barbie movie, wherethey have a whole monologue of
like right, like that's a greatmovie in itself, but like this
is a cool different wayabsolutely, whereas this one was
much more subtle.
It was like I am woman hear meroar very graceful and it's like
the quiet strength of it allwhich I think spoke more volume

(10:43):
than the ones that are in yourface not to take away from that,
but it's just different and itspoke to me far greater than
like some of these other onesand hit the point home, I think,
a little bit more, for how muchlike these women went through
and like their own battle in thewar that people don't remember,
forget about because you're sofocused on the actual war itself

(11:04):
and the men putting their liveson the line at the front, but
you forget about the woman leftat home and what they're going
through with the enemy invadingand everything too, and what
they're doing to help with thewar.
So I think she did a phenomenaljob and also showing both sides
of that.
For the two different women.
They handled the situationsvery differently Like Isabel
going out and like puttingherself out there, becoming part

(11:27):
of the resistance, like whatcan I do to help?
What can I do to help, versusvianne being at home.
And like I have to take care ofmy home.
I have to take care of my childand do everything that I
possibly can to make sure westay alive and survive through
this but then she still knows,like well, these things aren't
right.

Speaker 1 (11:43):
And she still does have an impact too right it just
isn't a different wayabsolutely.

Speaker 2 (11:47):
It's like it shows the different heroes regardless,
but the different paths, thatin the heroism that you could
take, and I really loved thatabout this book.
Did you have a least favorite?
I know it's hard to talk aboutwith this book, but did you have
a least favorite part?

Speaker 1 (12:01):
yeah, I think the least favorite part for me was
obviously the dad dying, whichlike needed to happen in the
story.
Like it.
It did add a lot um to it, butit was just so sad.
And also realizing that isabelwas dead and was not the present
narrator was also sad, becauseshe makes you, like on purpose,

(12:22):
believe that like she's thenarrator.
So that was just gut-wrenching.
But then kind of that just leadsme, honestly, all of the deaths
it just like had such a bigimpact like all of them felt so
heavy because I think so muchwas so sparse for them during
that time, like you only had thepeople you had, and so when

(12:45):
that was gone, it was like oh,like no food on the table, no
friend across the street, like Idon't know it, just that I feel
like so much value was placedon the love and the people that
you have, and so every time thatsomeone was taken away it was
just like such a dagger, like ohthat must have been so hard, so
like we have nothing, but atleast we have each other.

Speaker 2 (13:06):
But then even that starts dwindling.
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 1 (13:08):
And like knowing how, like, in a sense, a lot of this
and this is fiction, but thisis a real war that they're
talking about and so just kindof you know being reminded of
that and like the real peoplethat had to go through lots of
these things right in differentways, in a real way, not a
fictional way like that added tothe sadness too I think my

(13:31):
least favorite part is also myfavorite part of this book,
which I think speaks to theauthor's like abilities, because
it's the character complexity.

Speaker 2 (13:40):
I started off and for a good half of this book both
sisters frustrated me entirelyBecause, like on one hand you
had Isabel, who is just like toopushy, too forward, too
arrogant.

Speaker 1 (13:51):
Yes, they both were definitely on like opposite
extremes.

Speaker 2 (13:55):
And she was like you know, she was thoughtless and
careless and like putting peoplein danger without realizing
what she's doing, and so that'sreally frustrating.
To like watch or like read asthe reader with her, but then
with Vianne, she's like theostrich sticking her head in the
sand.
If I ignore the problem, it'sjust going to go away.
When that is not the case, likeyou need to buck it up,
girlfriend, pull yourself up bythe bootstraps.

(14:17):
And like you got to dosomething because you have a
family to take care of and youhave a house to take care of.
Well, your husband's not comingback right, at least anytime
soon.
You don't even know if he will.
Like you got to take care ofyourself and do something.
You can't just hide in thecorner and hope everything will
work out.
So on both ends it was reallyfrustrating for me, but that's
what led to it being sobeautifully complex, because you

(14:39):
got to see that growth in bothof them move forward throughout
the story.
So from where they started withthat to where they ended, it
was like 100 necessary.
I don't fault the author by anymeans for it, but it's like
when you're in the moment,you're like, oh, these people
there are definitely times whereI was like, okay, come on, like
don't act that way, yeah, so Ifeel you.
Yeah, I don't know.

(14:59):
It's a complex book for me,darby complex yeah it was crazy.

Speaker 1 (15:05):
Speaking of the sisters being so different, who
do you think you related to moreif you were in that situation,
or were you like a mix?
I?

Speaker 2 (15:15):
wish I could say it was Isabel.
I think anybody that reads thisbook wish you could say like I
would be the one putting myselfout there on the front and like
putting myself in danger to helpthe cause.
But if I'm honest with myself, Iknow I'm not.
I am not that person.
I would 100 be a vian in thissituation.
I'd hope I'd be a little bitmore graceful in the beginning
with it.
But it is a time of war.

(15:36):
Who knows like to even thinkand put yourself in that time
period with those people,knowing that it is like a real
thing that these people wentthrough is just something that
it's like a humbling thing tothink about and like you think
you'd act one way.
But how would you really inthese situations?
But I think I would, just,knowing me and myself, I'd be

(15:58):
more concerned with like takingcare of my family, taking care
of my friends, my community, andkeeping us as strong as
possible, moving forward,helping however I can in that
sense, but not risking theirlives to help those of the
strangers, kind of thing, Iguess.
So that's where I land.
What about you?

Speaker 1 (16:17):
Yeah, kind of copy-paste, took the words out
of my mouth.
I would love to say Isabel, butI think more Vianne.
It's really tough to saybecause I would love to say
Isabel, but I think more Vianne.
It's really tough to saybecause I am, for sure, a rule
follower, teacher's pet, like Ijust want to do the right thing.
But also I think what's hard isI want to do the right things,

(16:37):
I want to help people is kind ofwhat drives me to want to
follow rules, because I feellike it then helps others.
So in that sense I don't knowwhat I would be like, because I
think it's a mix of the sisterslike I, I would think that I
would follow rules from thestart, but I think I would have
been more empathetic to peoplearound me, right, but at the

(17:00):
same time, like we're saying,like I.
I've never been in that position.
I hope to never have to be inthat position.
Like I don't, I don't know.
So also, I am like Isabel in asense of sometimes I like act
first, then think later.
Not a great trait, but no, itcan be, yeah, but so so I do
think I could be a littleimpulsive and I don't know what

(17:20):
that would do to me in a worsesetting.
But also what if I'm like tooscared?

