THE NIGHTINGALE

There’s no shortage of beautiful WWII novels, but this one drew me in deep from the beginning and kept me there until the last page.  It’s billed as a story about two sisters, but it’s mainly about courage, sacrifice and survival.

It’s also about critical choices and the path each one takes us on, which is why I chose this whole branzino with roasted vegetables.  In this story, the gift of a fish to a hungry family in occupied France is one such choice, its acceptance fraught with moral conflict.  This fish shows us that during wartime, not even a simple kindness and a shared meal are as straightforward as they seem.