Historical fiction with just a dash of magical realism, The Yellow Bird Sings follows a Jewish musician mother and her prodigy daughter as they run from the Nazis. After her father's death the little girl, Shira, carries around her imaginary yellow bird.

A story of tragedy and hope and grief, laden with beautiful prose and heartbreaking text, this is possibly the best Holocaust book I've ever read.

I was first drawn to this book from the cover then the description also intrigued me. This is a book set during WW2 and is about a Jewish mom and her five-year-old daughter. It tells of their determination to survive the unthinkable.

The daughter has an imaginary little yellow bird that is in the entire story. She takes care of this bird and it the keep her company and gives her comfort during so may difficult challenges.

The daughter is a violin prodigy and music is woven throughout the entire story.

The editing was a little rough at points which I think was a disservice to the author. There are transitions between paragraphs that are disjointed and takes away from the flow of the story.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

The Yellow Bird Sings is a really unique look at World War II. I have heard many stories of Jews hiding from Nazi soldiers. Hiding in attics, or basements, or closets. I have never heard of people hiding in a hayloft, burrowing deep into the hay to avoid being seen. Or hiding in the woods and digging deep into the dirt to sleep and hide. I was captivated by the ways people tried to survive.
At the heart of this book is the relationship between Roza and her daughter Shira. The bond, the difficulty and the love of these two felt real and at times was heartbreaking.

Inspired by the true stories of Jewish children who were hidden from the Nazis during World War II, this is the heartbreaking story of a mother and her young daughter facing unimaginable circumstances that were unfortunately all too real. As a mother myself, it was excruciatingly painful to witness the life or death choices that Róza must make in order to protect her daughter, Shira. But stories like this are important reminders to all of us that in fact, yes, true horror does exist.

Beautifully written, this is a harrowing and truly unforgettable exploration of one of the darkest realities in our recent history. From the Summer of 1941 to the Autumn of 1945, readers travel in stunned silence alongside mother and daughter as they attempt to survive the sudden upending of life as they knew it. As a five-year-old girl, Shira is constantly in motion and excited to rhapsodize about the world around her, yet Róza knows these wonderful sounds of childhood are noise that will only result in their demise. As a musical prodigy, Shira listens to the sounds around her, composing orchestras that vibrate through her body, and as a musician herself, Róza is rocked by memories of the music she and her husband once made. To calm Shira, and quite honestly herself, during so much stillness, Róza crafts the story of the yellow bird that sings. While the narrative largely focuses on the bond shared between Róza and Shira, the gut-wrenching realities of the war cut in like staccato notes shaking everyone out of any sense of normalcy they try to make even in such perverse times.

The quest for survival drives even more life-altering decisions that echo their traumatic reverberations as life goes on. Yet, just as suddenly as everything was taken away, the yellow bird lands, returning hope and undeniable love.

‘In Poland, as World War II rages, a mother hides with her young daughter, […] The girl is forbidden from making a sound, so the yellow bird sings whatever the girl composes in her head: high-pitched trills of a piccolo; low-throated growls of the contrabassoon. Music helps the flowers bloom.’

THE YELLOW BIRD SINGS, the first book that I have read by Jennifer Rosner, I can honestly say I was speechless as reached the last page, with tears running down my face.

The way Rosner writes the ending in the last few paragraphs - the prose - is beautiful. I get chills every time I read her words that I so desperately want to share in a quote with you, but the experience needs to be your own.

I sit here now with tears in my eyes, as a mother, the loving bond between Róża and her daughter Shira - their story – inspired by true stories of Jewish children during World War II – are ones I will never forget.

THE YELLOW BIRD SINGS - Highly Recommend!

Thank you, NetGalley and Flatiron Books, for providing me with an advance eBook of THE YELLOW BIRD SINGS in exchange for an honest review.

This story was beautiful, beautifully written and so fascinating, I could not put it down. A must read for anyone who loves World War II fiction based on true events.