Speaker 2 (17:25):
I don't know, I have no idea.
I have no idea.
It's so weird to try to putyourself in that position to
think about like what you wouldeven do because you think you
know yourself.
But then also hard times docrazy things to people.
Yeah, like what you're willingto risk what you're willing to
do things to people.

Speaker 1 (17:42):
Yeah, like what you're willing to risk, what
you're willing to do, yeah, Ithink, okay, now let's do each
other.
I think you would be morevianne, but like I think you're
a mix.
I think you would stay homelike I don't think you would go
out and have an impact, but Ithink you would have stayed home
and started helping childrenright away.
Like I still think you wouldhave looked for ways to help,
but you would like stayed withyour family and would still like

(18:05):
followed the like general rules.
But I think you would have likestarted quicker with like okay,
this isn't like you wouldrealize.
Like, okay, hubby's like notcoming back, might not come back
ever.
Like I need to do something.
That's a great picture for you.

Speaker 2 (18:19):
I appreciate that to do something.
That's a great picture for you.
I appreciate that Similar butdifferent, because again I think
you'd stay home too late at theend.
But I think you'd be more likeIsabel in the very beginning of
this book, where she's likedoing the small rebellions,
where she's like helping passout the papers or like, honestly
no, I thought about how sheuses her like girlhood to get
away with things and how she'slike I'm just a girl, like I
know nothing I totally could seeyou pulling something like that

(18:42):
off for sure absolutely like inthe bookshops or like to get
away with like things like that,because if anybody could, you
totally could well, that wasreally nice.
I actually don't know how toflirt but but you're so good
with people and just like, yeah,I'd be nice to everybody.

Speaker 1 (18:57):
Yeah I would definitely be nice to all the
people, whether they're invadingme or not.
I would be like please, I'mjust a little tiny girl.

Speaker 2 (19:06):
Yeah, I like that I love how we're the similar but
different yeah, same same, butdifferent yep, okay.
So another real big ethicalquestion here is like what are
your thoughts on captain beck?
Just for context for any of youis the first Nazi that was
billeted at Deanne's house.

Speaker 1 (19:26):
I feel like you have more of an emotional connection
to this question and to CaptainBeck, Whereas, like I followed
Isabel's story, I feel like morestrongly and all that was going
on there, and also I could bewrong.
We haven't talked about this,but it was just my assumption.
Anyway, my thoughts on Captain.
Beck.
I think that Captain Beck wasas ethically perplexed as Fianne

(19:49):
, or he like, left me that wayBecause of all the gifts and
help that he provided with her.
You could tell that there wasmore than just like I'm a brute
soldier staying here.
Like you could tell that therewas more than just like I'm a
brute soldier staying here.
Like you could tell that therewas empathy.
However, right before his deathmakes me question it.
He was really hard to read,since they're both trying to

(20:12):
stay so surface level with eachother.
So you don't know, I don't know, it was very it's very
difficult to read him, but I dothink he had empathy and I do
think that he could have crossedlines with her if the chance
had presented itself.

Speaker 2 (20:30):
Oh yeah.
I think there would have beenregret, but I think that it
would have happened does aphenomenal job with his
character, specifically forshowing the humanity of the
enemy, because it's so true,like in war in real life, and
like how there's, even thoughyou're fighting for different

(20:52):
causes, there's still likethey're still human on the other
side there's still emotions,they still have a family, like
they think that they're doingthe right thing, even though
it's not the right thing.
I think that this wholecharacter and this complexity
between captain beck and viannelike really does a good job kind
of giving the reader thatdifferent perspective on that,

(21:13):
yeah, so often they mention likethey're just boys.

Speaker 1 (21:16):
They're just boys like you know.
You don't think about.
Like they're not the onescreating the master plans, they
don't know what they're doing.

Speaker 2 (21:22):
They're not Hitler, no they are not Like.

Speaker 1 (21:25):
they are just fresh kids, most of them.

Speaker 2 (21:28):
They just signed up to join to fight for their
nation, just like any otherperson that joins Something,
initially they probably thoughtwas like a good thing not
knowing Serve their country, agood paying job for their
families, like going gonna bringhonor to their family, not
realizing how heavy things weregoing to get from the other side

(21:49):
.
And you're just following ordersyeah, at that point, because
you can't just turn around andopt out either like then you're
almost a prisoner, a verydifferent kind, but like well,
an ethical prisoner, yeah welland even in the book he talks
about, like how his superiorsare getting so frustrated with
him for, like, losing the airmenor different things that are
going wrong, that he could losehis life too.

(22:11):
So like, even if they wanted toopt out and they realize that
they're in the wrong, likesometimes they just there is no
option for that without losingyour life in that as well, and
when you have a family you getback to, like he did, then
that's like something thatyou're having to deal with
internally and ethically too.
But at the same time he was.
He kind of falls into thebystander situation where it's

(22:33):
like he might not have beendoing the wrong by his hand
himself, but he was still thebystander, watching and letting
it happen.
So like when they were um, thefirst time that they were
deporting the Jewish women andchildren from Vian's town, he
was there with a whip in hishand, corralling all these
people into these train cars todeport them.

(22:55):
Now, did he use it?
Was he yelling?
Did he actually hurt women andchildren?
He says that he didn't, buteven just by being there and
having that there, like you'restill complying with it too.

Speaker 1 (23:07):
Yeah, but also, would he have been whipped if he
wasn't there?

Speaker 2 (23:09):
Right, that's another .
Exactly, it's such a complexsituation and I think, for as
like short a time as he's kindof like part of this, it's such
a huge part of this story and,like the war itself, at least
for me personally, it'ssomething that really stuck with
me that I knew he would.
You know me.

