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licelotd's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
novelvisits's review against another edition
5.0
Note: I received a copy of this book from Flatiron Books (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.
I have read A LOT of WWII fiction and loved much of it, but I’ve also reached a point of near saturation with this historical fiction sub-genre. For the last couple years I’ve been extremely selective in which WWII stories I’m willing to invest time in. Those that come at the war from a different angle or an unusual perspective are what I’m most likely to pick up. Even with the extra care in selecting books, I’ve been disappointed in a few, but happily that was not the case with Jennifer Rosner’s debut, The Yellow Bird Sings.
What set this book apart from other WWII stories was the intense mother-daughter relationship between Róża and her young daughter, Shira. Forced to hide her daughter in the loft of a barn for more than a year, Róża is willing to do anything to keep her alive. She sacrifices much of herself to build an almost silent world where Shira’s creative mind can thrive even as both their bodies grow weaker and weaker. I found the time the two spent together in the barn gripping in its very smallness. With little food, cold in the winter, sweltering in the summer, and near constant threat of discovery the two clung to one another with stories of a secret garden, and a love of music.
As the story moved forward, so did their circumstances. What never changed was the instinct to survive woven deep into both their hearts. The longer I read The Yellow Bird Sings, the more I liked it. The second half of the book was especially compelling and the ending not what I had expected. I think I’ll forever by haunted by stories of WWII, and know I’ll always appreciate ones that can touch me in a new way. The Yellow Bird Sings did exactly that.
Original source: Novel Visits - https://novelvisits.com/the-yellow-bird-sings-by-jennifer-rosner-review/
I have read A LOT of WWII fiction and loved much of it, but I’ve also reached a point of near saturation with this historical fiction sub-genre. For the last couple years I’ve been extremely selective in which WWII stories I’m willing to invest time in. Those that come at the war from a different angle or an unusual perspective are what I’m most likely to pick up. Even with the extra care in selecting books, I’ve been disappointed in a few, but happily that was not the case with Jennifer Rosner’s debut, The Yellow Bird Sings.
What set this book apart from other WWII stories was the intense mother-daughter relationship between Róża and her young daughter, Shira. Forced to hide her daughter in the loft of a barn for more than a year, Róża is willing to do anything to keep her alive. She sacrifices much of herself to build an almost silent world where Shira’s creative mind can thrive even as both their bodies grow weaker and weaker. I found the time the two spent together in the barn gripping in its very smallness. With little food, cold in the winter, sweltering in the summer, and near constant threat of discovery the two clung to one another with stories of a secret garden, and a love of music.
As the story moved forward, so did their circumstances. What never changed was the instinct to survive woven deep into both their hearts. The longer I read The Yellow Bird Sings, the more I liked it. The second half of the book was especially compelling and the ending not what I had expected. I think I’ll forever by haunted by stories of WWII, and know I’ll always appreciate ones that can touch me in a new way. The Yellow Bird Sings did exactly that.
Original source: Novel Visits - https://novelvisits.com/the-yellow-bird-sings-by-jennifer-rosner-review/
alexandbooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.0
treasureboxofbooks's review against another edition
4.0
The ending! I was stunned. As soon as I read the final couple of paragraphs, I couldn’t help myself and went back and read them again!
This is a heartbreaking story of a Jewish mother, Roza, who is doing her best to take care of her and her small child while in hiding during WWII. She seeks refuge in a barn where she and her 5-year-old daughter, Shira, must not make a sound for fear of being discovered by the Nazis. To soothe her daughter’s urge to play, make noise, and be a typical 5-year-old, Roza tells a story of an enchanted garden and uses a yellow bird as a way for Shira to express her feelings and thoughts while remaining silent.
It takes talent for an author to take such a horrific time in history and turn it into beauty. I love how the author uses music in this story. While I read The Yellow Bird Sings, I felt as though I were reading a script of a theatrical musical or play. I pictured listening to the orchestra play their mesmerizing tunes as Shira endures uses her bird and her music as a means of escape.
And poor Roza. As a mother myself, I felt so much for her. A mother always tries to do what’s best for their children, even for the sake of themselves. Throughout this read, I wished I could just pull her out of this story and hug her! Truly heartbreaking.
As for Shira, I cried. I cried because yes, this is a fictional book, but it is based on true events. These children indeed went through what Shira (and her mother) went through and it is truly sickening the pain they endured. This poor child felt so lost, scared, confused, and saw and heard things no child her age should see.
The Yellow Bird Sings pulls the sadness of WWII and turns it into a beautiful story of an unbreakable bond between mother and daughter. I definitely recommend for the historical fiction lover!
Thank you Flatiron Book and Netgalley for this advanced digital copy.
This is a heartbreaking story of a Jewish mother, Roza, who is doing her best to take care of her and her small child while in hiding during WWII. She seeks refuge in a barn where she and her 5-year-old daughter, Shira, must not make a sound for fear of being discovered by the Nazis. To soothe her daughter’s urge to play, make noise, and be a typical 5-year-old, Roza tells a story of an enchanted garden and uses a yellow bird as a way for Shira to express her feelings and thoughts while remaining silent.
It takes talent for an author to take such a horrific time in history and turn it into beauty. I love how the author uses music in this story. While I read The Yellow Bird Sings, I felt as though I were reading a script of a theatrical musical or play. I pictured listening to the orchestra play their mesmerizing tunes as Shira endures uses her bird and her music as a means of escape.
And poor Roza. As a mother myself, I felt so much for her. A mother always tries to do what’s best for their children, even for the sake of themselves. Throughout this read, I wished I could just pull her out of this story and hug her! Truly heartbreaking.
