Happy Release Day!
Congratulations Jennifer
on the release today of
The Yellow Bird Sings!
The Yellow Bird Sings by Jennifer Rosner
Print and e-book, 304 pages
Published March 3rd 2020 by Flatiron Books
In Poland, as World War II rages, a mother hides with her young daughter, a musical prodigy whose slightest sound may cost them their lives.
As Nazi soldiers round up the Jews in their town, Róża and her 5-year-old daughter, Shira, flee, seeking shelter in a neighbor’s barn. Hidden in the hayloft day and night, Shira struggles to stay still and quiet, as music pulses through her and the farmyard outside beckons. To soothe her daughter and pass the time, Róża tells her a story about a girl in an enchanted garden:
The girl is forbidden from making a sound, so the yellow bird sings. He sings whatever the girl composes in her head: high-pitched trills of piccolo; low-throated growls of contrabassoon. Music helps the flowers bloom.
In this make-believe world, Róża can shield Shira from the horrors that surround them. But the day comes when their haven is no longer safe, and Róża must make an impossible choice: whether to keep Shira by her side or give her the chance to survive apart.
Inspired by the true stories of Jewish children hidden during World War II, Jennifer Rosner’s debut is a breathtaking novel about the unbreakable bond between a mother and a daughter. Beautiful and riveting, The Yellow Bird Sings is a testament to the triumph of hope—a whispered story, a bird’s song—in even the darkest of times.
My thoughts about The Yellow Bird Sings ~~
(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)
First line—"The girl is forbidden from making a sound, so the yellow bird sings."
The Yellow Bird Sings is a heart-breaking story about a very hard time in history. People were secluded in hiding to save their lives, and the lives of their loved ones. Not only were they in danger but the people hiding them were as well. It was a scary time to be alive.
But it is also a heartwarming story, as the reader witnesses the strength, love, and resilience of this amazing mother and her beautiful, talented daughter. I was emotionally drawn to the pair as they just tried to survive from day to day, praying with them that today was not going to be the day that they died.
The writing in the book is truly remarkable. I'm impressed that this is a debut novel and I will be anxiously awaiting Jennifer's next book.
I received an ARC of The Yellow Bird Sings from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion of the book.
About the author
Jennifer Rosner is the author of If A Tree Falls: A Family's Quest to Hear and Be Heard, a memoir about raising her deaf daughters in a hearing, speaking world and discovering genetic deafness in her family dating back to the 1800s. Her children's book, The Mitten String, is a Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable. Jennifer's writing has appeared in the New York Times, The Massachusetts Review, The Forward, Good Housekeeping, and elsewhere. The Yellow Bird Sings is her debut novel and is being published around the world. ~ Amazon
Connect with Jennifer
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