(23:29):
Well, it really it does.
It makes you question things,um, and just like in real war
too, it makes you like kind oflike remember humanity a little
bit within such an inhumane likesituation which the next nazi
was not exactly he had nohumanity, not at all.
That was.
That was a real, real badsituation.
Yeah, actually wait that,adding that into my least

(23:51):
favorite, it's just him, hischaracter oh true, yeah, and
that whole scene with him andvianne, yeah, it was oh
heart-wrenching, so hard to likestomach when you're reading
like some of like the abuse thatshe's suffering.
But he is very much emotionallymanipulating her by like if you
don't follow what I'm tellingyou to do, like I'm going to
hurt your kids, kind of thing.

Speaker 1 (24:12):
So it makes you realize, like, how great Beck
was because, like the whole,pouring out the leftover coffee,
like even the smallest of human, decent things that he could
have done, he didn't do Right,like the new Nazi didn't do.
Also, this leads me to anotherthought of just how powerful,
like every it's so crazy Everycharacter is so like powerful

(24:35):
and impactful and I don't knownow I'm thinking about Sophie
and all that she went throughand how strong she was
absolutely like it's all sheknew pretty much from like
childhood and growing up.

Speaker 2 (24:47):
By the time, I think, when we meet her she's like
what?
Like 9, 10 ish, something onthose, and then by the time you
end she's like 14, 15, so likethat's her entire childhood,
that she and she's not youngenough to like forget about it.
She's gonna remember it all,and to have to see your mom go
through that, understand thingsthat you shouldn't have to

(25:08):
understand at that age, makesyou feel for the children that
truly went through that too yeah, even though van's trying to
hide so much from her, it'salmost like none of it's hidden,
like none of it.

Speaker 1 (25:20):
Because how can it be ?

Speaker 2 (25:22):
she's in the, she's there too right in the same
house, same town.
She's seeing everything that'sgoing on and to remind you like
children are so much moreperceptive than we give them
credit for too yeah, it isinteresting.

Speaker 1 (25:32):
I wish we could have heard a little bit more about
her post the war, because sheseemed very bitter at the end.
So I I wonder, like as as anadult, how she was.

Speaker 2 (25:43):
If there was one thing that I wanted to change
because I'm going to talk aboutthis later, but we can talk
about it now One thing I wantedto change about the book would
be that I wish that we couldhave heard a little bit more
about Sophie after the war andlike, because she was such a
pivotal part in this whole thing, because she was such a pivotal
part in this whole thing or notpivotal, but she was woven into
this story and she was such adriving factor for Vianne

(26:06):
throughout this whole thing.
And then I feel like at the end, when we're doing the flashback
into the present day or what'spresent in the book, that to
find out she had cancer and thendied so young.
But that's such a tragedy inand of itself.
Was there any happiness for her?
Did she have a husband?
Did she have children?
Yeah, it's very glossed over,yeah, I wanted to know, just

(26:27):
like okay, I understand thatthere's not always happy endings
for people, but just to know alittle bit more about her
post-war life.
I would have liked to see.

Speaker 1 (26:36):
Yeah, I think a lot of the post-war in general.
I wanted like a little bit morefrom but, yeah, um, if we're
jumping into this, somethingthat I wish like happened or
addition, I would love morebackground on the dad and just
like what made him the way hewas.
Like I get the first or thegreat war changed him, but like
what else?
Like how was he before?

(26:56):
Like what was the starkdifference?
Like we get like little bitsand pieces of it, but not enough
to truly understand.

Speaker 2 (27:02):
Enough for me, absolutely, I agree I'm like
enough to like why vianne thenwanted the name like her son
after him too.

Speaker 1 (27:10):
Like, obviously, to have like such greater impact on
them yeah, that leads me toanother thing why, like I would
love to have gotten morebackground on vianne in the
present day why she hadn'tshared with her son that I kind
of get like you don't like howawful, but at the same time it's
like well, I want to know.

Speaker 2 (27:28):
That was shocking in and of itself too, to put those
puzzle pieces together from thetime that the Nazi was there.

Speaker 1 (27:35):
I thought I was done crying and then I just started
back up again.
Exactly I realized.

Speaker 2 (27:39):
And then it is.
It is.
It's the when, at the very endof this book, when the puzzle
pieces start coming together forso many things you're like, oh
my gosh wait a second.

Speaker 1 (27:48):
Yeah, also a fun addition when I was predicting I
don't really think ahead butone thing I initially thought
when we learned that gaten wasworking on bombs and that kind
of stuff, I thought that wasgoing to play a bigger role, and
so I originally thought thatGaten was going to bomb the camp
that Isabel was at and that'show she would escape, or like

(28:09):
something like that.
Like his bombing was going tobe somewhere that, like another
main character was Like that wasgoing to have more of an impact
.
That would have been good.

Speaker 2 (28:23):
This, ironically, is the only time that I wasn't like
predicting Wow, it was the only, and I think it's because, if
truly I underestimate historicalfiction, uh-huh, because I feel
like when I'm readinghistorical fiction it's much
more like this is present, thisis the story, like I'm not
predicting anything because it'sbased on something that
happened in the past.
I'm already living in thepresent of it, or like know of
whatever present happened.
Yeah, so, even though withinthe story you're kind of
predicting a little bit, for meit's not as much as like this

(28:43):
greater unknown, I guess, so I'mmore present within what's
happening.
Um, so that's kind of funny.
Oh, how the tables have turned,but that's why I think, like at
the end, like you don't thinkabout historical fictions having
the plot twists, that they donot, that they don't, obviously,
but when you pick up a fantasyor like a mystery, like you know

(29:04):
that there's something comingto like surprise you or shock
you, versus with a historicalfiction.
It's not as like expected.
So when it does happen, it'seven more like a head turn, like
, oh my gosh, wait a second,it's crazy and it's also.

Speaker 1 (29:17):
It's like like you could argue like it's not
necessarily even a plot twist,it it's how the story's told,
which is crazy True, absolutely,like you know.
So that's cool too.
Testament to Kristen Hanna.
Like can you make any storylike have a plot twist just in
the way that you say it?
Right, maybe, like I don't knowabout, that was cool.

Speaker 2 (29:33):
Mm-hmm.

