Dear Readers: Happy end-of-the-summer to you all! As the weather cools, and we head into autumn, I want to thank you for your amazing support for The Nightingale. I also want to thank the hundreds of book clubs who have chosen the book for their discussions. I can’t believe it’s been nineteen months since publication. What a whirlwind it has been. When I really slow down long enough to reflect on the last year, the word that first comes to mind is gratitude. I am unbelievably grateful for the way you have embraced this book. In my travels and book tours, I have met with people from almost every state, and I’ve been able to speak with dozens more by phone. Over and over, I have heard about the story’s profound impact on people. I especially love to hear stories of personal connection—so many families have experiences similar to Isabelle’s and Vianne’s, and the novel becomes a beautiful starting point for sharing those stories. I love that. It’s all too easy for family stories to be lost. I am often asked if I knew how special this story was and how beloved it would become. The truth is, when research on World War II led me to the story of a young Belgian woman who had created an escape route out of Nazi-Occupied France, I knew I had found something that had the potential to be very powerful. Her story—one of heroism and danger and unbridled courage—inspired me to imagine the women in that world. I simply couldn’t turn away. More on that here. Even so, I never saw how much people would embrace the novel. I have been writing for thirty years and have written more than twenty books. I know how rare it is for a novel to sweep the country and the world (to date it’s been sold to more than 39 countries) the way The Nightingale has. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that it would stay on almost ALL of the national bestseller lists for 77 (and counting!) weeks, that it would hit number one, that it would hurtle toward becoming a movie. Truthfully, it’s all a little surreal. Sometimes it seems that it must all be happening to someone else. So…..THANK YOU so much for loving this book as much as I do. Thank you for telling your friends and posting your amazing reviews. Thank you for choosing it for your book clubs. You rock! | 
