Nightingale by Susan May Warren

"I pray the fulfillment of my promise and the contents of the letter might give you some comfort in the darkness of your hour."

Thus begins the wartime correspondence between medic Peter Hess, acting on a dying man's request and nurse Esther Lange, a young woman living with an unwanted engagement but a beloved child, the result of a night of foolish passion. Despised by her fiance's family yet bound to them by her daughter and circumstances, Esther's loneliness and despair is eased by Peter's caring and attentive letters. Peter's correspondence is a shining light in her life, his faith and compassion mirroring that of his Saviour, gives Esther reason to hope. Just as their friendship edges towards something more, Esther's trust is shattered by a revelation Peter had fearfully withheld.

As Esther reconciles her new found knowledge about Peter, with the tender man she has come to know through his letters, she is once again confronted with news that will turn her life upside down and shatter her tentative steps towards grace. Any book that bears Susan May Warren's name is guaranteed to engage yet she has outdone herself with her latest historical novel, Nightingale. A beautifully told story of a young woman filled with regret and shame, struggling to provide for her young daughter during the final stages of World War II. Peter reflects the love and compassion of Jesus in Esther's life, his letters and generous spirit a highlight of the story. The story provides fascinating information about life on the home front, and a rarely touched on topic in World War II novels, the plight of German Americans, prisoners of war and their role on farms across America during the latter stages of the war. Esther's fractured relationship with her fiance's disapproving parents is painfully authentic as is the vindictiveness of one of Esther's colleagues. More love story than romance, Nightingale is filled with historical detail and is a moving journey towards love, mercy and grace, which I highly recommend.

As seen at TitleTrakk.com


With thanks to TitleTrakk for my review copy

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