Speaker 1 (29:44):
It was Kristen and Hannah.
Phenomenal job.
I have a question Do you orwhat were your thoughts on
sending Ari away to live withhis Jewish family in America?
Do you think that's what Rachelwould have actually wanted?

Speaker 2 (29:51):
So again, so many complex questions, and whether I
have a trance or not, I reallydon't.

Speaker 1 (29:57):
I feel like you're going to be thinking about this
book like 10 years.

Speaker 2 (29:59):
This will be my Roman empire.
Exactly Every time I see you,you're going to be thinking
about this book.

Speaker 1 (30:01):
Like 10 years time, this will be my Roman Empire.
Exactly Every time I see you,you're going to be like I
thought of another epic.
It's so true.
It's so true Because they'rehonest and it's text at midnight
.

Speaker 2 (30:10):
It's such a gray scale which I love.
Like I think that's like one ofmy biggest things.
If you know me, I say it allthe time.
We don.
We live in a gray scale.
Everything is there's no.
Like black and white, yes or no, right or wrong, like it's all
fluctuates, depending on thesituation how hard we try to be.

Speaker 1 (30:25):
Everyone loves to try and even ourselves any room to
like.
You know, we love to categorizeourselves, but we're it's
different?

Speaker 2 (30:31):
oh, absolutely so, and that's why I find so
compelling about this book,because there are, it's, such a
like gray scale within this.
So for this I mean, obviouslyI'm not jewish, I can't speak on
it as like an expert by anymeans or like, especially at
that time and with all they wentthrough.
So this is sheerly outsideperspective my opinion from
reading this book as a fictionnovel yeah um, I think I can

(30:56):
understand the want to send himto his american family because
from the jewish community helost so much it's almost like
edge of extinction.
You want to send him to hisamerican family because from the
jewish community he lost somuch it's almost like edge of
extinction.
You want to preserve, and theysay like whole generation
exactly, you want to preserve asmany people as you can, to like
build your generations back upand like preserve your culture
from dying out.

(31:17):
And so I totally understandthat, like vianne can't give him
that jewish life that he wouldhave with his jewish family, and
so I don't fault them for thatby any means.
But on the other hand, I dothink that rachel loved vianne
so much that she gave him ari toprotect, and that I feel like

(31:40):
that was almost the like that'swhere she wants him to be, and
so that's where I think shewould have wanted him to be.
And like even Vianne said likeyes, she can't raise him Jewish
because she's not Jewish, butshe can do her best to like
remind him that this is stillhis identity and that he's not
Catholic French boy yeah, kindof.

Speaker 1 (32:01):
But what's to say he would follow that if none of his
family, which he believed theywere at that time, he didn't
even know he.

Speaker 2 (32:08):
It's true I think at that point you're leaving the
choice up to him in a way andlike what he wants to follow,
but at least you're not likedenying him that cultural, that
right kind of.
But again he's also like superyoung in the book.
So, yeah, can a four-year-oldreally make that decision?
absolutely not but just like asyou grow up, it's kind of like

(32:28):
when you adopt a little kid fromlike a different culture.
You want them to like, learn andunderstand and know about their
culture.
But that doesn't take away fromthe fact that they're living
with you in a different culture.
But if they're young you it'skind of hard to make them
understand that till they're alittle bit older you just can do
the best that you can, yeah, soI think it's kind of like that
situation.
So I think that in my personalopinion, I think that if he was

(32:52):
in an orphanage, like some ofthese other children, it makes
perfect sense send him to afamily that's going to love him,
to teach him, to learn.
But he kind of already had that.
He had a family structure thatbecause he's so young he thinks
that that's his family to.
Then he already lost so much ofand from his original family to
rip him from his new familyagain the like emotional trauma

(33:16):
that can cause and psychologicaltrauma.
I feel like I just wish that hecould have stayed or at least
stayed in contact yeah, that wasmy big thing, um, when I was
thinking about this question.

Speaker 1 (33:27):
Is that well one?
similarly, this isn't reallysomething that I don't know if I
feel qualified to even likeanswer, um, having never been in
any situation like this, butfrom a fictional perspective, if
I were to give an opinion, Ithink it was right for him to be
with his blood family, but I Ido simply think that they should
have let vian and ari keep incontact, whether it's like you

(33:49):
know writing letters, or atleast even just knowing where
they are, even if it's like hey,like please don't write him for
like five years, even if it wassomething crazy like that, but
just to like like let them knowthat they're okay, because like
that was a loss for vianne too,like her one last tie to her
best friend.
So I think contact would havehelped in that situation.

(34:09):
I think rachel herself wouldhave been conflicted on it and I
think it would have helped thereader more if we had ever heard
rachel talk about that familyright.

Speaker 2 (34:19):
So I think that would have added so much more and
made this a different answermaybe or like her faith, like we
heard so much about theirfriendship, but you never knew
that rachel was jewish untilthey start to the stars.
And then you heard the list whenshe has to make the list of all
the jewish teachers, likethat's the first time we ever

(34:40):
hear about it.
And even then, the only timeyou hear about is if the end
mentions that oh yes, rachel'sjewish.
But you never hear rachel trulylike talk about it either yeah,
that's true.
So I feel like if she was morelike not to say that she was
devote, because now we'retalking about like the theories
of fictional people and likewhat goes on in their brains,
which I mean they're fictionalat this point.
But if you, I feel like, fromat least my perspective and

(35:05):
various perspectives, if youheard about them more, it might
have like swayed me a little bitdifferently, like because she's
like so strong in her faith andshe really wants her kids to
grow up in this faith.
But you didn't have that.
So it means maybe leans me moretowards like the inside.
But I do understand it'scomplex it's complex.

Speaker 1 (35:23):
Yeah, I feel like there needs to be a different
book for like her story and herside, because obviously this one
was about two france, right,catholic girls, you know.
So it was very interesting.
Yeah, what about their father?
Do you think he redeemedhimself from his past with a
sacrifice to save Isabel?