We received a free egalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are our own and do not reflect the thoughts or opinion of the publisher or author.

The Yellow Bird Sings is a historical fiction novel set during WWII and follow Roza and young daughter Shira, who at the start of the novel, are on the run from the Nazis after their home has been destroyed and most of their neighbors rounded up and sent to concentration camps. This incredibly moving novel spans the years during WWII and decades beyond and is the perfect addition to any historical fiction lover’s collection

I dove into this story with a lot of assumptions about the plot based solely on the provided synopsis: mother and daughter hiding in the barn of some German neighbors who begrudgingly hide them for an extended period of time. I expected this to be the setting of the entire novel, but I was surprised to see just where the story went, and pleasantly so.

What separated this book from other WWII novels for me is the major focus on Shira and Roza’s relationship and the suspense that is subsequently created around it throughout the course of the story. You might think initially that them spending a good chunk of the novel just laying in hay loft in a barn would be boring and monotonous but Rosner writes so well and with such emotion that I found myself entirely engrossed in the duo’s plight.

One of my favorite aspects of Roza and Shira’s relationship was the stories Roza tells her daughter, to keep her quite while they hide in the loft. The stories are full of magic and whimsy and contrast sharply with the heavy and bleak reality of their day to day monotony.

There is also a heavy emphasis placed on music as Shira grows and her love of music develops. The passion that Shira feels for music is so powerful and carries her though some very difficult and trying times.

The final piece that made the novel a 5 star read for me was that Rosner doesn’t feel like she has to tie everything up into a neat little bow in the final chapters. I am not going to get into a spoilers but Rosner handles the ending beautifully and ultimately asks deep questions about grief, belonging, and new beginnings.

Overall, I adored this book and would highly recommend it to anyone who adores WWII historical fiction or stories with strong mother-daughter relationships.

The Yellow Bird Sings by Jennifer Rosner made me cry. This book starts in Poland in WWII when the Nazis are rounding up the Jewish people. Roza hears the Nazis take her parents and then she flees with her daughter Shira. They go into hiding... In a barn. Whenever soldiers come, they hide under the hay. They spend over 400 days like that. Can you imagine having to stay quiet? Can you imagine having to keep your child quiet?? Roza does her best. Music is big on their family and Shira is a prodigy. So Roza keeps her entertained by music...but music that is played in her head. One day Roza has to make a decision that tears her world apart, and from that day on this story takes on a new life. I cried...alot. This book was so touching. Yes, there were parts that was hard to read, but in the end it was a good book! 3.5⭐
⭐
⭐
Thank you to Netgalley and Flatiron Books for this digital review copy in exchange for my honest review. 📚

During the Nazi invasion of Poland, Roza and her daughter, Shira, flee their home to hide in the hayloft of a neighbor’s barn. Day and night, they must stay as still and silent as possible to avoid being caught. As the invasion continues, the barn soon becomes an unsafe place for the mother and daughter as well and Roza is forced to make an impossible decision: Keep Shira with her and risk a greater chance of the both of them being caught, or separate and send Shira to a nearby convent where her daughter will most likely be safe from harm?

Wow. What a heart-wrenching story this was! I cannot imagine the constant fear and uncertainty women in hiding like Roza must have had to endure during the war. And as a mom, I really tried to put myself in her place. What lengths would I go to to protect my child? Would I have made the same decisions as her? And the answer is- I have no idea! It’s heartbreaking to even think about. I think my historical fiction loving friends will like this book...especially those who enjoy stories about WWII. Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for this digital ARC 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.

Note: I received a copy of this book from Flatiron Books (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.

In The World We Knew (Sept. 2019), a Holocaust novel, Alice Hoffman breathes life into a golem, whose mission it is to lead a young girl to safety, and slowly transforms that animated lump of clay into a woman with a heart and a life of her own. Similarly, in The Yellow Bird Sings (March 2020), debut novelist Jennifer Rosner creates magic with her yellow bird, an imaginary pet cradled in the hand of a five-year-old girl hiding in a Polish barn from “giants.” Rosner grabs readers’ attention with her opening sentence: “The girl is forbidden from making a sound, so the yellow bird sings.”

