The Nightingale [Paperback]

Morgana Gallaway (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2009

The Nightingale is a riveting debut that offers a rare glimpse into war-torn Iraq--where a spirited young woman must choose between honoring the traditions of the past and her own hopes for the future. . .

Every day Leila al-Ghani spends in Mosul is a reminder of what her life once was. Before the war she was the daughter of one of the city's finest families. She was encouraged by her parents to get an education, to think like a modern woman. But now, with Mosul crumbling around her, she is expected to strictly adhere to traditions, to dress modestly with the hijab covering her hair, and to be arranged in marriage.

But when strong-willed Leila disobeys her domineering father and secretly takes a job as a translator at an American military base, her ideas of life and family loyalty are forever challenged.

As Leila meets a host of new people--including the handsome and charming Captain James Cartwright--she discovers those she loves are deeply entangled in the most violent and controversial aspects of the war, and where she places her loyalties could now cost Leila her life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Gallaways provocative debut is a politically inspired romance set in contemporary Iraq. Before the start of the Iraq War, Leila al-Ghanis family was among the most prominent and open-minded in Mosul. But since the release of the Abu Ghraib photos, her father, a judge under Saddams regime, has become increasingly conservative and bad-tempered. After being sexually harassed while working at an Iraqi hospital pharmacy, Leila, who yearns to become a doctor, becomes an Arabic-to-English translator at the hospital on a nearby American military base, though she must lie to her parents about her employment. At the hospital, Leila sheds her hijab and not only begins a relationship with handsome Special Forces Capt. James Cartwright but also begins treating detainees who are torture victims. When violence in Mosul reaches a fever pitch, Leila must choose between her family and what she knows is right. Though Gallaway often resorts to clichés and the trajectory of the story is predictable, she doesnt flinch from depicting the everyday violence of Iraq or the difficult choices of life in a war zone. (Feb.)
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From Booklist

Gallaway’s topical first novel succeeds on three levels: as a probing look at the insurgency in postwar Iraq, as an indictment of illegal interrogations of Iraqi detainees by U.S. Special Forces, and as a moving love story. Leila al-Ghani, a recent college grad, lives in Mosul with her father, a Baathist Party member, and her traditional mother, who is trying to arrange a suitable marriage. Leila puts her desire to go to medical school on hold, taking a job as a translator and surgical assistant at the U.S. Combat Support Hospital outside Mosul. There she is shocked to see Iraqis who are obvious torture victims; at the same time she realizes her father is harboring violent insurgents who are planning attacks against the American forces. Leila sees herself morphing into two people: one falling in love with an army captain, the other loyal to her family. “No matter where she turned, someone was betrayed.” Gallaway’s debut combines romance, intriguing cultural background, and world events in just the right ratio to appeal to a broad spectrum of readers. --Deborah Donovan

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Product Details

• Paperback: 344 pages
• Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation; Original edition (February 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758227280
• ISBN-13: 978-0758227287
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,333,717 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Morgana Bridget Gallaway was born on a full moon in March, 1983. She grew up in Portland, Oregon, and learned to love books, bake cookies, and shoot guns. Woefully unpopular in high school, she overcame her dislike of social events to study at (and graduate from) the University of St Andrews in Scotland, where attendance at charity balls was just as important as lectures and exams.

Armed with a double degree in geography and international relations, she set forth to find a traditional job, only to discover that no one was interested in her knowledge of world capitals or her skills in navigating cocktail parties. It was then that she decided, on a suggestion from her mother, that she would write novels.

Inspired by her previous travels through the Middle East and Africa (and motivated by the idea of living on a few dollars a day) she moved to India and wrote her first novel, The Nightingale. Braving monsoons, over-friendly shopkeepers, intestinal disease, snow leopards, and immigration police, she persevered and emerged twenty pounds lighter, with a manuscript in hand.

Ever since, she has found good fortune at being published and living in England, Texas, and Arizona. She is already hard at work on her next project.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking and real, April 27, 2009

By 

Dr. Pinkwater (Salt Lake City, UT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Nightingale (Paperback)

I thought this book was very well written. The voice of the main character, Leila, who was a 23 year-old Iraqi woman, was so real to the thoughts and feelings of an independent woman wanting to mark her own path in life, but hampered by cultural roadblocks. The information given in this book about the war in Iraq was very informative and I find myself understanding more references to the war now that I have read this book. I also enjoyed the love story between Leila and her man and appreciated the fact that the author kept this romance very clean and innocent...such a refreshing break from today's literature. My book club group of ladies aging from late twenties to early thirties found this book to be a great read and would definitely recommend it to others.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars incredible look at Mosul, January 30, 2009

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Nightingale (Paperback)

In Mosul the al-Ghani family patriarch Tamir was a highly respected judge under the Hussein regime. A pragmatic moderate, he encouraged his children to be all they can be and urged his two daughters Fatima and Leila to obtain an education and encouraged them to dream. Leila wants to be a doctor and not forced into an unwanted marriage. When Saddam was deposed, he remained well respected and his family treated nicely though the income dropped radically.

However, when the photos of torture of Iraqis by American soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison are revealed, Tami becomes outraged by the affront to his people. As hostilities in Mosul make the city extremely dangerous for everyone, he demands that his daughters adhere to strict Muslim laws, is thankful to Allah that Fatima has a fiancé sensible Khaled and informs Leila he will arrange a marriage for her. Leila obtains work as a translator at the American military base's hospital, but hides from her parents what she is doing even helping torture victims. Leila begins a relationship with Special Forces officer James Cartwright, but as Mosul explodes in violence she must choose between her father's demands and what she believes is the right thing to do.

The well written forbidden romance between the American soldier and the twenty-three years old Iraqi female takes a back seat to the incredible look at Mosul when the firefight ignited and united the city against the occupiers. The story line is deep as the audience obtains a poignant often depressing look at what the war has cost the locals. Readers will appreciate THE NIGHTINGALE as Morgana Gallaway provides an in depth tale of clashing cultures when war devastates Mosul and threatens every resident as none will come out of the conflict without some loss.

Harriet Klausner

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read!, April 1, 2009

By 

Emily Dinunzio (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Nightingale (Paperback)

What an excellent book! I typically read "chick-lit" so this seemed like a bit of a departure for me when I picked it up at the library. The development of characters, the plot line, and the style of story-telling keep you turning pages until late into the night. For a debut novel, this was spectacular. Not only did it give me something to think about as far as the war goes, it also kept me engrossed with it's love story. Extremely well researched and written. I highly recommend it to anyone, especially book clubs as it would lead to some great discussion. :)