Speaker 2 (35:41):
I don't know if he redeemed himself versus truly
gained forgiveness.
I don't think that he hadenough time to redeem himself
for the failed childhood that hegave them and being basically
an absent father after their,their mother died.
They grew up orphans, in a way,because the father, just like,

(36:05):
was not present whatsoever andthen, even when isabel tried so,
so desperately to get him tolove her, even just pay
attention to her, that hewouldn't.
I don't know if, like this onesingle act can like redeem you
for everything, but it's not tosay that it wasn't worth their

(36:29):
forgiveness and the like, thankhim for his sacrifice and, like
I forgive you from from thispoint, like from the, the letter
that he wrote them andeverything, to apologizing.
I think, yeah, I think it's.
You can't erase the hurt by itand that's a better way.
I think you can't erase thehurt by it, but you can heal now

(36:49):
by forgiving yeah, I think itgoes beyond, like the sacrifice
of his life.

Speaker 1 (36:55):
I do think that, in the end, redeemed is such like
an interesting word.
I do think that, like you'resaying, they were healed, like
they, like Isabel, felt love forhim and felt loved by him.
And same with the end, but in adifferent way.
I think that the letter doesmore justice than the death
itself.
Along with seeing Isabel as anadult like him, like finally

(37:21):
seeing isabel as an adult andworking with her during the war,
like you can tell that that wassomething that they both needed
so desperately and didn't knowthat they needed.
Well, maybe isabel knew thatshe needed him, but you you
could just tell that there was abond growing right between that
and I think that that for surehelped mended things as well.

Speaker 2 (37:41):
Right, yeah, so sad.
This year ripped away Gosh.
Which gets into this nextquestion, which is which is the
most emotional or like movingpart of this book for you?
Obviously, the whole thing isjust emotional, yeah.

Speaker 1 (37:53):
All of it, but one thing I kept thinking about how
this was truly reality for somany people Because, again, it's
historical fiction but it'sbased on a real war and real
people.
And so I mean selfishly, Istarted I was thinking about
myself and how I'm so lucky andblessed that I'm sitting here on
a comfy couch, with more shoesthan I can count, you know, and

(38:18):
that I'm not living in war rightnow.
So I think an emotional partfor me was just like putting it
into perspective of just likegosh, this was so real, and like
I can't even like pretend toimagine what any of it feels
like Right, we get socomfortable Like Vianne was the
perfect example that we get socomfortable in our lives and

(38:39):
everything going great that itcan truly change in an instant.
Yeah, we take that for granted.
Yeah, so that was a really bigpart for me.
And then going back to the dad,the dad sacrifice was like so
powerful, I think, because I'mreally close with my dad and so
trying to put myself in hershoes made it so much worse and
hit so hard.
Oh my gosh, I was like shakingon the couch, justin.

(39:03):
Uh, my husband was playingvideo games and like yelling and
like bogey.
My dog is sitting on the couchwith me and I'm like convulsing
and he walks out and he's like.
He's like are you actuallycrying?
And like laughs and I'm likeit's not funny, like it was.
Oh my, I was like get out ofhere.
But also give me a hug.

Speaker 2 (39:25):
Oh yeah, no, I think I agree.
For me it is.
The whole book is veryemotional and it's very
heart-wrenching and just kind oflike the boy in the striped
pajamas type of thing, whereyou're like oh my gosh I've
never seen that movie, oh don't.
I know, I think that's why.
I haven't watched it.

(39:46):
I know that I, that thesepeople went through, and to
remind yourself that it is areal thing, that happened, is
like even worse, especially whenthey're describing, like
Isabella going through theconcentration camps and
everything Like it's just sohard to picture and to know that
it was real is soheart-wrenching, so like.
That's definitely like oneaspect I think is so real
throughout this whole book.
But for me, the one thing thatgot me was the very end Because,

(40:13):
like I definitely like I don'tcry a whole lot, I'm not a big
crier I definitely, reading thisbook, got a little teary-eyed,
but no tears fell on my cheekslike I.
It was emotional for me but itdidn't hit me the way my more
streaming, my more racing downmy face.
I just it's not that it didn'thit me but it was just like I'm
not a huge crier.
Yeah, until we were at thatpodium and all of a sudden we
realized that this is my sisterisabel I think that's what she

(40:37):
said.
It was the shock moment for me,like I still had hit me yet
because this entire time I wasliving in the comfort of
thinking that isabel survived solike even going through the
horrific like concentrationcamps or coming out of that and
being so sick she's coughing upblood.
I'm like it's okay, she's gonnasurvive, because she's only
telling this story.
Yeah, and then, immediatelywhen it was vianne, my heart

(40:57):
dropped.
I was like it was literally amoment of sheer shock.
And then the next few sentencewhen she's like and isabel died
in gaten's arms.
In that moment, when everythingwas pure bliss, I'm getting
chills and goosebumps right now.
I cannot even describe to youthat moment.
I'm getting chills andgoosebumps right now.
I cannot even describe to youthat moment in me, darby.
It literally felt like a bullettrain hit me in the gut.
I lost my breath.

(41:17):
It was a true shock and Iimmediately, like started saying
things.
I convulsed Like, I sobbed,like just sobbed so hard and I
couldn't stop.
And through the end of the bookI was just sobbing.
I had to take laps around thehouse, like I'm thinking about
this for 10 minutes straight,like afterwards, like just
sobbing, like trying to calmmyself down, trying to process

(41:38):
these emotions.
Only other book that I've sobbedlike this for was Kingdom of
Ash.

Speaker 1 (41:42):
And I still think that this one I sobbed more, oh
yeah, at this point in the bookor at the end, because I was the
same way.
I started convulsing again atthis part.
But now Justin was sitting onthe couch watching Brooklyn
Nine-Nine and like we're nottalking to each other, I'm just
like holding the book, shakingholding the book and like
sobbing, and we're not even like.
He doesn't even like sayanything, like he just knows

(42:05):
that I'm like I'm in anotherworld right now.
But I felt the same way.
But it was just a really funnyscene, like I wish someone could
have recorded it because it waslike justin bogey me.

Speaker 2 (42:15):
I got lucky because my fiance, josh, was at a golf
tournament that time, so like Ihad the house to myself.
But I definitely I don't knowif you do this with justin, but
as soon as he came home I waslike, oh my gosh, he'll never
know what I just read.
Like I just went through thismost dramatic thing and telling
him about like like just comingback, walk through the door like
he doesn't know anything aboutanything, like I'm sorry that
happened to you.