Shira is no ordinary child, and mother Róża, hiding with her, is no ordinary mother. Stories and music are in their blood, linking them to one another and to their larger family.

Largely set during the Holocaust, no part of the story takes place in a concentration camp. Nonetheless, Rosner keeps the reader quickly turning pages to learn what happens next to Róża and her prodigy daughter Shira, even to the imaginary yellow bird capable of singing the tunes in the Shira’s head.

Although her debut novel, Rosner has honed her writing skills with her memoir about raising deaf daughters in a hearing world (If a Tree Falls: A Family’s Quest to Hear and Be Heard, 2010), with a children’s book described as “a modern Jewish folktale” reminiscent of stories long ago (The Mitten String, 2014), and with articles in the New York Times, the Massachusetts Review, and elsewhere. With both memoir and children’s story dealing with deafness, Shira’s magical imaginary yellow bird that sings in a silent world becomes all the more interesting.

Historical novelist Kate Quinn describes The Yellow Bird Sings as “a beautifully written tale of mothers and daughters, war and love, the music of the living and the silence of the dead.” After “mothers and daughters,” I would add, “of students and teachers.”

Many thanks to Jennifer Rosner, Flatiron Books, and NetGalley for the Advance Reader Copy.

Wow! This is my favorite book of the year!

Ms. Rosner’s writing is beautifully lyrical and soul clutching. So many varying emotions. This book left me speechless at the end. It’s still swirling inside of me.

My father was a violin child prodigy, his family — Jewish and German. The tone in the story of the longing and heartbreak between Roźå, and Shira; the terror of what they went through, and the joy of the music was like returning to stories my Oma would tell us kids of her childhood. Her brother though thought to have died at Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated and never reconnected with his family.

This book resonated deeply with me not only because of these family experiences but also it was just so well written.

An example of the lyricalness of this book:

Along their journey here, on the far outskirts of villages, Róża could permit Shira’s humming and tapping. Her tunes—startlingly complex and layered, notes merging and colliding—reminded Róża of the symphonies her father had listened to as he worked. “What music is that?” Róża had asked Shira. “Hmm?”“What you’re humming—” “Oh. Just what I hear in my head.” How Róża wishes Shira could continue, recognizing her talent and knowing what solace it brings her—but not now. “It’s lovely, but you must keep it inside you.”
We should never, ever forget what happened to so many different people during WWII. This book, and books like it, should be a lesson to all of us to never let this happen again! Some survivor’s lives were affected for the rest of their life. Some decided it’s not worth living, and others did the best they could to take what happened and make the rest of their lives worth something more than the experiences that they went through just like Shira and Róża do by making the world better through their talents.

I can’t say enough about this book, and yet, I am still affected so much by it that I feel as if I don’t have the words to do this book justice. I suggest that you go out, buy this book at your local Independent bookstore, and experience this book the way I did — through the silence, the stiffness, the fear, the beauty, the friendships, the bullying, the sadness, the joy of the music, and a little yellow bird that metaphorically will stir and sing inside your soul for the rest of your life.

Thank you, thank you, Jennifer Rosner, Flatiron Books & Netgalley for allowing me to read and review The Yellow Bird Sings in lieu of my honest review!

Having already experiencing unimaginable loss Róza and Shira find shelter in a barn. It’s a challenge to expect a young child of five to live almost silently but Róza finds a way. When it seems inevitable they’ll be discovered Róza sends Shira to the safety of a convent. She hopes to find her when the war is over. I couldn’t imagine being forced to do this, yet there was no other choice. As you might imagine The Yellow Bird Sings is an emotional story of loss, separation, survival and moving forward during the most desperate times. Jennifer Rosner’s tale moved me to tears more than once. I loved the theme of music woven throughout the novel. For me it added emotional depth and I listened to a few of the works mentioned after turning the last page, feeling those emotions a second time. Recommended to fans of World War II historical fiction.

