This was a sad and deeply moving read. I enjoyed the musical imagery throughout. It was a heartbreaking tale and one I’m sure that mimicked so many that happened during ww2.

This book is written so beautifully, but is also so harrowing
It is a story of the Holocaust, and of the hidden children
This book will stay with me for a very long time

Moving, profound and heartbreaking. Jennifer Rosner writes an incredible book about survival - a mother and daughter and their feisty tale of holding on to their belief, and each other, against all odds. I cried through the end of the book. If you want a tearjerker and love reading a bit of historical fiction , this is perfect for you.

Another debut WW2 read for 2021 and a Jewish mother and child from a musical family, flee the onslaught of the German Army. Roza and Shira leave their comfortable home and all they know for a barn belonging to a local farmer. Life is tough and they live in silence in fear of being discovered. To escape the horrors of their situation and being beholden to the family hiding them, Roza creates stories involving a little yellow bird who can sing her daughters melodies.

As the war progresses and their situation worsens, Roza must make a heartbreaking decision in order to save her daughter which affects her for the rest of her life. Great read, highlighting the sacrifices given by families in order that their children may survive the war.

Thanks to Netgalley the author and publishers Flatiron for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan and Jennifer Rosner for the review copy of The Yellow Bird Sings.

I requested this to review a while ago but with covid and the world being a scary place my head didn't quite feel in the right headspace for what I knew would be an emotional read. I wish I'd read it earlier.

The book is set in Poland in 1941, and Jewish mother and daughter Roza and Shira are in hiding, literally sheltering in a farmer's barn in an attempt to stay hidden and safe. When they're safe haven is discovered Roza faces an impossible choice - to get caught together, or to let her daughter go to keep her safe,

Be warned, this book will make you ugly cry - I defy any mother to read this without thinking of how they would be in that situation - desperately trying to keep a child quiet and protected, whilst all the while terrified of the prospects of what happened if you cant. This is a truly emotional read but also full of hope - the ultimate bond between mother and daughter and a story of survival against all the odds.

Just beautiful.

Gorgeous. Beautiful and Haunting. This broke my heart over and over. I just couldn't imagine the hardship and cruelty. The tension of keeping a child silent. The emotional pain in having to do so and the horrific consequences if she failed. How do you do that? It crushed my heart.

Exquisitely written and interspersed with the most beautiful pieces of music and culture, this book is simply mesmerising. The emotional attachment I had to both characters made me race to the last page. With so much danger surrounding them. I needed to find out what happened.

Róza is so very brave and her love for her daughter is so powerful that it made me cry more than once. Throughout the narrative, I couldn't help but think of my own children and how I would feel in her position. It is beyond inhumane. But this book is based on a true story, it really happened and did in various guises to so many. It makes you ashamed to be part of the same species that could inflict such horror.

The dual narratives are expertly crafted and I adored each story. Shira is such a beautiful young soul. One that should never have witnessed such cruelty and terror. It was heart wrenching to read her tale and I was terrified for her ordeal. The bond between her and her mother was tangible.

It is a very distressing book yet uplifting and powerful at the same time. I believe its message is about love, hope and courage. It is a tale of survival against the harshest odds. But most of all it is about remembering these people and what happened to them. I will never forget this book.

Highly Recommended

Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the arc of The Yellow Bird Sings by Jennifer Rosner.

5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐- This is set within 1941 Poland and follows Roza with her daughter Shira whom are hiding in a barn away from the Germans... their family entire family were killed by German soldiers.. so they must hide.... so they hide their for months Roza telling her daughter what she called magical stories too.. as well as teaching her music which has been within the family for generations.. she then decides to send her daughter to a Convent so she is safe from the Germans/Nazi's. The other children know that she is a jew... but the convent disguise that by bleaching her hair blonde and then when they find out she is musically talented they get her playing the violin by getting someone to teach her and then she plays concerts for the Nazi's to stop them from raiding the convent.

I love this as it is shows the lengths her mum would go to protect her own daughter, this is emotional and heartwarming at the same time! - Highly recommend!!

The Yellow Bird Sings is so beautifully written. The descriptions of the music are so powerful and Shira’s imaginary yellow bird perfectly symbolises the music flowing through Shira, even when she needed to be silent. I know very little about classical music but the descriptions are so vivid I could so clearly visualise little Shira playing her violin, completely lost in the melody. Her yellow bird and the music are a constant source of comfort for Shira and I loved how the two themes ran all the way through to the end.

The chapters were relatively short but each one was powerful. I can’t imagine having to face the gut wrenching decision of whether or not to leave your child behind, in the hope they would be safer without you. I have a six year old daughter myself and my heart ached for Roza and the situations she found herself in. The connection between Shira and Roza was so moving, the longing to be together and Roza’s instinct to protect the person she loves most in the world.

The Yellow Bird Sings is a powerful story which left me with the need to hug each one of my children that little bit tighter.

You can read my full review at https://mmbbookblog.com/the-yellow-bird-sings-review-jennifer-rosner/

Set in WW2 Poland, this is the story of a mother and daughter and the love that binds them. The life forced on them by war and the treatment of Jews makes for difficult reading. While I found the writing to be poetic, with some lovely descriptive passages, the subject matter was depressing with no attempt to lighten the tone. I struggled to finish it.
Thank you to Picador and NetGalley for an advance copy in return for my honest review.