Speaker 1 (42:35):
Yeah yeah, the only.
I don't really do that withjustin one because, like fantasy
stuff, he hates mythical thingslike, so does josh yeah.
So even if I try to like avampire, he's like no, like, so
typically I don't tell him stuff.
So I didn't really tell himthis either, because also I knew
he wouldn't get it Like it'snot going to hit him the way
it's hitting me right now.
So I didn't really say anythingbesides the first time he asked

(42:56):
me if I was okay and I was likeno, her dad died.
That was the only thing I toldhim, and then I just said like
it was so powerful.

Speaker 2 (43:03):
Yeah, I'm just such a like I've come to realize like,
in order for me to processthings, I'm very much a talker,
like I have to talk out loud toprocess everything.
Um, like I can think through itin my head, which is fine,
because you're an introvert Iknow right, um, and I can do it
in my head and process withmyself to a point, but it takes
me much longer other variousmichaelas, it's true, I have a

(43:24):
problem.
My mom says I'll never be lonelybecause I always have myself.
Shout out mom, I have a wall totalk to, so I'm good, I can
process it myself.
It'll just take me twice aslong versus if I can like.
You might not have zero idea ofwhat I'm talking about, but if
I'm just vocalizing it to you,it processes like twice as fast
for me in a way.

(43:45):
So like for Josh poor guy.

Speaker 1 (43:57):
Even with fantasy things or anything like I'll
finish a book and I immediatelywill just like dump everything
on him and all my thoughts andhe's like uh-huh, uh-huh,
scrolling on tiktok.
Oh no, I can't do that.
I need active listening.
So like I need them to be likeoh, no way.
And then what did the, thestegosaurus like then what
happened?
Like I don't know.
I need more like attention.

Speaker 2 (44:09):
It depends, like if we're talking about like true
topics, then yes, but like inthis case like or if just coming
off In book worlds.

Speaker 1 (44:15):
We know that's not there for today.

Speaker 2 (44:17):
I'm good, I just need to dump it, just dump it.
Yeah, yep, I need to get off mychest, but yeah, that was the
most wrapping it back aroundafter our tangent.
That was the most emotionalpart.
Something fictional that it'sjust.
Oh my gosh.

Speaker 1 (44:34):
You know what I want to know, listeners If you read
this book and didn't cry, pleaselet us know.
Yes, I'm so curious because, ifso, there's something wrong
with you.

Speaker 2 (44:47):
If so, you need help, not really.

Speaker 1 (44:50):
It's okay, everybody's different.

Speaker 2 (44:51):
Not really, not really, I cry when a butterfly
dies, like you know, and I don't, and it's okay.
It's okay to not be a crier.
I am like that.
Just you know, for me there'scertain things that it'll just
get you.

Speaker 1 (45:03):
Yeah, it's just crazy , I wonder.

Speaker 2 (45:04):
I am just curious, though, how impacted other
people were, because I feel likethis really, really hit both of
us well and I think like thegoodreads score, it's like a
4.67 or something, which is likehuge on goodreads, like books.
Do not get that higher ratingon goodreads.
So I think that just like iseven more a testament to like
how phenomenal this book is.

Speaker 1 (45:26):
I'm curious.
I want to go read some of thelow scores and see why they
wrote it low but I also kind ofdon't, because it'll ruin it for
me a little bit too.
I feel like no see, this is a,this is a five star for me, and
so nothing can touch it.
No one's opinions.
I'm in a bubble now.
It's perfect for me.
What um?
And inside out it's like thecore memory.

Speaker 2 (45:44):
For me it's uh.
It's not that it ruins it forme, but it's like adding more
information to it because I'myou already it Because I'm such
an over processor, likeoverthinker, so it's like it's
not changing my perspective.
It's adding more information toit.
So I might point out thingsthat I like go back and I
realize I'm like oh yeah.
So it does kind of change yourperspective a little bit, if I

(46:06):
agree or I understand whatthey're talking about.

Speaker 1 (46:09):
I imagine like the SpongeBob scene, when they're
all running around, chaotic, butnot like they're throwing
everything out, but they're justlike, okay, where do I file
this one now?
Yep.

Speaker 2 (46:17):
Yeah, exactly.
So yeah, maybe I will.
I don't know, because I am kindof curious, like what people
would find wrong with this book.
Well, would you read anotherbook by this author?
Absolutely, a hundred percent.
Absolutely 100.
Me too.
If it's a five star, absolutely, I'm really.
She has a lot of tissues.
First, I'm I'm very curious tosee like the vibe is of the

(46:39):
other books, because I thinkthis one is like one of our most
popular so, but I know that atleast my grandma has like a
bunch of them her books on herkindle, like she loves reading
it and like the different timeperiods and things.
So I would I'd be very curiousto see.

Speaker 1 (46:54):
I am curious to uh, some of my favorite authors I
will say no names, or sometimesone hit wonders like I love a
series but then everything else.
I'm like I just cannot get intothat.
So I wonder if for mepersonally, if it would feel
that way right?

Speaker 2 (47:08):
um, no, I agree, but if a book is five stars, then I
definitely it's an immediatelike.
I'm going to try another book.
So now, whether that other bookis five stars is to be
determined.

Speaker 1 (47:18):
Yeah, we keep saying five stars.
Should we actively say what didwe rate this on our star rating
?
What are your final thoughts onthe book?
It's a prize.
It's five stars, oh, it's fivestars.
Oh, my gosh, me too didn't seeit coming.

Speaker 2 (47:36):
If I could have given it six stars, I would have on
good grades, but I can't.
Oh, it was so phenomenal.
No notes from me well, actuallyI can't say that because I did
say sophie but in general,really, like for me, like this
was a no notes book, like it wasemotionally moving, it was
complex, it was.
It made me think the author dida fantastic job portraying like
how women were the backbonethroughout this war and like

(47:59):
really getting you to think andput yourself in their shoes at
that time period.
It was just so well done.
The storytelling, like you said,the way that the flash forwards
made you believe one thing tothen make that story hit so hard
at the end was just beautifullydone yeah, this was a five
stars through and through for me.