The Yellow Bird Sings
Jennifer Rosner
Flatiron Books, Mar 2020
304 pages
Historical novel, WWII
Triggers: rape, abortion, racial segregation, war.
NetGalley
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The cover is simple and most misleading as to any clue to the story. Well, unless you picture this as what Shira sees in her mind. No, I don’t believe Shira ever saw gray in her mind. The music in her mind was too rich to settle for something as mundane as gray.

The Nazis have come and Shira and her mother, Roza, are hiding in the loft of a neighbor’s barn. Shira comes from a family of musicians and is a gifted musician herself. In her mind, she composes music for several different instruments that her family had played and made before the Nazis came. This is how her mother keeps her 5-year-old daughter silent. She tells her a story about a magical garden where a lovely yellow bird sings what Shira creates in her head. The music keeps the flowers in the garden alive and makes them grow. So, in her mind, she is free in the garden. She and the yellow bird.

But the Nazis come closer and closer and finally, they want to search the barn, the loft. Roza must make the decision whether to take Shira into the forest and live rough with other Jews and keep Shira with her or send her with the nuns at the convent and hope she will be safer there. Living rough in the forest is very dangerous even for adults, never mind for children, but if they are apart, Roza won’t know if Shira is safe or not.

The dangers Roza faces in the forest are scary, but there are people with their children there. She wants to bring Shira back to her.

Shira goes through so much at the convent. A different name, A different hair color and a kerchief to cover her roots. But there is a violin left by a former student there. And one of the nuns knows a music teacher who is thrilled to have such a student. So young and so gifted. Each time the Nazi official comes to inspect the convent, he asks that Shira plays for him during his lunch. Everyone is nervous the whole time he is there. Shira doesn’t understand why she is considered different than the other girls. She’s just a little girl who likes music. Why do they cover her hair and change the color of it? Why did they change her name? What will her mother think of these new prayers she’s had to learn?

The Nazis attack the groups in the forest. The convent is bombed and several people are killed and some are evacuated. Will Roza and Shira ever see each other again?

This is a highly moving story based on actual things that happened to the Jews in Poland during WWII. For a long time, the people who lived these stories didn’t talk about their experiences because it was too painful. Now, some of the stories are being told because they realize that if they don’t tell them now the stories will be lost as more and more of them die. So many stories have already been lost.

Highly recommended.

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.

“Beauty will save the world,” – The hope and optimism shared from mother to daughter.

Roza and Shira are running for their lives; fighting the memories of the killing and devastation of families and homes. With the chilling descriptions the reader is left wondering how in the midst of such tragedy does a mother find the fortitude to keep going? In Jennifer Rosner’s own words: “to fight the sting in her thighs, the rolling bile in her stomach, the biting cold at her nose and cheeks and fingertips. She pushes on despite the pain and atrophy, despite her acute desire to stop and rest. She tries to outrun her loss.”

Jennifer Rosner’s detailed descriptions take the reader on a roller coaster of the senses. Through her deftly chosen words the reader cringes at the sting of the biting cold, the pungent, rotting smells of the barn and the itchy hay and stiffness of legs and arms. Just at the right moment the reader reaches the crest and is lifted and encouraged as the memories of those glorious and melodic sounds of violins, cellos and music halls are shared. Then oh so quickly, plunged and jerked back to the dreaded fear of being found and shot. The “death defying ride” is worth it in the end.

This emotional tale of a mother’s love and her daughter’s devotion is intricately and indelibly woven with a ‘fairy tale of hope;” told by Roza so that Shira remains perfectly still and quiet. It’s her story of how an imaginary yellow bird sings in a garden of daisies- perfect for weaving garlands for princesses, and magical music that helps the flowers bloom. Of course, every fairy tale must also include an element of evil: the “boot stomping” giants and beasts that are to be feared.

