This is a beautifully written World War II novel with an engaging plot & fully developed characters.
I'm looking forward to reading & discussing with my book club in 2020.

Courtesy of NetGalley, I received an ARC of The Yellow Bird Sings by Jennifer Rosner. This eloquent story about a hidden child in WWII Poland encompasses comfort, loss, and trauma along with musical themes and the connections that bind this family. I was enthralled by the lovely poetic phrases of this debut novel, and recommend it highly!

The war and the Nazis left Roza desperate. With nothing, Roza and her young daughter Shira set out to find any refuge they could to protect themselves. To hide themselves, Roza has to work to convince her young daughter not to make any noise, or risk being captured or worse. To keep her daughter quiet and safe, Roza uses imagination to comfort her young daughter while they await their future.

The Yellow Bird Sings was an emotional read. I cannot imagine the amount of courage it would take for a anyone to endure such atrocities, but to be hiding with your young child makes for something even more brave and devastating all at once. As Roza and Shira continued to hide, their safety becomes less and less plausible. Roza is put into unbearable situations and forced to make difficult choices to save her daughter, not knowing the long standing repercussions of those decisions. Will her daughter be safe if she leaves her in the hands of strangers? And what will happen to Roza? Will they ever be reunited?

What I love about historical fiction centered on WWII is that there are so many variations of the same war. Each story is unique in its ability to teach about how the same war affected so many individuals. The story of desperate mothers’ giving up their children to save them is the ultimate testament to a mother’s love.

Thank you to @NetGalley, the author, and @Flatironbooks for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Fantastic book! I requested as background reading because BookBrowse is running some ad/promo campaigns for Flatiron marketing, and thus it is helpful to know what it's about. FYI, the first part of one of the promotions has already started -- early reader reviews which are currently averaging an impressive 4.6! https://www.bookbrowse.com/arc/arc_reviews/detail/index.cfm/arc_number/838/the-yellow-bird-sings

Loved this one and felt it was on par with the best WW II fiction. Excellent read .
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

This is a compelling read by a great author. I got so involved in the characters lives. This is well written and if you are a fan of WWII Historical Fiction, then I highly recommend. Bravery, perseverance, music, love...

This was a different perspective than the usual WWII book. It was sometimes painful and sometimes joyful. It gave insight into the mother-daughter relationship and the sacrifices we will make for each other.

I always hesitate a beat when confronted with "another" Holocaust novel. Could there possibly be anything new to say? Jennifer Rosner answers that question powerfully in the affirmative in "The Yellow Bird Sings". The novelty is not in the "What"; it's in the "How". And the results are devastating - murder, rape, trauma, shiver, famine, horror.

But what I found most remarkable is the hope, resolve, and resilience of every single survivo,r as well so many heroic resistance members. What will stay with me is the power of music - in the mind, in silence, in the most unexpected places. Ms. Rosner knows just what she is doing in her poetic renderings, in the intimately correct historic pointillism, all spot on and enlightening.

I dare you not to cry.

Thanks to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for the eARC.

This is a beautifully written heart breaking book. It's a breath taking story about a Jewish mother's love for her young daughter during WWII. This book will hold you captive until you turn the last page. It is definitely a "MUST READ". I can't find the words to describe how good this book was. Thank you Flatiron Books via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

I enjoyed this book so much and my heart broke for the mother and daughter to have to go into hiding.
I can't imagine not getting to be the way God intended you to be.
This new to me author has done a super job with the plot, characters and supporting characters. I am a little emotional over this book. I could feel their fear and anxious moments coming out at me and I wanted to pray for them. In fact I did. Ever done that even though they are fictional characters?
Sometimes I even found myself shouting at the evil Nazi's who were pouring out this evil hate.
I even found myself questioning God. Where is He while all this was going on? Why didn't he protect His people whom He loves? I know He's there no matter what. But, sometimes, it doesn't seem like it Especially when we wander away from Him. I myself included.
I recommend this story and I agree with another reader. I think that this will be the most talked about book in the market today. It it my greatest wish that this book will bless someone as it has me.
My thanks to Netgalley NO compensations were received and all opinions are my own.

<b>Actual rating: 3.5/5</b>

As a Polish woman, I'm always subconsciously on the lookout for books with Polish characters/history/culture; therefore, getting an ARC of this book was a pleasant surprise. I knew it was about WWII, but I didn't know just how heavily Polish traditions/names/etc played in this. So, I was pleasantly surprised.

Now, this isn't a kind story. It's about war, so that's to be expected. However, the bond represented between the mother and daughter is lovely. I myself am quite close to my mother and continously envisioned my mom being as protective as Roza - it was difficult, at times, to stomach.

An odd thing was how while I read this, I couldn't help but feel as though I was reading a past story of mine. I had a similar idea years ago, which I never finished, and because I'm always incredibly harsh when it comes to my own writing, I wonder if that's why I couldn't give this a full four stars.

Either way, this is a touching story filled with melodic writing and realistic, corrupt, and broken characters. I think many of you will enjoy this story and should keep an eye out for it in 2020!

An incredible mother daughter story. So emotionally packed. Dated during a very difficult time in the world but revelant
for today. Highly recommend it.
Received an advanced copy from netgally and the publisher. This is my own opinion.

Inspired by the true stories of Jewish children being hidden during WWII. Could you bear to part with your child? What if that meant the only way for your child to survive war?

Poland, 1941. Roza and her five year old daughter Shira hide in a neighbor’s barn. Shira, a musical prodigy, is told to keep quiet, but struggles with it as any child would. Her mother invents elaborate stories to keep Shira engaged with her mind and not words. One of those stories is an imaginary bird who sings the songs she composes in her head.