Speaker 1 (48:20):
Not a second of this book let me down.
Like not a second.
It was all phenomenal.
I'm not one for like news andpolitics, but it also just made
me so aware that, like there arewars, various wars happening
right now, and like how arethose people feeling, like how
lucky are we, how blessed are we, and so it's also really moved

(48:42):
me to like, want to explore more, like and it's probably going
to be even sad, I'm going tofeel even sadder and worse
diving into it but I would loveto get more involved and help
make a difference, in what way Ican, in current political wars
and stuff going on right now,just to help in healing of any
way.
I want to show compassion tothem.

(49:04):
So it has really moved me in abig way, as little historical
fiction has made me want to getinvolved.

Speaker 2 (49:13):
I think it's so easy for us to like write off
historical fiction because it'slike fiction, quote, unquote and
so, or it's like such a furthertime period that it does almost
add into the fiction of it,where it's like, even though it
truly did happen, it's almost sofar out of grasp for us in
reality, which is kind of sad tosay too, because you learn from

(49:35):
history.

Speaker 1 (49:36):
But um, that's a topic for another time three
hours of tiktok.

Speaker 2 (49:39):
It's like what is real, exactly well it's like,
yeah, because we're stuck with,like technology is so much more
advanced now that it almost putsyou feeling like it's such a
huge difference in time becausethey didn't have that,
especially like certain parts ofthe world, like in france, like
that in the not even friends inthe uh countryside of france,
like you know, facebook, tiktok,like, not even like it's so far

(50:02):
removed from that, but reallyit wasn't that long ago for you
to think about.
And, yeah, no, absolutely, witheverything that's been going on
, it makes you really stop tothink a little bit more about it
, yeah, and it's sad.

Speaker 1 (50:17):
It's sad but it wow, this is just.

Speaker 2 (50:21):
It was a really good book, highly recommend if you're
just listening to us ramble andhave absolutely no idea what's
going on.
Go read this book First.
Five stars of the podcast.

Speaker 1 (50:32):
Yeah, go read it and if you send us a picture, maybe
I will send you $1 to go towardsa tissue fund.

Speaker 2 (50:39):
Buying yourself tissues At Lazy Girl Library.
On Instagram you can find us atLazyGirlLibrarycom.
Reach out to us.
Maybe let me reword that First10 people that sent us.
Well, that was April's book.
Now on to May's book.

Speaker 1 (50:58):
Totally different.
Vibe, bring on the dragons.
It's fourth wing time.

Speaker 2 (51:04):
I'm so excited to get back to a dragon book.
I love dragons.

Speaker 1 (51:08):
I'm so excited, you little dragon slayer you, I love
them, I love them, I love them,I love them.
I'm honestly very surprisedthat we have not read this book
before.
Right, that it's kind of takenus this long to read it.

Speaker 2 (51:22):
If I'm being honest, it kind of intimidates me a
little bit.
Not because the book itself isintimidating, but because of all
of the hype behind it.
I agree, and so I'm really andeven reading the back of the
book, I'm kind of like I don'tknow, because I could see this.
I want to believe that it'sgoing to be a great book and
live up to the hype, but I fearthat it might be like a trying

(51:43):
too hard to fit into what'spopular kind of book, which is
why everybody loves it, becausethat's what people are desperate
for.
But obviously we're differentwe're different girlies.
My found family but I want togive it a fair shot, and I'm
going to give it a fair shot andI.
It is one that's been on ourlist for a really long time and

(52:05):
I'm excited to dive into it yeah, I really hope it's good.

Speaker 1 (52:09):
I feel similarly.
I felt almost like I just feltnot like bandwagon-y, but almost
like everybody who was readingit.
I think I felt too cool for it.
I was like I don't need to read.
Fourth, like I've seen mixedreviews, like I don't need to.

Speaker 2 (52:22):
But if you think about it from like a Sarah J
Maas perspective too, likeanybody new coming in to try to
read those could feel the exactsame way, whereas, like we know,
on the opposite end, like no,it's worth it.

Speaker 1 (52:33):
You have to read.
I don't know what, why thathappens in our minds of like
like.
It's not a competition of what,whether books could or not, but
for some reason as soon as itbecomes popular, it like adds
almost a negative connotation.
Yeah, and I don't know why.
I'm excited for it and I hopeit's really good.
I'm just holding on to thedragons because I love dragons
and if you've somehow neverheard of Fourth Wing before, I'm

(52:57):
going to read the bookdescription, so sorry if I
mispronounce words.
Fantasy words are hardsometimes they are.
Anyway.
So the book description forFourth Wing by Rebecca Yaros.
20-year-old Violet Surringalewas supposed to enter the Scribe
Quadrant, living a quiet lifeamong books and history.
Now the Commanding General,also known as her toughest

(53:20):
talents mother, has orderedViolet to join the hundreds of
candidates striving to becomethe elite of Navarre dragon
riders.
But when you're smaller thaneveryone else and your body is
brittle, death is only aheartbeat away.
Because dragons don't bond tofragile humans, they incinerate
them.
With fewer dragons willing tobond than cadets, most would

(53:43):
kill Violet to better their ownchances of success.
The rest would kill her justfor being her mother's daughter.
Like Zayden Ryerson, the mostpowerful and ruthless wing
leader in the rider's quadrant,she'll need every edge her wits
can give her just to see thenext sunrise.
Yet with every day that passes,the war outside grows more
deadly.
The kingdom's protective wardsare failing and the death toll

(54:06):
continues to rise Even worse.
Violet begins to suspectleadership is hiding a terrible
secret.
Friends, enemies, loverseveryone at Bazgayeth War
College has an agenda, becauseonce you enter.
There are only two ways outGraduate or die.
What will happen next?

(54:28):
Yeah, it does sound intriguing.
Yeah, I'm excited for it.
I'll be curious.

Speaker 2 (54:32):
One way or another, I'm going to have thoughts.
If you've been listening thisfar, you know I have thoughts.
I'll be curious to see whatthose thoughts entail.