I found this book difficult to rate you follow Roza and her daughter Shira through the tribulations of hiding out in the barn away from the Germans and everyday life where it was common practice to have to be quiet - while being taken advantage of by the farm land owners.
To being separated and both of them having the daily will to survive to meet each other again. I found the style of writing superb and brilliant and one that sticks with you for a long time. For a fan of world war 2 fiction it was a remarkable read

This is a beautifully written, well paced debut novel about a Jewish mother, Roza and her five year old daughter, Shira, forced to flee from the Nazis and initially hide in a barn. They must stay silent and the child takes comfort from her imaginary yellow bird and the wonderful stories her mother tells.

Roza, then faces an agonizing choice to keep Shira safe and the subsequent events are heart wrenching, difficult to read at times but so very eloquently written, you are drawn into this compelling story. I felt that the events in this book were totally believable and the various characters are so fully realised, I had tears in my eyes more than once.

There are several themes throughout, notably the power of music to connect to family, culture and to provide solace. The passages when Shira loses herself in her violin playing were really stunningly written and I could see in my mind’s eye that little girl standing there playing her heart out.

For me, heart of this story is about strength, determination, endurance, hope and love.

I absolutely adored this book, the narrative and characters lingered in my mind long after the last word and I will certainly be highly recommending it to all my bookworm friends.

I would like to thank Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I confirm this is my honest review.

The Yellow Bird sings follows a Jewish mother and daughter in Poland 1941 having to remain completely silent, hidden in a barn to avoid detection by the Germans. When the time comes to leave the barn Roza must decide whether to keep her daughter with her or whether she will be safer if they separate. The rest of the story then follows their time through the rest of the war.

Having read many books within this genre I was really looking forward to this. Unfortunately despite the story being interesting it fell somewhat flat for me. I struggled to connect with the characters and their relationship with one another. The urgency and personal elements to the story just didn’t seem to come across properly.

A beautifully moving story of survival, hope and a mother’s love. Set in WWII Poland it tells the story of Roza and Shira hiding from the Nazis throughout the war. Although harrowing I really enjoyed learning more about how people stayed hidden during that time and loved that even throughout a war people prove humanity exists and help their fellow humans.
The book follows both characters during this period and is easy to keep up with who is where and what happened to them in their previous chapter.
As the story moves on it becomes a real page Turner, so much so I devoured it in a day.
Without any spoilers I really enjoyed the ending and felt it was a fitting end for the novel and both characters.

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, Róza and her 5-year-old daughter, Shira, flee, seeking shelter in a neighbour’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.

Wonderfully moving World War II survival tale featuring the love between mother and daughter in Poland escaping the Nazis. The two must separate at a critical time if the daughter is to be protected. The novel is told in the alternating voices of Shira and her mother. There’s a sweetness to the telling, even as both experience some harsh years. The longing, each for the other, is heartbreaking.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

A beautiful, terrifying, sad and hopefully story. I loved this book from the off, the descriptions were so vivid and pulled at the heart. I loved the mother/daughter dynamic right away and the silent sacrifices they were making to keep each other safe. A poignant read.

What a great book thoroughly enjoyed throughout read it super quick didnt want to put it down....would definitely recommend this book to others

The Yellow Bird Sings is a book that will touch your heart and will stay with you for a very long time - it's truly unforgettable.

The book begins with Roza and her young daughter hiding out in a barn, covered in hay, hiding from the Germans. It is set in the second world war, in 1941 Poland and we learn that the Germans have assassinated Roza's family including her musician husband - Nathan.

The bond between mother and daughter is remarkable and one day Roza has to give up her daughter for their survival. The book follows Shira and her life at the orphanage where she learns to play the violin and her encounters with the German military and also Roza's journey to rescue her daughter.

The Yellow Bird Sings is emotional, heart-rendering, and engrossing.

I've got mixed feelings about "The Yellow Bird Sings" by Jennifer Rosner. On one hand, there are beautiful passages of description of music and the yellow bird that Shira conjures up from her imagination. On the other hand, I didn't get the emotional pull that I should get when reading about a young girl and her mother, hiding from the Nazis.

It did keep me reading but I found Shira's story more interesting than her mother's.

This is a story set in WW2 Poland, of a Jewish mother and daughter hiding from the Nazis. My husband's family fled Poland in WW2 - although they weren't Jewish - and we've visited the many museums and other sites on Poland associated with the war. So I was interested in reading this story, which, although fictional, is clearly very well-researched.
I wasn't 100% sure I liked this book at the beginning - I didn't get into it straightaway. Re-reading the opening, it's hard to see why now. It just didn't grab me initially.
But once I got into it, it was a real page-turner. I read it in less than 2 days. It's packed with beautiful descriptions of music, the imaginary world of the child juxtaposed against her harsh reality, and stories of the many hardships that women like Roza endured. It's a wonderful story of survival against the odds.
The ending wasn't obvious either - well, not till it almost happened. I thought I could predict how the writer would end things but i was wrong!

This beautifully written novel is a gripping & heart-wrenching testament of the unbreakable mother-daughter bond & the power of music through the horrors of WW2. Poetic & powerful, this is a triumph of hope & humanity, identity and the truth that silence doesn't last forever. Must read, but bring tissues!