But when the risks become too much to bear and the food supply is very low, Roza considers her neighbor’s offer to part with her daughter for her protection.

Zosia, as she is named now, lives at a convent. She is even encouraged to play violin, which makes loud noises. Zosia is afraid to make that loud noise at first. But under a tutelage of Sister Nadzieja, Zosia blossoms as violin player.

Roza is hiding in the woods. She needs to make sure that her shoes leave misleading direction if any. There are berries, mushrooms, leaves, roots and such to help her survive in the woods. But when cold winter freezes the grounds, even wood for fire is very sparse.

Touchingly developed characters. When Roza encounters a mother and a child surviving in the woods, her heart bleeds. How could she have thought that separating from her daughter was the right thing to do? Even though, Shira/Zosia thrives in her violin lessons, her heart bleeds for her mother. If only she kept quiet…

Your heart goes to the five year old girl, who doesn’t understand why she needs to hide and be silent, why her father and grandparents are gone, why she can’t go to school like the other kids. She doesn’t mind learning in Polish instead of Yiddish, if only she could go to school.

Deeply moving story weaves human tragedy and triumphs with elegant prose. And the cultural background of music gives this story a rich texture.

Due to plethora of books set in WWII, if you are one of those readers who hesitates to pick another book set in this time period – this book doesn’t involve historical details. Instead it focuses on mother –daughter relationship and longing to be connected again. On a personal note, I usually prefer books with rich historical background, but this story is so deeply moving, it may squeeze some tears out of you at the very end.

This is a heart wrenching story set during WWII. Roza and her daughter Shira are Jewish and must hide from the German soldiers. They spend several months hiding in a barn until the German soldiers occupy the nearby town. Then Roza makes the difficult decision to let Shira be taken to a convent, where she hopes her daughter will be safe until the end of the war. At the convent, the nuns change Shira’s name to Zosia and bleach her hair blonde, in an effort to hide the fact that she is Jewish. Roza is overcome with grief and guilt during the months without her daughter. Roza spends several months in the woods, hiding and trying to stay alive to make it to her daughter. One day, she cannot take being separated from her daughter anymore, and goes in search of her. The search proves impossible, as Shira has been moved several times and has her name changed twice. Two decades later, Shira (under a new name) is a famous violinist, and her mother attends a concert - the two see each other.

I absolutely loved The Yellow Bird Sings. The emotional turmoil of the characters kept me engaged and made it difficult to put this book down. The book shows a side of the war that I haven't heard about very much. It was interesting and heartbreaking to learn another reason why so many children may never have been reunited with their families. I highly recommend this book to all historical fiction lovers!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Yellow Bird Sings is a beautifully written story about a mother, Roza and her daughter, in Poland during World War II.
Jennifer Rosner presents them as formerly wealthy Jews, that have lost everything including Roza's husband, the child's father, and the creative ingenuity of the mother, Roza is used to protect her daughter, along with all her other resources.They are hiding in a barn and Roza uses the story of "The Yellow Bird" to keep her entertained and quiet. The family is musically creative and the little girl is a musical genius and can see music in her head. Although this book has some very disturbing, yet realistic scenes, the undying love and determination to survive and save her daughter are the saving grace of this story. The Yellow Bird is the tale that Roza spins for her daughter and speaks to the hope that saved so many people during this terrible time. Anyone that is interested in historical fiction, particularly during World War II, will appreciate this book.

A beautifully written story about the bond between a mother and daughter. Although the WW2 time period provides a framework for this story, the emotional journey of these memorable characters is timeless.

This is a wonderful testament to the bond of mothers and daughters. Róza and her daughter Shira are Jews and during WWII in Poland hide out in a barn to stay safe from the Nazis. Shira is a musical prodigy but is unable to make a sound while they hide. Róza tells her a story of a girl in an enchanted garden. As the war rages on, Róza must make some difficult decisions to keep Shira safe. This is a beautifully told story about hope in the face of horror. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read the ARC for my opinion.

What a fantastic WWII novel!

Set in Poland 1941, The Yellow Bird Sings is a heartbreaking novel that centers around, Róza and her young daughter, Shira, who go into hiding to avoid getting captured. The bond between Róza and Shira is immeasurable and it’s the love for her only child that forces Róza to face unimaginable circumstances and make unfathomable decisions!

Wow, just when I thought all of my heartstrings had been pulled by this novel, Jennifer Rosner found another one and tugged on it with this emotional storyline. This book will grab you from the very first page! I couldn’t put my kindle down because I was so invested in these characters and I had to see where their journeys would take them. The Yellow Bird Sings is a 5 star novel that I highly recommend! This is the first book from Jennifer Rosner I’ve read and she’s truly wow’ed me!!

This story was so beautifully written, and also heartbreaking. It is the story of a Jewish mother and her daughter, who is a musical prodigy - who are in hiding during World War 2 - in order to help keep her daughter quiet, the mother tells many stories, including one of a musical bird, which deeply enchants her daughter. The details and descriptions in this book are enchanting, even with the subject matter. The relationship between the mother and her daughter is so wonderful, and the characters all feel incredibly realistic.

4.5 stars.

As an aside, somehow I did not realize until I read the acknowledgements that I had read another book by this author - "When A Tree Falls', which is nonfiction, and which I also highly recommend.

Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for the chance to read this book!

The Yellow Bird Sings is a beautifully written story of the bond between mothers and daughters that is put to the test during the horrors of war. A mother is forced to go into hiding with her child and regales her with stories of enchanted gardens and the sound of a musical bird. She creates this world to keep her daughter quiet so that they will not be found in their hiding places. The child is a musical prodigy so the bird provides much comfort. In time the mother must make a heart rendering decision to give her child up to strangers in order to keep her safe. The ending is stunning! Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to enjoy this wonderful book..