This debut novel rotates between Roza’s frantic search for Shira, and the stoic quest of a daughter to rejoin her mother. The rubble and chaos of war is mixed with the tuning of violins and ecstasy of concertos; leaving the reader breathless, anxiously awaiting the crescendo.

Jennifer Rosner’s The Yellow Bird Sings is indeed a true “symphony!” GR

Jennifer Rosner’s debut novel, The Yellow Bird Sings is a haunting WWII story of what a mother will do to make sure her daughter stays safe even if it means separating from her. This story is told through the mother, Róża, and her daughter, Shira. Róża makes the very difficult decision to have Shira taken to a Catholic orphanage in 1941 as she realizes her daughter would have a better chance to survive. This story is gut wrenching. I will be thinking about it for a long time. Thank you NetGalley and Flatiron Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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!

Any book that takes place during WWII will undeniably break my heart and keep me emotional long time after finishing it. The Yellow Bird Sings is no different. This is a historical fiction at its best! Captivating, heart wrenching but at the same time hopeful. A story of love, loss, courage, and unbreakable bond between mother and daughter. Written in a beautiful prose with wonderfully developed characters, The Yellow Bird Sings is a must read for all historical fiction lovers.

Thank you NetGalley, Flatiron Books, and the author for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

"The girl is forbidden from making sounds so the yellow bird sings...the girl, music trapped inside, buries herself under hay...the barn loft...no larger than three strides by four...pitch too low...to stand anywhere but in the center...".

Poland, 1941. Roz's husband, Natan, shot after a week of hard labor, her parents, rounded up and herded onto a cattle truck, Roz and five year old daughter, Shira, hidden in the closet. An altercation down the hall distracts the Germans. Grabbing a few possessions, including Natan's watch and compass, Roz and Shira escape.

Roz begs a farmer, Henryk, to hide them for a night or two. Henryk used to frequent Roz's family-owned bakery. Her Uncle Jakob, a doctor, nursed Henryk's son to health during a bout of rubella. Through the loft boards, Roz sees Henryk, inside the farmhouse, arguing with his wife, Krystyna. "There were prizes for denunciations: a bag of sugar per Jew".

Staying in the barn loft required silence. Roz and Shira must "...mute the sound of every movement.... Shira practiced being invisible and staying silent." Roz and Shira were not asked to leave. Henryk, repeatedly, had his way with Roz while Shira, yellow bird in hand, quietly faced the wall. The price exacted for safe haven.

"Shira's imagination flutters and darts and her body pulses with song". She came from a musical family. Grandpa was a luthier, crafting violins in his workshop. Roz played cello and Natan played violin. Roz invented "silent counting contests...Shira [was] tapping out her music, what seem like full-blown symphonies she can hardly keep contained". Roz constructed a sleepy time routine. Each night, she would whisper their nighttime story about a five year old girl who tended an enchanted, silent garden. The girl was helped by her imaginary, bright, yellow bird. "Some giants don't like flowers, and because they believe the music in our voices helps the flowers grow, we must never let the giants hear our songs...[a bird can sing] so long as we stay silent."

Fifteen months have passed in Henryk and Krystyna's barn, however, the Germans decide they need to requisition it. Krystyna suggests that Shira would be better off in a convent (part of a network that hides children). In Krystyna's words, "In God's eyes your child is no different than mine. She deserves every chance to live." Roz and Shira shared an unbreakable bond, one that time and distance could not erase. They longed to be together. They must survive.

The musical, imaginary, yellow bird and the violin provide Shira with "occasional" shelter from the storm of the Holocaust. Music was her segway into "a place of peace" despite the chaos and confusion. She doesn't understand why she was whisked away from her mother under cover of darkness and why her name was changed to Zosia. "The Yellow Bird Sings" by Jennifer Rosner is a melancholy, heartfelt, musical tome of historical fiction written with hope including the kindness of strangers. Highly recommended.

Thank you Flatiron Books and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "The Yellow Bird Sings".