As for Shira, I cried. I cried because yes, this is a fictional book, but it is based on true events. These children indeed went through what Shira (and her mother) went through and it is truly sickening the pain they endured. This poor child felt so lost, scared, confused, and saw and heard things no child her age should see.
The Yellow Bird Sings pulls the sadness of WWII and turns it into a beautiful story of an unbreakable bond between mother and daughter. I definitely recommend for the historical fiction lover!
Thank you Flatiron Book and Netgalley for this advanced digital copy.
ilovestory's review against another edition
4.0
Beautifully written and moving story. A musician or someone who loves music -- especially classical or violin -- will appreciate it even more than I did, I am sure, because the violin and the power of music generally is an important element woven throughout the book. I'm addicted to books about WWII, perhaps because I feel we are on the verge of something similar now and I want to learn my lesson and anticipate and prepare. This is the story of the love between mother and daughter, what we do to survive, the power and beauty of music, longing, survival, and much much more. I admit to skimming a few paragraphs off and on but in general I loved it.
christina_mac's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed the connection shared between the mother and daughter, no matter the distance.
smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
4.0
A heartbreaking story of what one Jewish mother and her five year old music prodigy daughter go through to survive in Nazi occupied Germany. Very similar to Room, with the mother and young girl being trapped in a barn and the mother having to endure many traumas in exchange for a place to hide from the Nazis. Lots of horrible things happen to mother and daughter but both fight to survive against great odds. The story has a bittersweet ending but it’s definitely not a light read.
CW: rape, miscarriage, loss of a child
CW: rape, miscarriage, loss of a child
bekab20's review against another edition
4.0
Such a poignant, emotional tale of a girl separated from her mother during WW2 and their remarkable journey through the grief, loneliness, despair, and heartache of never seeing each other again. Listening to Rimsky-Korsakov, Bruch, Joachim would make glorious reading music for this read! You can tell that Rosner's understanding and passion for music is the heart and soul of this beautifully told story!
marilynw's review against another edition
4.0
The Yellow Bird Sings by Jennifer Rosner
Narrated by Anna Koval
I'm planning to listen to Jennifer Rosner's Once We Were Home but before I do I decided to listen to her earlier book on the same subject, The Yellow Bird Sings. This story deals with the separation of a mother and daughter, twenty five year old Roza and her five year old daughter, Shira. When we meet them, living in a tiny loft in a worn down barn, they have already lost the rest of their family to the violence that was the purging of the Jews in 1941 Poland.
Roza is terrified that she won't be able to protect Shira. She is also exhausted with the constant threat of being found and her daughter being brutalized and killed. She's tried shelter Shira from what really happened to her father, her grandparents, friends and neighbors but when the horror is all around them it seems that they are bound to suffer the same fate as the others. It is especially hard when a parent is trying to keep a five year old quiet, all the time. To squelch all signs of happiness about life from her daughter's existence breaks Roza's heart, a heart that can't take any more breaking.
They are starving and Roza gives Shiva all of her scraps of food, barely staying alive herself. They freeze, they swelter, and they can never make a sound. Plus Roza's body is a bargaining chip to keep them in their hovel, although how long the barn loft can protect them is limited. Eventually Roza has to make the same decision that wartime parents have had to make before and since her time. Give her beloved Shiva, the only reason she still cares to exist, away to those who might be able to hide her and save her.
The story is heartbreaking and we see how much so many people suffer but also sacrifice for others. We also see that even once the enemy is conquered, the hoped for saviors are little better. As I've read other historical fiction where parents have sent their children away with no promise of ever seeing them again, I have wondered if I could do the same. What a tragic life that requires giving up that which one loves the most and we get to see all the guilt and regret such a decision can bring. I look forward to listening to Once We Were Home next.
Pub Mar 3, 2020
Narrated by Anna Koval
I'm planning to listen to Jennifer Rosner's Once We Were Home but before I do I decided to listen to her earlier book on the same subject, The Yellow Bird Sings. This story deals with the separation of a mother and daughter, twenty five year old Roza and her five year old daughter, Shira. When we meet them, living in a tiny loft in a worn down barn, they have already lost the rest of their family to the violence that was the purging of the Jews in 1941 Poland.
Roza is terrified that she won't be able to protect Shira. She is also exhausted with the constant threat of being found and her daughter being brutalized and killed. She's tried shelter Shira from what really happened to her father, her grandparents, friends and neighbors but when the horror is all around them it seems that they are bound to suffer the same fate as the others. It is especially hard when a parent is trying to keep a five year old quiet, all the time. To squelch all signs of happiness about life from her daughter's existence breaks Roza's heart, a heart that can't take any more breaking.
They are starving and Roza gives Shiva all of her scraps of food, barely staying alive herself. They freeze, they swelter, and they can never make a sound. Plus Roza's body is a bargaining chip to keep them in their hovel, although how long the barn loft can protect them is limited. Eventually Roza has to make the same decision that wartime parents have had to make before and since her time. Give her beloved Shiva, the only reason she still cares to exist, away to those who might be able to hide her and save her.
The story is heartbreaking and we see how much so many people suffer but also sacrifice for others. We also see that even once the enemy is conquered, the hoped for saviors are little better. As I've read other historical fiction where parents have sent their children away with no promise of ever seeing them again, I have wondered if I could do the same. What a tragic life that requires giving up that which one loves the most and we get to see all the guilt and regret such a decision can bring. I look forward to listening to Once We Were Home next.
Pub Mar 3, 2020