Speaker 1 (54:43):
Yeah, it'll be good, but so that is the future.
Our next month's book club whatabout right now?
What are our borrows andreturns?
Mikayla.
Next month's book club whatabout right now?
What are our borrows and?

Speaker 2 (54:55):
returns.
Michaela, do you want to get usstarted?
I'm going to be short and sweethere this time because I'm
going to be real honest, lifehas been a little busy and we
have not had time to prioritizereading.
So as far as my returns, I havenone other than the Nightingale
, which we just reviewed, so I'mnot going to review that again.
10 out of 10.
That's all I'm going to say Formy borrows.
I'm getting Back to Circe byMadeline Miller.

(55:15):
I'm going to do my absolutebest to try to finish this book
before I start fourth wing.
If timing doesn't allow it,then it might get put on the
back burner until after fourthwing too, but we're going to try
our absolute best.
I'm really excited about thisbook.
I want to give it the time anddedication and attention to read
it and appreciate it for whatit is and not just skim through

(55:36):
it.
But it is a shorter book, so Ifeel like I can do it, as long
as I prioritize it overscrolling, tiktok and things
like that then I should be ableto.
And then I'm still reading Wildby Cheryl Strayed On audiobook.
I listen to it on my commute.
So sometimes you know life islife and things just trying to
get through it slowly.

(55:57):
It is a longer book but I amstill reading it.
I'm still enjoying it.
After our hike that we just didnot too long ago in sky valley,
georgia, I definitely have anew appreciation for this book
because, for our little likenature hike, just fun, like hot
girl kind of hike.
Uh, trying to picture andimagine Cheryl hiking this like

(56:19):
super hard trail, intense trailfor like months on end.
Oh my gosh, I couldn't evenmake it through two hours, darby
, I can't.
New appreciation, reallyenjoying the book.
That's good.
What about you I?

Speaker 1 (56:30):
want, I want to.
I think I want to read thatbook too I highly recommend.
Yeah, I am in a very similarboat.
I, uh, I am planning a galaright now and it's next weekend,
and so I have been working atwork and when I get home, life
just happens.
So so not too much time forreading this past month, but I
have been living in Emily Henryland.

(56:52):
I love that girl.
Um, I finished book lovers andoh my gosh, it was so good.
It made me like want to flirtso badly like justice.
Yeah, let's pretend it's sohard when you're like I don't

(57:12):
know, but man, it just had suchgood banter and like the main
character was like oh, like, oh,it was so, so good, like I
loved it.
So that was a really great book.
And then right now I'm readingPeople we Meet on Vacation, also
a great book.
They're both of these I'm doingaudio.

(57:33):
So without audio books thispast month, it would have just
been the nightingale for me.
That's all it was for me.
So it's all good, yeah, but Ilove I've said this before but I
love the voice actor whonarrates the Emily Henry books.
She is so good.
People we Meet on Vacation isgoing really well too.
I am very much enjoying it.

(57:55):
I think Book Lovers is going toremain my favorite, but once I
finish this one, then I'll beall caught up on Emily Henry's
books, and she just had a newone come out.
I think it's called Funny Story, so that one will probably be
in my borrows soon enough.

Speaker 2 (58:09):
Between, you and our other friend, samantha, who both
love these.
I really need to give her ashot.
As soon as I have more time tocommit to reading, I'm going to.
It's on my list.
I'm gonna give her.
I'm gonna try it.

Speaker 1 (58:20):
She's good, maybe for another book talk yeah, I want
to finish the firebird trilogybecause I just have one book
left, so I might try and readthat before fourth one they're
pretty short and easy to get,yeah so that is potentially a
borrow for me right now.

Speaker 2 (58:37):
Yeah, we'll see.
That's what we got going on.

Speaker 1 (58:39):
We're still thinking at the library, yeah a little
too lazy right now to pick up abook.

Speaker 2 (58:46):
Well, no, you're not lazy, you're just.

Speaker 1 (58:47):
You have a lot of better priorities Darby don't
sell yourself short.

Speaker 2 (58:51):
You are working hard, girlfriend.

Speaker 1 (58:54):
Thanks, thanks, I am.

Speaker 2 (58:56):
And you deserve a lazy day.

Speaker 1 (58:57):
But it's okay, I'll get to dress up at the gala and
I'll still be stressed, but in adress, yay.
Anywho, that was it for thismonth's book club episode.
Make sure to let us know yourthoughts on instagram.
At lazy girl library.
Let us know if you have anybook suggestions in mind for any
future um book talks that wetalk about.

(59:20):
Uh, and thanks so much forjoining.
Please leave us a review onanywhere your support.

Speaker 2 (59:27):
We have had a lot of our friend listeners reach out
and tell us how much they lovethe podcast and we love hearing
that.
It makes us feel so good.
I'm for sure not getting a bighead at all.
No, send us all the praise it'sso nice to hear.
If you have any thoughts at all, share them with us.
We'd love to talk about it.

Speaker 1 (59:47):
Do you know the vine?
Sorry, side track real quickbefore we end the vine of the
little girl, that's like I wantto be famous.

Speaker 2 (59:55):
That's me right now, every time anyone says anything
nice to me, I'm like I want tobe famous.

Speaker 1 (01:00:03):
I love it, I love it, and with that, we'll see you
next time.

Speaker 2 (01:00:06):
Bye, guys, bye.

Speaker 1 (01:00:11):
Well, dear listeners, we find ourselves at the end of
another episode.
And remember, the Lazy GirlLibrary is not just a podcast,
it's a community.
We absolutely love hearing fromfellow book lovers, so don't
forget to share your thoughtsand your favorite reads with us
on our social media.
You can find us on Instagram atLazy Girl Library.
Make sure to check out ourwebsite, lazygirllibrarycom,

(01:00:34):
your one-stop shop for allthings Lazy Girl.
Before we go, we want to take amoment to thank all of our
wonderful listeners, whetheryou're listening from your cozy
bed, on your way to work oranywhere in between.
Thank you for making us a partof your day and for being a part
of our Lazy Girl family.
So keep those pages turning,keep those imaginations

(01:00:55):
flourishing and remember thebest stories are yet to be
discovered.
Until next time, stay lazy andhappy reading.