Nightingale by Marina Kemp

Could somebody tell me where this weekend went please? I seem to have blinked and missed it. Storm Ciara was quite something wasn’t it, we were nervously watching as our new roof got put to the test, thankfully we didn’t spring any leaks. I hope everything was ok with you too.

Last week, I read the third book from my February possibility pile (this is a personal best for me) and it was such a rich and beautiful read I haven’t been about to stop thinking about it.

Nightingale by Marina Kemp is about a young woman named Marguerite who leaves her home in Paris to become a palliative care nurse to Jerome. An old man who was once the most powerful man in the village, to say he is a difficult man is an understatement. He has a spiteful tongue and has scared away all the other nurses.

Other characters in the village include busybody Brigitte, Suki an outsider despite having lived in the town for many years and then there’s Brigitte’s husband Henri, a man with his own secrets to hide.

This truly is a beautiful and intriguing book. The characters are all so interesting, I think I could have happily read a book about each of them. Even Jerome, a man who it is difficult to like, I found myself warming to him as his relationship with Marguerite blossomed and he came to finally respect her.

Nightingale is a compassionate tale of secrets, sexuality, prejudice, passion, compassion and friendships. It is beautifully written and very moving and I know that I’ll be thinking about these characters for a long while to come.

Thank you so much to @4thestatebooks for sending this one to me, it was an absolute joy to read.

What are you reading this week?